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Attractions and Adventures
Grand Forks Agri-Tours 2008...
This is the Boundary at its best. This self guided tour will take you to 10 of our regions treasures. Visit active historic farm sites, show gardens, artisans in their studio, productive farms where you can taste the difference, and fiber arts that grow their own mediou. Stop by the Grand Forks Visitor Centre for your free brochure and map.
catch the BMX action...
At the BMX track open to the public in City Park. Ride nights are every
Tuesday at 6pm. BMX Track Info and Event Schedules
BOWL your heart out...
At our bowling alley. Computerized scoring and cosmic bowling provide
hours of entertainment.
try our Russian CUISINE...
available at almost all of our restaurants!! We are known for "Sunshine
and Borscht", and this hearty soup is available fresh or frozen so
you can take it with you.
get CULTURAL...
The Russian settlers of the area are known as Doukhobors for their pacifist
beliefs, and are well-known for their hospitality, history, and cuisine.
Spend some time exploring the "Things Doukhobor" in the section
below, and be sure to visit the Boundary Museum for local and Doukhobor history.
browse the FARMERS MARKET in City Park...
Buy fresh organic produce or local crafts, and meet the locals who proffer
their wares every Tuesday and Friday morning (June - September). South
end of 5th Street.
go FISH...
The Boundary offers over 25 secluded spots for your angling pleasure.
(Booklets available)
go GOLFING...
On one of 4 courses in the Boundary area, including a par 3 and 18 hole
at Christina Lake. Christina Lake Golf Club
DRIVE the day away...
On one of our 5 area driving tours rife with spectacular views, historical
sites and wildlife. Or you can cross the border (via 2 local crossings)
on the International Selkirk Loop. Brochures available at the Visitor Centre. or www.selkirkloop.org
do the GRAND FORKS...
Our city is named after the Granby and Kettle Rivers, and recreational
opportunities abound on these gently flowing waters. Visit City Park to
view the Kettle River and Barbara Ann Park to see the Granby. Hike the
river trails in the Granby Wilderness area. Drive the North Fork tour.
Take a dip, try tubing, walk along the banks into town, bring your canoe/kayak
or rent one, or hook some fish for dinner. Whew! Tubing the Rivers
learn about our HERITAGE and HISTORY...
On one of our downtown walking tours that takes you past our charming
heritage buildings. See the restored mansion on the hill. Visit our fabulous
museum, and learn about our stellar mining and agricultural past. Grand
Forks was once home to the largest copper smelter in the British Empire,
and we produced nearly one third of BC’s apple crops! Historic Down Town
try HORSEBACK RIDING...
Saunter on a horse through our picturesque valley to beautiful viewpoints
above, or take the kids for a pony ride. Owl
Mountain Ranch
spend a day at the LAKE...
Christina Lake, a scant 15 minutes East of town, is the warmest tree-lined
lake in Canada! There's watersports, sandy beaches & trails available,
and you can get there either on or offroad (via the Trans Canada Trail).
Christina Lake
explore PHOENIX...
A now abandoned mining town between Greenwood and Grand Forks. See the
Cenotaph that marks the former town site, and explore the trails to find
relics. You can drive right through to Greenwood on the gravel road, and
tour their smelter ruins in Lotzkar Park.
take the ROCK CANDY SAFARI Mine Tour...
An unforgettable experience. Get your tickets at the Visitor Centre, and spend
half a day exploring the mine site and nearby ghost town. Come away
with all the colorful rock you can carry! Rock
Candy Mountain Safari Tour
Geologist
Bob Jackson purchased an abandoned, turn-of-the-century
mine from Cominco, a large Canadian mining company.
Rock Candy Mine was named for the colourful fluorite,
barite & quartz crystals miners found there
while producing fluorite ore for industrial processes.
Operated from 1916 to 1929, the mine provided fluorite
for flux used in Cominco’s Trail smelter.
Flux helps separate desirable metals from waste
products. In the 1920’s, miners threw away
the pretty, but worthless, crystals they found after
every blast.
Fast
forward 80 years. Today fluorite and barite crystals
are highly prized by collectors, making the mine’s
former waste product more valuable than the fluorite
ore ever was. Left behind on the mine property is
a sponge-like network of holes laden with golden
barite, green and purple fluorite, and sparkling
quartz crystals. Jackson worked with the M.Y. Williams
museum at UBC to create a small scale mining plan
which included filling in the scars in the landscape
left over from the original mining. All collecting
today is done outside the original mine, which is
being filled in as the collecting progresses.
