Our area in the Rocky Mountains is the borderland between Ktunaxa and Blackfoot lands. Ktunaxa and Blackfoot treaties, spiritual traditions, and ways of life are ongoing here today, just as they have been for thousands of years.
Our Area
location and possibilities
Our Area
location and possibilities
The area is also overlapped by traditional Tsuut’ina, Îyârhe Nakoda, Métis, and other Indigenous territories, and much more recently by the national and provincial parks of settler-colonial British Columbia and Alberta. This place is rich in diversity, life, and knowledge, all of which root our home and ways we share here now.
Our area in the Rocky Mountains is the borderland between Ktunaxa and Blackfoot lands. Ktunaxa and Blackfoot treaties, spiritual traditions, and ways of life are ongoing here today, just as they have been for thousands of years.
The area is also overlapped by traditional Tsuut’ina, Îyârhe Nakoda, Métis, and other Indigenous territories, and much more recently by the national and provincial parks of settler-colonial British Columbia and Alberta. This place is rich in diversity, life, and knowledge, all of which root our home and the ways we share here now.
Location & Setting
The Cross River grounds are set in mixed montane and subalpine forests along the Yearling Creek near the confluence of the Kootenay and Cross Rivers. We are just off the Cross River Forest Service Road, about 14.7 kilometres down Settlers Road from Highway 93 South in between Banff and Radium Hot Springs. Radium is 35 minutes away; Invermere is 45 minutes away.
Our working area also includes trails, learning spaces, and outpost camps throughout the Yearling Creek headwaters and peaks under a BC land tenure agreement. We are also adjacent to the Cross River Canyon BC Recreation Site and only three kilometres from Kootenay National Park.
The Cross River grounds are set in mixed montane and subalpine forests along the Yearling Creek near the confluence of the Kootenay and Cross Rivers. We are just off the Cross River Forest Service Road, about 14.7 kilometres down Settlers Road from Highway 93 South in between Banff and Radium Hot Springs. Radium is 35 minutes away; Invermere is 45 minutes away.
Our working area also includes trails, learning spaces, and outpost camps throughout the Yearling Creek headwaters and peaks under a BC land tenure agreement. We are also adjacent to the Cross River Canyon BC Recreation Site and only three kilometres from Kootenay National Park.
Hiking in the Area
Like a hidden gem, we are surrounded by spectacular areas—some of the most famous in the Rockies—for incredible hiking and backpacking.
Banff National Park and Peter Lougheed Provincial Park are to our east. Height of the Rockies, Whiteswan Lake, and Top of the World Provincial Parks are east and south. Kootenay National Park and the Columbia Valley wetlands are to our west. And Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park is to our north.
Like a hidden gem, we are surrounded by spectacular areas—some of the most famous in the Rockies—for incredible hiking and backpacking.
Banff National Park and Peter Lougheed Provincial Park are to our east. Height of the Rockies, Whiteswan Lake, and Top of the World Provincial Parks are east and south. Kootenay National Park and the Columbia Valley wetlands are to our west. And Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park is to our north.
Rafting & Other Activities
Some other popular day outings include:
-guided rafting trips on the Kootenay River
-mountain biking in the Cross River Canyon Recreation Site
-nearby fishing or mountain climbing
-the Akisqnuk powwow or interpretive centre
-the Wings Over The Rockies Nature Festival
-golfing in Radium or Fairmont Hot Springs
-driving visits to nearby townsites and attractions like Banff, Lake Louise, Lake Windermere, Fort Steele Heritage Town, the Golden Skybridge, Invermere, Radium Hot Springs, or Lussier Natural Hot Springs
A little further afield, some visitors have even enjoyed day trips to the Columbia Icefield.
Some other popular day outings include:
-guided rafting trips on the Kootenay River
-mountain biking in the Cross River Canyon Recreation Site
-nearby fishing or mountain climbing
-the Akisqnuk powwow or interpretive centre
-the Wings Over The Rockies Nature Festival
-golfing in Radium or Fairmont Hot Springs
-driving visits to nearby townsites and attractions like Banff, Lake Louise, Lake Windermere, Fort Steele Heritage Town, the Golden Skybridge, Invermere, Radium Hot Springs, or Lussier Natural Hot Springs
A little further afield, some visitors have even enjoyed day trips to the Columbia Icefield.
Animal & Plant Life
Plant specialists, herbalists, birdwatchers, naturalists, geologists, wildlife photographers, artists, and nature lovers alike have all found a piece of paradise here.
While the seasons offer different opportunities, some common wildlife viewing and plant harvesting possibilities include: bears, elk, deer, wolves, cougars, bighorn sheep, owls, hawks, eagles, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, wild raspberries, huckleberries, wood lilies, wild onion, birch, spruce, larch, sweet pine, red willow, wolf willow, alder, kinnickinnick, wild rose, and so much more.
Plant specialists, herbalists, birdwatchers, naturalists, geologists, wildlife photographers, artists, and nature lovers alike have all found a piece of paradise here.
While the seasons offer different opportunities, some common wildlife viewing and plant harvesting possibilities include: bears, elk, deer, wolves, cougars, bighorn sheep, owls, hawks, eagles, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, wild raspberries, huckleberries, wood lilies, wild onion, birch, spruce, larch, sweet pine, red willow, wolf willow, alder, kinnickinnick, wild rose, and so much more.
Some Driving Distances
- Radium Hot Springs – 35 min
- Kindersley Pass trail – 20 min
- Mt. Assiniboine trails – 45 min
- Invermere townsite – 45 min
- Akisqnuk Nation – 55 min
- Stanley Glacier trail – 55 min
- Banff townsite – 1.5 hrs
- Lake Louise – 1.5 hrs
- Calgary – 2.75 hrs
- Columbia Icefield – 3 hrs
- Fort Steele Heritage Town – 2 hrs
- Jasper townsite – 4.5 hrs
- Golden Skybridge – 1.75 hrs
- Edmonton – 6 hrs
- Vancouver – 10 hrs
Some Driving Distances
- Radium Hot Springs – 35 min
- Kindersley Pass trail – 20 min
- Mt. Assiniboine trails – 45 min
- Invermere townsite – 45 min
- Akisqnuk Nation – 55 min
- Stanley Glacier trail – 55 min
- Banff townsite – 1.5 hrs
- Lake Louise – 1.5 hrs
- Calgary – 2.75 hrs
- Columbia Icefield – 3 hrs
- Fort Steele Heritage Town – 2 hrs
- Jasper townsite – 4.5 hrs
- Golden Skybridge – 1.75 hrs
- Edmonton – 6 hrs
- Vancouver – 10 hrs