Last fall my family got the opportunity to try something brand NEW that we'd never done in the Canadian Rockies before or on any of our road trips around British Columbia. It's not how we usually "roll" as a family, but we were hosted on a guided ATV tour with Toby Creek Adventures outside Invermere, BC - and had the time of our lives!
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| Our first ATV tour in the Canadian Rockies |
Our Tour with Toby Creek Adventures
Our tour was called the Summits and Side x Sides Tour and it was the full meal deal for tours operated by Toby Creek Adventures. We're talking "Big Mac combo" here with supersized fun and action!
Most tours with Toby Creek start with your choice of ATV vehicle (quads or side by sides - which fit up to 4 people.) Our tour was a specific SxS tour so we were able to share a vehicle with our guide from PlayWest Mountain Experiences.
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| A very cool family experience to share while camping in BC! |
We began our day with 1000 metres of climbing in our off-road vehicle to reach the site of an old silver mine and a beautiful log cabin perched above the scenic Paradise Basin - which is full of larch trees!
In September, Toby Creek runs "Larches in Paradise" tours for folks who want to see these beautiful trees without a long arduous hike. There's no hiking at all in fact because you get to tour Paradise Basin after visiting the mine site, and "drive" around the larch forest! - I don't know anywhere else you can enjoy vehicle-accessed larch tours.
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| The Paradise Cabin and Mine Site above larch filled Paradise Basin |
The Paradise Basin Tour includes a delicious BBQ lunch at the log cabin before touring the basin below, but we had other plans ahead of us and would be climbing Paradise Ridge with our guide from PlayWest Mountain Experiences.
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| Your destination for the Paradise Basin Tour and mountain top BBQ lunch |
We left our vehicle at the mine site and began a beautiful hike along Paradise Ridge, high above the cabin and Paradise Basin. We only hiked 6 kilometres in total but we reached a lovely summit with only an extra 400 metres of climbing - yay for doing the first 1000 metres in our SxS vehicle!
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| Hiking across Paradise Ridge with ATV access |
After our hike we returned to our vehicle and took turns driving down the mountain. This was my son's highlight of the day! (I promise he has his learner's license.)
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| Taking turns driving down the mountain in our ATV side x side |
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| Doesn't this scream "FUN day in the mountains?!" |
Guided Hiking with PlayWest Mountain Experiences
Have you ever hired a professional hiking guide? We're typically self sufficient as a family and "usually" enjoy DIY adventures, but I would happily hire Chris from PlayWest Mountain Experiences to accompany us on any future hike.
And if you're not sure you want to hire a guide:
- Paradise Ridge is only accessible via the Toby Creek Adventures' Summits and Side x Sides tours.
- Thanks to this tour we got to enjoy a spectacular hike with only 400 metres of climbing (1400 metres if you started from the highway below.
- Lunch was provided! Anybody else sick of packing healthy lunches?
- Several of the photos in this post were taken by our rock star guide with awesome photography skills. And his videos were pretty great too. So there's your family photography shoot and Christmas card photos.
- I never had to look at a downloaded map once, I didn't have to research our route, we were kept safe, and BIG one for the Columbia Valley - you don't need a 4x4 truck to reach the trailhead. The Toby Creek Adventures parking lot is just across the road from the Panorama Ski Resort.
- Finally our guide was funny as heck! He entertained us with stories, he kept us laughing, and he had a big smile on his face all day.
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| Hiking along Paradise Ridge |
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| Doesn't he look like a fun guy to guide you for a day in the mountains! |
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| Paradise Ridge Summit, all to ourselves! |
I highly recommend reaching out to Chris for all your guiding needs in the Columbia Valley. He can guide you on any of the popular trails or backpacking routes around the valley including epic multi-day traverses across the Bubaboos!
Chris contracts himself to Toby Creek Adventures for any hiking tours throughout the summer season, so if you book the Summits and Side x Sides tour, you'll most likely get to spend your day hiking with him.
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| Paradise Ridge Summit on a bluebird day! |
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| Not a bad place for a lunch break! |
More Information on the Summits and Side x Sides Tour
A minimum of 3 guests is required for this tour.
The tour includes:
- Side-by-Side vehicle and driver
- Professional ACMG Hiking Guide
- Safety equipment – DOT certified SxS helmet, first aid, bear spray, emergency satellite communication device
- Lunch from Kootenay Coffee Works - fresh made sandwich, homemade granola bar, apple, veggie sticks & dip
- Exclusive terrain & alpine cabin
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| The views were never ending on this tour |
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| The Paradise Cabin is perched on a plateau above hundreds of golden larch trees |
The tour lasts a duration of 6-7 hours depending on how fast your group is at hiking. We met at the Toby Creek office at 8:00am and were finished by 3:30pm.
The hike along Paradise Ridge would be rated as moderate in difficulty with 400 metres of height gain and 6 km of distance round trip. There were a few steep sections but most "fit" people should be able to manage this hike with ease. Good hiking boots are recommended, and I brought my hiking poles with me.
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| Hiking Tour + full day mountain family photo shoot! |
On the trip, you travel approximately 13 km from the Toby Creek base operation to reach the Paradise Cabin. Along the way we enjoyed a quick stop at a hidden waterfall and then we had time to have a quick snack at the silver mine site where the cabin is located.
The hike starts from the cabin and it takes approximately 2 hours to reach the Paradise Ridge summit where you get to enjoy lunch. We had lots of time to take photos and then we meandered our way back down to our vehicles for the ride back.
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| Paradise Ridge was such an incredible alpine hike! (with only 400 metres of climbing involved.) |
We had extra time (apparently we're speedy hikers) so we got to tour Paradise Basin on our way down, but this wouldn't normally be included in the same tour.
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| Touring the Paradise Basin after our hike |
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| We caught the tail end of the larches on our Thanksgiving tour |
Other ATV Tours with Toby Creek Adventures
Paradise Basin Tour - Ride from the valley bottom up to the Paradise Cabin for a BBQ lunch overlooking the scenic Paradise Basin. Afterwards, tour the basin with your chosen ATV or Side x Side vehicle, ride through the remnants of a 1900s Silver Mining Town, stop at Marmot Falls and experience the incredible views of the Rocky and Purcell mountains.
This tour involves no hiking, and would be accessible by all fitness levels and abilities. Choose a side x side vehicle and you'll be able to take the whole family.
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| Toby Creek's ATV tours are accessible + family friendly for all abilities |
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| Checking out the historic Paradise Mine |
For a shorter tour, you can also check out the
Paradise Mine Tour which includes a hot drink and snack at the cabin, but does not include the BBQ lunch. Otherwise, you'll still get to tour the same terrain and enjoy the same views as the previous tour.
AND in mid to late September, make sure you look at the
Larches In Paradise Tour. This is essentially the same thing as the Paradise Mine Tour above, with a focus on making sure you really get to enjoy those golden fall colors!
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| Looking down on Paradise Basin in its golden splendor |
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| Touring the old Silver Mining Town in the Paradise Basin |
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