Towards the very south of the Canadian Rockies, the Elk River has created a flat-bottomed east-west corridor through soaring peaks.

There's only forestry roads between here and the US border, which helps make the place relatively remote and unsung, though the presence of Hwy-3 – between Alberta and Vancouver, many mountain passes later – does create a bit of traffic.

But there's as much reason to stop as pass through, with the town of Fernie one of Canada's finest mountain towns. It's scenery rivals Banff or Jasper, yet the touristy feel is all but absent. The quality of Fernie's Mountain Biking is also unrivalled in the Rockies.

In winter the local focus shifts to Fernie Alpine Resort where there's enough interesting terrain to keep skiers and snowboarders happy for weeks, particularly when conditions co-operate. They so often do: the place gets around 9 meters of snow every year.