Nestled in the Southern Canadian Rocky Mountains near the hamlet of Elko one can find Silver Spring Lake. The lake is about 45 kilometers or 30 miles north of Eureka, Montana in an up and coming tourist area near the Kootenay valley. It's not the warmest lake but on a hot weekend in July, these cool mountain waters are clean, crisp and inviting.
The lake is about 1000m above sea level and there is no industry above it so the water is pristine. The other swimming in the area would be in the Kootenay river which is more crowded and would be downstream of some large mines and the odd farm. The lake has the added bonus of being deep and having some cliffs one can jump off of.
To get here, one has to take a dirt road leading out from the town of Elko along the southern edge of the Elk river for about two kilometers. There's an area with some parked cars and a small path leading up to the right. From here it's about 1200 meters to the lake up a 100m vertical.
Partway to the lake we noticed this painted rock. The lake is a popular daytime party spot for cottagers in the area. It's not really suitable for small children and families because of the hike and the lack of accessibility to the water. There is no beach and the water gets deep, fast.
A small stream drains the lake, the trail follows this for most of the way and at times can be a little steep and slippery. Wearing sandals is not recommended so bring a change of shoes.
We took a path off to the right that was slightly easier and where one would not have to jump off a cliff to access the lake. It was a little calmer on this side and looking back offered a unique view of the Elk Valley.
We got the first glimpse of the lake and you can see what I mean about it not being the safest spot to swim. There is a lose rockslide on this side and small cliffs on the other. None of these features discourage swimmers and the lake was more busy that we expected.
Locals were smoking joints, drinking beer, jumping off the cliffs into the lake and relaxing in the sun. The atmosphere is uniquely Canadian. Living on the edge of the great plains we miss lakes and this is an ideal spot to spend a day.
Dozens of people are enjoying the mountain waters. At some point the cliffs are a good 10 meters high and make the perfect jumping spot. It would not be a good place to get into an accident since there is no hospital anywhere nearby and would require a helicopter to be evacuated.
We forgot our water shoes so getting in wasn't easy. In the shallow parts it was surprisingly warm but a few feet under the surface the water was cold. We had floaties and spent a good half hour swimming around.
The greenish colour was inviting and you cannot hear any cars or boats which adds to the relaxation. We were glad to have visited the lake and will come back the next time we are in the Fernie or Cranbrook area of British Columbia.
Looking back at these pictures makes me want to dive in yet again. There's still a few weeks left in our short summer and one's got to make the most of it. Thank you for reading.
All photos taken with an S24 or iPhone 15pro
[//]:# (!worldmappin 49.29863 lat -115.07513 long Silver Spring Lake, East Kootenay, BC, Canada d3scr)l