Athalmer Wetlands, Invermere

In early July, we spent about 90 minutes paddling the Athalmer Wetlands, just upstream of Invermere, BC. This is a channel of the Columbia River that meanders a bit. Access was right in town (yellow arrow), with the wetlands spreading out to the north of the screen cap below.

Access is right below the Columbia River Bridge as you had into downtown Invermere. There is a sandy boat launch with parking. Go left (downstream) from the boat launch. There is a current but it was negligible (a 10-year-old could handle it). If you go right (i.e., paddle under the bridge), it takes you out into Windermere Lake, which is pretty big and has lots of boat traffic.

The paddle is basically this on the right side and reeds on the left unit it opens up into a larger pond.

There was lots of wildlife to look at, including fish. There are motorized boats allowed here but strict speed rules and we only saw paddle boards and kayaks and one fishing boat with an electric motor.

There were some nesting eagles, with chicks in the nest.

There were also osprey, herons, ducks, and red-winged black birds.

The wetlands does eventually dump into the Columbia River proper, which is faster moving. There was, very helpfully, this sign telling us when to turn back.

The water was super clear and the bottom was weedy and interesting.

This was a nice 90-minute paddle that could be paired with a walk through the shops in Invermere or some time on the two public beaches (both kind of meh). We drive south and hike the hoodoos at Fairmont and then on to paddle the Columbia Lake up to the headwaters of the Columbia.