Today,
where miners once toiled, tourists discover treasures
of the earth. “We took what was an eyesore
in the 1980’s, and turned it into a tourism
destination,” says Jackson. Rock Candy Safaris
opened in May, 2000. Visitors start with an escorted
30 km. drive from downtown Grand Forks, exploring
local history and geology along the way. Once on
the Rock Candy property, hammers and safety glasses
are distributed, and soon the place sounds like
you’ve stepped into a popcorn popper. Kids
especially enjoy whacking rocks apart to find the
hidden treasures within. Everyone is welcome to
keep everything they find
In
2001, Tourism BC chose Rock Candy Safaris for its
prestigious “Outside the Box” award,
presented annually to the province’s most
innovative tourism project. In 2004, Moonlight Rocks,
an evening tour was added, so visitors can find
minerals which glow in the dark when illuminated
by an ultraviolet light. Tours are held several
times each week in July & August. For more information,
or to book a trip, call Grand Forks Visitor Info
at: 250-442-5835 or visit www.rockcandymine.com
SHOP the day away...
In our charming downtown core, with it's pleasant, unrushed atmosphere
and unique stores. Enjoy the piped in music and the feeling of days gone
by...and try some borscht for lunch!
SKI Phoenix...
Our local mountain has lessons and even some cross country trails.
SWIM, SWEAT, STRETCH & SKATE...
At the Grand Forks Recreation Complex, conveniently located on Central
Avenue (at 19th Street).
find TREASURES...
You'll find unique items in our secondhand stores or artisan's co-operative.
If it's gems you're looking for, try the Rock Candy Mine Tour, or go prospecting
at the Eco-Heritage campground (bring your own pan!). Visit our slag piles
and take home a souvenir.
traverse our TRAILS…
The Trans Canada Trail runs right through the city! From City Park you
can head to Christina Lake via the not-to-be-missed Cascade Falls, or
towards Greenwood above the scenic North Fork valley. Our many hiking
and biking trails are profiled in a guidebook available at the Visitor Centre. Link to Rails to Trails/Spirit 2010
Grand Forks ART GALLERY...
Features 16–20 exhibits per year from regional, provincial, national
& international artists as well as an on-site gift shop. Grand Forks Art Gallery
BARBARA ANN PARK...
You can walk along the Granby River from downtown to the park, and then
go for a well-deserved dip.
CASCADE FALLS...
Watch for the highway turnoff to the border and golf course as you approach
Christina Lake, and drive to the bridge pullout. The falls can be seen
from the bridge, but a 5 minute walk (trailhead is marked) will take you
to the most impressive part of the canyon, where deep kettles have formed
by the water cascading through.
Grand Forks CITY PARK...
Right at the end of 5th street you'll find a charming green space with
a children's play area, riverfront walking path & beach access, playing
field, picnic tables, campground and BMX track. Tenting or RV spots can
be booked at the Visitor Centre. Grand Forks Municipal Park
the restored CPR STATION HOUSE...
Now operating as a restaurant & pub, it rests right on the former
railbed (now the Trans Canada Trail) and is a great access point for a
daytrip on the trails.
GARDENS...
From a fishpond alley to a gas station nursery to a nursing home Peace
Garden, you’ll find unique gardens tucked in delightful places here.
Our nurseries and greenhouses are well worth a visit, and Pioneer Gardens
is a must-see attraction.
“Pioneer Garden”
The “Pioneer Garden” is
devoted to the preservation of a small part of the Doukhobor
history and culture and is owned and maintained by Lorraine
and Jerry Seminoff. by
Lorraine Semenoff
What started as a small backyard
project about 10 years ago has expanded to include
a collection of old farm implements, tools and a
blacksmith shop dating back to the early 1900’s.
This collection is a reminder of another time and
different way of life belonging to our parents and
grandparents. As a tribute to them this is all proudly
displayed as part of the garden landscape along
with many sitting areas, water ponds and whimsical
art. Many Doukhobor families of this sunshine valley
are represented here through items that have been
donated to the garden.
Also
featured is a unique “Gift shop” with
the famous borscht ladies, salt dishes, bowls and
other items on display and for gifts. All of these
pieces are hand crafted on a lathe by Jerry using
different species of wood from this area. Also available
are bird houses, small quilts and borscht.
The
summer of 2004 saw over 1,000 visitors to the “Pioneer
Garden” tourists over the years have come
from as far away as England, Russia, France, Australia,
Mexico, from about one third of the states of the
U.S. and all the provinces of Canada. The
“Pioneer Garden” is open from June 1st
to Sept 30th.
Admission
is by donation. Self-tour or guided tour exceptions
are made for large groups, tour buses, wedding photos
or special events held in the garden by pre-arranged
agreement with Lorraine and Jerry. Visible signage
is at the intersection of Hardy Mountain Road and
North Fork Road and easy access from The Trans Canada
Trail/Spirit of 2010 Trail. 8235
North Fork Road. Grand Forks, BC Phone 442-3471
GEM THEATRE...
