THE REGION
The Purcell Mountains form a rugged spine separating the Rocky Mountain Trench from the Columbia River system—a range less celebrated than the Rockies to the east but equally compelling to those who know its secrets. These mountains are old, their rounded summits and deep cirques carved by glaciers that have been retreating for ten thousand years, leaving behind lakes of impossible blue and valleys choked with old-growth forest.
The Columbia Valley runs below, a gentle floor of ranch land and river bottom that contrasts sharply with the steep terrain rising on either side. The Ktunaxa people have called this valley home for at least 14,000 years, traveling the waterways that connect the region and following game between the valley floor and the high alpine. Archaeological evidence suggests this is one of the longest continuously inhabited regions in North America.
European contact came with David Thompson, the cartographer and explorer who mapped more of North America than any person in history. Thompson established trading posts throughout the Columbia system in the early 1800s, and his route along the Columbia River remains one of the great wilderness travel corridors. The town of Invermere and the surrounding valley bear his mark in place names and historical markers.
The valley's modern economy blends tourism, ranching, and an increasing population of remote workers and retirees drawn by the mountain setting and (relatively) affordable real estate. Invermere serves as the commercial center, a small town with genuine stores alongside the vacation-oriented businesses. Radium Hot Springs, at the valley's southern end, anchors the region's wellness tourism tradition.
Unlike the vertical rock walls of the Rockies, the Purcells offer a more organic mountain experience—dense forests, rolling alpine terrain, and an intimacy that the grander ranges can lack. This is accessible wilderness, close enough to Calgary for weekend trips but sufficiently removed to feel like genuine escape.