After we left Dry Gulch Provincial Park near Radium Hot Springs Village, we took the Kootenay Ferry from Kootenay Bay to Balfour.
It was a lovely 25 degrees Celsius day.
"The route is the longest free scenic ferry carrying vehicles in the world"- Wikipedia
Kootenay Bay Ferry Landing.
"Kootenay Lake is a long, narrow and deep fjord-like lake located between the Selkirk and Purcell mountain ranges in the Kootenay region of British Columbia.[3][4] It is one of the largest lakes in British Columbia, at 104 km in length and 3–5 km in width.[1] It is, in part, a widening of the Kootenay River, which in turn drains into the Columbia River system at Castlegar, British Columbia.[1]" -Wikipedia
Kootenay Bay Ferry Landing has clean washrooms, a restaurant, some shops, a waiting area, etc.
We were lucky to be first in line.
We were lucky to be first in line.
"A single vessel sails throughout the year, with ten departures from Balfour between 6:30am and 9:40pm, returning from Kootenay Bay between 7:10am and 10:20pm. The second vessel runs in summer only, providing an extra five crossings in either direction. The crossing is about 8 km (5 mi) in length and takes 35 minutes.[1] The Osprey 2000 normally handles the main service, while the smaller Balfour usually provides the additional summer sailings.[1]" -Wikipedia
"In 2000 she was built as a passenger car ferry built at Nelson BC by Kootenay Ferry Builders. 76.50m x 23.40m x 5.03m steel hulled 1780gt 584rt She was powered by 4–954kw diesel engines. She was launched on July 1, 2000 and went into ferry service on August 26 of the same year. The Osprey 2000 normally operates the main service, and carries a maximum of 80 vehicles and 250 passengers."-Nautica Pedia.
We were fortunate to be in front with our Jayco.
View from the top.
All our solar panels are still on the roof ;-)
Another view from the passenger's deck.
Inside the passenger's lounge.
Clean washrooms, coffee, maps, travel brochures, etc.
Stunning views from inside the passenger's lounge.
Me standing close to the muster station.
"Kootenay Lake is the delimiter between the Mountain and Pacific time zones. While crossing from one zone to another would usually mean having to change your watch, when daylight savings time is in effect you don’t need to, as the east shore of Kootenay Lake to Creston doesn’t ever change it’s time – it’s on Mountain Standard Time year-round. Mountain Standard Time is the same as Pacific Daylight Time." - Selkirk Loop
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