Imagine a small town movie experience where the proprietor personally thanks you
for coming after the show!
OBSERVATION MOUNTAIN...
Have you seen the star on the top of the hill yet? A Grand Forks institution,
it shines brightly every night here, and by day you can hike up to it
from several access points.
WILDLIFE...
If you stop and stay awhile you're sure to see a deer or two perhaps
many! There's turtles, frogs and herons to be seen along our gently winding
rivers, and the Granby Wilderness area offers unspoiled nature access.
Bird watchers will also enjoy our colorful feathered friends…Ward
Lake is a bird sanctuary.
BREAD, SALT, WATER...
These are the three inseparable staples of Doukhobor philosophy, and symbolize
the hospitality and peaceful nature they are so well known for. Vegetarians
by choice, they still make bread the old fashioned way in the USCC community
facility.
FARRON...
A former summit station on the railbed just east of Christina Lake, this
is close to the monument marking the 1924 bombing of a passenger train
that killed 9 people including the (then) Doukhobor leader, Peter Verigin.
Boundary Museum Society - Fructova School...
Built as a schoolhouse, the building now houses a peace library and on
the grounds are the bread oven & fruit drying facility that were built
and used by this self-sufficient society.
6110 Reservoir Road
Grand Forks, BC V0H 1H0
Phone/Fax: 250-442-3737
Email: boundarymuse@shaw.ca or boundarymuseum@boundarymuseum.com
Website: www.boundarymuseum.com
GILPIN...
Look to your right as you drive the highway to Christina Lake and you
will notice two things: the Trans Canada Trail pathway, and beyond it,
across the river, the old houses of the Gilpin freedomites settlement.
HISTORY...
The Doukhobors have contributed greatly to the rich history of the area.
Historical books are available from the museum and local businesses.
Hardy Mountain Doukhobor Museum
3655 Hardy Mountain Road
Grand Forks, BC V0H 1H2
Phone: 250-492-0173
Website: www.conservancy.bc.ca
HISTORICAL SITES...
Polonicoff’s store is one of 9 sites profiled in a brochure available
at the Visitor Centre. A short driving tour will take you past them all.
Grand Forks MILLING CO-OPERATIVE...
Arrange a tour of this still-working flour mill, and view the old stone-ground
press on the premises. Ph 250-442-8685.
Doukhobor Milling Heritage Society
3620 Mill road (off Hwy #3, 4 km west of Grand Forks
Grand Forks, BC V0H 1H5
Phone: 250-442-8252
Website: www.usccdoukhobors.org
 Hardy Mountain Doukhobor Village Historic Site ...
Hardy Mountain Doukhobor Village is a 16.9 acre property containing what remains of the historic Makortoff Doukhobor Village. Built on a knoll overlooking the junction of the Kettle and Granby River valleys, the village is located one kilometer west of the City of Grand Forks in the central interior of British Columbia. Phone 250-492-0173 or the Visitor Centre at 250-442-5835 to arrange
a tour. TLC Hardy Mountain Museum
SOUVENIRS...
Matrioshka (colorful Russian wooden nesting dolls) & wooden spoons
can be found at local businesses,and Russian cookbooks are available at
the Museum & USCC office.
USCC...
The acronym means: United Spiritual Community of Christ, and is the religious
and community organization of the Doukhobors. Visit the USCC Community
Centre for more information about the Doukhobors, or to buy homemade bread
& lapsha (noodles). Phone 250-442-8252. USCC Doukhobors
Observation Mountain
There are many different ways to reach the top of
Observation Mountain. The most popular route is
up along a road just southeast of Copper Ridge Estates. A
quicker, but steeper, route starts at the turn-around
at the bottom of the gravel road going to the Wildlife
Hall on 2nd St. Heading
off the parking lot area and up the hill to the
left, you will find a faint walking trail that winds
through the trees. This part is quite steep until
you get to the open hillside. At the top of this
section you veer off to the right onto a trail (look
for a large flat rock pointing the way into the
trees). The
trail wraps around the right side of the hill overlooking
the Wildlife Hall and parking area. Eventually the
trail turns left and climbs straight up until you
suddenly come out at the top of Observation Mountain
under “the star”.
If
you don’t want to go back down the same way
you can take an easier route to the road. Walking
west along the top you ill come to a 4 wd road that
winds down the back (north) side of the mountain.
After dropping a fair distance take the road to
the right, which eventually brings you to the Granby
River.
Walking
east (down river), you will see a flagged trail
that goes up a path off the river trail to the right.
This trail starts just before you come out into
a very large open area which is private property.
Go off the river path and up into the trees to reach
one end of the “Lincoln Trail”. It is
a much smaller, single-track trail.
Chamber Project Art Walk
Art Walk map available at the Grand Forks Visitor Centre
524 Central Avenue
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