Four Days at Kokanee Springs
Some people wait for a reason to book a trip. A birthday, an anniversary, one of those "we've been saying we'd do this for three years" situations.
Four days at Kokanee Springs is reason enough on its own to book a trip. Once you've done it, you'll understand why people keep coming back without needing much convincing the second time around.
Here's how we'd spend 4 days at Kokanee Springs.
DAY ONE
The Drive In, and Settling Down
Morning
If you're coming through Creston, slow down and stop at one of the fruit stands along the highway. Cherries, peaches, whatever they've got out front that day. Grab snacks at the General Store while you're at it, the ones you accidentally finish when your watching the view from your ferry trip.
Afternoon
Check in, drop your bag, and resist the urge to start planning the rest of the day. Take a slow walk around the property instead, find the first tee, check out the driving range, just get a feel for the place. There's nothing to rush toward and that's exactly the point of being here. Your on Kootenay time.
Evening
Head to REFRESH Kitchen & Bar and order the wings. Get a cold pint and get the jitters out for your first round tomorrow. Get a round of pickleball in before heading back to your accommodations to get some rest.
DAY TWO
The First Round on Noble Arbor
Morning
Walk up to the pro shop and get your cart sorted for the day. Spend a few minutes on the practice green before you head to the first tee, not because you need the warm-up but because rolling putts on a mountain golf course on a clear morning is its own reward. Step up to that opening tee shot on Noble Arbor, and take in that view that made the drive out here worth it.
Afternoon
Grab a sandwich and one of the homemade granola bars at the turn. Whatever happened on the front nine stays on the front nine, and the back nine is a fresh start as far as anyone's concerned.
Late Afternoon
When the round wraps up, post up at the picnic tables near the driving range. There's a version of this trip where you go straight to dinner, and a version where you sit out here with a cold drink and watch the light change on the mountains for an hour, and the second version is always the better one.
If your legs still have something left in them, the trails around the property are worth a wander before the sun gets too low.
Evening
Back to REFRESH for dinner. Nobody's going to argue with that call.
DAY THREE
A Slower Morning, a Sharper Round
Morning
Head into Crawford Bay for a proper slow morning. Walk the beach and sit somewhere with a coffee.
Late Morning
Stop at Red's Bakery, a trusty locals favourite, on the way back and fuel up properly. You know the course now, which means you know what's coming.
Afternoon
Round two always plays differently than the first one. You've got enough confidence now to actually look up and enjoy the scenery instead of spending the whole round trying to figure out what you're looking at.
Evening
Get into the sauna before getting cleaned up for dinner at REFRESH. Check if there is live entertainment for the night, and vibe out accordingly.
DAY FOUR
One Last Round, Then the Long Way Home
Morning
Pack up the car and head over to Noble Arbor one more time. Last-round golf is its own kind of game. You play a little looser, you look up between shots more than you did on day two, and the pace slows down without anyone agreeing to slow it down. That's usually the round people are still talking about on the drive home.
Heading Out
When you cross back over the bridge and the resort disappears in the rearview, someone in the car will start picking next years dates on when you are coming back. Same time next year, maybe bring a couple more people, maybe stay one more night this time. That's how Kokanee works on you. The first trip is really just the setup for every trip after it.
