Nakusp Garden Tour
Nakusp Garden Tour
Rating: easy
Distance: 1 km
Trip time: 1 hour
Surface: pavement
Modes of use: walk, bike, roll, push
Tour Description
Popular with locals and visitors, Nakusp’s waterfront walkway is an easy, short and picturesque walk with lots to see. On one side is the Upper Arrow lake and a view of Saddleback Mountain and the Monashee Range. On the other side are a series of gardens within easy walking distance of each other.
The Marina Garden is a handy starting point with its pergola, shade trees and seating area.
The centerpiece of the walkway is Spicer Garden (Map Location #1) with its sunny south-facing exposure. Filled with a wide variety of annuals, perennials and shrubs planted on 3 levels, it provides a cascade of flowers blooming from early spring to late fall.
A few steps to the northwest is the Rose and Heather Garden, a smaller shadier and more private garden with a picnic table.
Further along, near the northwestern end of the walkway is the Japanese Garden (Map Location #2) with its shady meandering paths, shrubs, vines and ornamental grasses. A red bridge crosses a small pool where irises bloom, and the path continues to an outlook over the lake.
The main pathway continues passed the beach or to Broadway Street and 8th Ave NW. A right turn on Broadway takes you through the Nakusp downtown with its small, colourful gardens at most corners and leads back to Nelson Avenue and the Nakusp Marina
Access
Although there are many access points along the waterfront walkway, the Nakusp Marina is a nice accessible place to start. Located at the bottom of Nelson Avenue, the Marina has ample parking and public washrooms.
The waterfront walkway can be accessed from the Marina parting lot or from the lower ends of Avenues 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 NW. Both the Marina access and 6th Avenue NW are mobility aid accessible to the waterfront walkway. Walking surfaces are concrete of asphalt.
Mode of Use
The waterfront walkway is suitable for walking and all non-motorized forms of transport.
Past & Future
Creation of the Keenleyside Dam in 1968 inundated all industrial and residential property below the present walkway level and created the new shoreline.
Nakusp gardeners Chris and Jean Spicer planted and maintained the first waterfront garden, a rose arbour. Since then, the garden has been redesigned, expanded and maintained by Ray Nikkel for the village.
With the support of the Village of Nakusp, Ray Nikkel has also been responsible for the design, installation and maintenance of the other waterfront gardens and the gardens on the main street, Broadway.
Former Mayor Rosemarie Johnson and the village council dedicated the gardens to the Spicer family in the 1990’s.
Ray Nikkel — Master Nakusp Gardener
Raised in the lower mainland of British Columbia during the 1950s, Ray Nikkel learned to garden the way many children of the era did—by helping grow food for the family. Working in the garden was simply part of everyday life, and those early experiences planted the seeds for what would become a lifelong passion and career.
After completing horticultural training in Burnaby BC, Ray moved to the Slocan Valley, where he worked at the historic Blaylock Estate and immersed himself in the region’s gardening community. In the early 1980s he settled in Hills, eventually establishing a nursery and landscape business that served communities throughout the Slocan Valley, Nakusp, Kaslo, Nelson, Castlegar and beyond. Known for his willingness to tackle ambitious projects, Ray built a reputation for creating distinctive landscapes while offering an exceptional selection of plants that drew customers from across the region.
While his work transformed countless private gardens, Ray’s greatest legacy may be the relationships he cultivated. Through years of gardening for many of New Denver’s Japanese Canadian residents, he came to know the personal stories of families who had experienced internment during the Second World War. Determined that those stories would not be forgotten, Ray helped establish the Kohan Garden, a living memorial that honours the resilience, culture and contributions of the Japanese Canadian community. More than three decades later, he continues to care for the garden and remains deeply committed to preserving its history. For him, every garden is more than a collection of plants; it is a place where history, community and nature quietly grow together.
Today, Ray continues to share his knowledge through his work with the Village of Nakusp, while the many landscapes he created—and the gardeners he inspired—remain a lasting part of the region he has called home for more than forty years.
If You Liked This Trail
If the Garden Tour appealed to you, try Cedar
Grove Loop, Box Lake Loop or portions of Rosebery Railway Trail, which are also relatively short, easy hikes in this area.
Stay Safe Out There!
- Familiarize yourself with Leave No Trace principles
- Check the weather forecast and trail conditions, and plan accordingly
- Be prepared to be in areas without cell service
- Stay on designated trails and share with others
- Cyclists and ATVs yield to everyone and hikers yield to horses
- Be prepared for hiking – have solid walking shoes/boots, water and nutritious food, first aid supplies, comfortable clothing (including layers) that’s appropriate for the weather
- Prepare for the unexpected
- Tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to return
- Make noise (sing, talk, clap) to alert wildlife
- Travel in pairs or groups and keep kids in sight at all times
- Keep pets under control, keep them at home if not allowed on certain trails, and be aware they may pose a hazard with backcountry wildlife
Use this information at your own risk. Trail users assume all responsibility for personal injury or damage to equipment.
For more information, visit:
Trails BC (https://trailsbc.ca/travel-tips/trail-users-code-ethics)
BC Adventure Smart (https://www.adventuresmart.ca/)
Wild Safe BC (https://wildsafebc.com/)
Recreation Sites and Trails BC (http://www.sitesandtrailsbc.ca/)
BC Parks (https://bcparks.ca/)
Credits:
The Trails of Nakusp brochure series was originally produced for the Nakusp & District Chamber of Commerce, by Hailstorm Ridge Environmental Services & Kootenay Virtual Tours, who jointly retain copyright.
Project funding came from a 2003 Columbia Basin Trust Community Initiatives Grant.
Many thanks to True North Forestry Consulting Ltd., Pope & Talbot Ltd., Slocan Forest Products and the Ministry of Forests for their various contributions to the project.
Nakusp & District Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Centre, 90 – 6th Ave NW
Box 387, Nakusp, BC V0G 1R0
nakusp@telus.net
2023 Updates provided by the Nakusp and Area Community Trails Society
info@nakusptrails.ca