TRANSPORTATION

Airports   

The newly upgraded Canadian Rockies International Airport (CRIA) is the region’s commercial airport. The expansion to the airport terminal was completed in 2008 and the runway was expanded earlier, now allowing for a greater range of airliners to access the facility and region. Among aircraft that can now land and take off at CRIA: AirBus A310 to A321; and Boeing 737-600NG to 767-300.

Daily flights are offered to Calgary and Vancouver. Delta Air Line flights to Salt Lake City, Utah are offered twice weekly in the winter months. The connection to Salt Lake offers travelers easy access to such U.S. centres as: Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, L.A., Minneapolis, Dallas-Fort Worth, Orlando, Phoenix, San Diego and San Francisco.

In addition, the airport’s regular and longer-serving airlines are Air Canada and Pacific Coastal, which provide access to Calgary and Vancouver. On average, each airline offers five flights (incoming and outgoing) per day.

Air cargo and courier services are also available at CRIA.

Total Monthly Flights (inbound and outbound): 432

Largest Cities Served Weekly Non-stop Flights

• Calgary
• Vancouver
• Salt Lake City (seasonal)

The Elk Valley Airport is north of Sparwood, and is for charter service and recreational aircraft.   There is also the Creston Valley Regional Airport.  Private airports are located at Fairmont Hot Spring, Radium Hot Springs, and the Shuswap Indian Reserve in Invermere. Charter companies use these airports. There are many heli-companies to suit your needs, such as Big Horn Helicopters and Kootenay Helicopters.

Highways  

Three major highways and a couple of secondary highways service the Kootenay Rockies Region, and provide linkages to major urban centres.

• Highway 3 is the major east/west highway; it runs from Vancouver to Medicine at, Alberta. It has had recent upgrades in our region.
• Highway 93/95 is the major north/south highway. Highway 93 originates (in B.C.) at the Roosville border crossing and; highway 95 originates at the Kingsgate border crossing, providing access to northern Idaho and via Interstate 90 to Spokane, Wash. Highway 93/95 branches apart at Radium Hot Springs, with No. 93 heading through Kootenay National Park, providing access to Banff and Calgary. And Highway 95 heads north to Golden.
• The Trans-Canada (highway 1) is the other major east/west entry point to Alberta, near Field, and heads west across B.C. It, too, has undergone a major expansion and bridge replacement in the Kicking Horse Canyon.

All the municipalities in the region, except for Elkford and Kimberley, are located along the major highway network. Elkford is located approximately 35 kilometres north of Highway 3 on Highway 43 and Kimberley is accessed by Highway 95A from Cranbrook in the south and Ta Ta Creek in the north.

Rail

The primary rail lines in the region follow Highway 3 and Highway 93/95 corridors. The lines provide linkages to the CPR mainline in Golden, allowing access to Vancouver in the west and cities in the south, such as Lethbridge, through Crowsnest Pass. The rail line running from the Elk Valley (Sparwood) to Golden, through the Kootenay and Columbia valleys, is CPR’s biggest money line, in terms of the dollar value of product shipped — almost all coal.

Rocky Mountaineer offers tours between Vancouver and Calgary and occasionally tours from Golden to Cranbrook.

Freight service is provided by Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). The main shipment in the region is coal from the Elk Valley, which goes to Vancouver, then Asia. Rail service is also used by other mines and the forestry sector.

There are also many freight companies in the area.

Bus   

Greyhound Bus Lines serves the region with passenger and freight pick up stations. 
The City of Cranbrook has a public transit system. 
There is also a limited Columbia Valley and Elk Valley transit system.

Border Crossings

• Kingsgate – near Yahk
• Roosville – near Grasmere
• Porthill – near Creston

 Delta Photo: Diana Scott, Train Photo: Ian Cobb