Many of these towns are very attractive, with beautifully restored architecture from earlier times, when they prospered for reasons other than tourism. This and their pioneer history help make them places of great character. The rivers and lakes provide additional recreational opportunities for water sports and swimming, and the golfing in this region is world class. This side of the Canadian Rockies has more moderate winter weather than the Alberta side. In winter there is snow and it can be very cold in the actual mountains, but in the valleys it is sunny and the average high temperature is well above freezing.
Summers can be fairly hot, but one can easily reach a higher elevation to cool down.
The Trans-Canada Highway goes through the B.C. Rockies. Other places in the region are linked to this by an excellent highway system. The area is served by a good bus service linking it from all major cities. There is no scheduled rail service serving this region anymore, although the Rocky Mountaineer Railtours train does pass through here on its way to Banff. Northwest of Cranbrook is the spectacular Panorama Mountain Village .