Passmore is located on the Slocan River in the Slocan Valley, in the Kootenays region of British Columbia. After driving up the Slocan Valley from the south, Passmore is the first place where you really get an appreciation of the beautiful Valhalla mountain range in the Selkirk Mountains situated to the north.
The Passmore bridge over the Slocan River marks one of the most important mid-valley crossings over the Slocan River.
The uniqueness of Passmore is the road access provided to wilderness areas, including access to Airy Mountain, a spectacular playground west of Passmore, Little Slocan Lakes, and the road to Drinnon Pass in Valhalla Provincial Park. While much of Valhalla Provincial Park is beautifully visible from Highway 6, and certain trails are accessible, once north of Passmore and Slocan City most of the park is inaccessible, requiring a boat trip across Slocan Lake.
This is the south entrance to Drinnon Pass, Vallican, and the Little Slocan Lakes. Occasionally you will see a Slocan valley ‘traffic jam’ of a couple cars, kids on bikes, and perhaps a horse and rider waiting their turn to cross this one-lane, green metal bridge.
Beside the green bridge is a park’n’ride lot where riders can take the ‘handy dart’ public transportation to other parts of the Slocan Valley and into Nelson. Just to the north of the entrance to the bridge is the Passmore Volunteer Fire hall.
Location: Passmore is located in the Slocan Valley, south of the community of Winlaw on Highway 6, approximately 15 kms north of the junction with Highway 3A and 17 kms north of Castlegar.
[FAGP id=26878]
Pull out your hiking boots and fishing gear and head off Highway 6 onto Pedro Creek FS Road to the Rockside Lake Trail, a 4-km easy hike which leads to good fishing in the small Rockside Lake. Pedro Creek FS Road is located 7 km north of Passmore.
Recreation Sites: Grizzly Creek Recreation Site is located where Grizzly Creek flows into Koch Creek, to the northwest of Passmore, accessed via the Koch Creek Road. Cooley Lake Recreation Site is a small treed wilderness campsite on Cooley Lake, accessed via Pass Creek Road and the Goose Creek FS Road south of Passmore.
Valhalla Provincial Park is a world-class 122,000-acre wilderness area located 30 kilometres to the north of Passmore. The park encompasses 30 kilometres of pristine shoreline along Slocan Lake. Backcountry wilderness hiking and camping are the main recreational activities in this park.
Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park is a rugged 30,000-hectare mountain wilderness park in the Slocan Range of the Selkirk Mountains, between Slocan Lake and the north arm of Kootenay Lake. The park offers excellent wilderness recreation in both summer and winter, but is best known for its top-notch backcountry hiking and wilderness camping, and some fine angling for trout in the more than 30 glacier lakes.
Winter Activities: Winter offers vacationers and residents the opportunity to ski, ice skate and ice fish in the Passmore area. Passmore is also the seasonal home base of a backcountry Catskiing operation. Snowmobiling is popular in the area, with up to twenty areas for snowmobiling starting just fifteen minutes across the Passmore Bridge including Pedro Creek, Koch Creek, Cooley Lake, and Grizzly Creek.
Golf: Golfers can head to the challenging 9-hole, par-35 Valley View Golf Club in Vallican, located north of Passmore on Highway 6.
Golf Vacations in British Columbia.
Fishing: Summer activities in Passmore include the newly-opened catch and release fishing for (big) rainbow trout. Nearby Slocan Lake offers excellent opportunities for fishing, swimming, and boating.
Wildlife in the area includes deer, elk, black bear, cougars, coyotes, mountain sheep, and the occasional beaver. Eagles perch in the cottonwoods along the Slocan River to fish, and there is an abundance of shorebirds, waterfowl, and songbirds.
North of Passmore is the small community of Winlaw on the eastern bank of the Slocan River.
South of Passmore is the city of Castlegar, located in the Columbia Valley, at the confluence of the tumbling Columbia and Kootenay Rivers. Castlegar is home to many of British Columbia’s Doukhobors, a pacifist group of political refugee emigrants from Russia that settled in the Ootichena Valley in 1908.
Circle Tour: See the best of the area on The Okanagan and BC Rockies Circle Tour. Travel the sunny interior of British Columbia, north through the Okanagan to Sicamous, following Highway 1 into the mountains of the BC Rockies. From Golden, head south through the Columbia Valley to Creston, and west through Boundary Country and the Southern Okanagan to complete the loop.
Circle Tours in British Columbia.
Premier Listings
Biographical Info
Four lovely vacation condos on the Slocan River and rail-trail, half an hour from Nelson or Castlegar. Built in 2005, these charming view condos feature functional kitchens with a dishwasher and large counters. Patios, balconies, sunrooms, swings, wifi, satellite TV, BBQ, hot tub, phone, and wheelchair access (#3) make your stay easy and fun. Whether coming for adventure, respite, or work, you will love your stay on the Slocan River!
