The Kootenay Lake ferry is a

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

across

Kootenay Lake Kootenay Lake is a lake located in British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the Kootenay River. The lake has been raised by the Corra Linn Dam and has a dike system at the southern end, which, along with industry in the 1950s–70s, has changed th ...

in southeastern

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, which operates between Balfour, on the west side of the lake, and

Kootenay Bay Kootenay Bay is an unincorporated community on the east shore of Kootenay Lake in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. The ferry terminal and former steamboat landing, on BC Highway 3A, is by road about north of Creston and ...

, on the east side. The MV ''Osprey 2000'' and the MV ''Balfour'' are the two vessels used. The route is the longest free scenic ferry carrying vehicles in the world. The elimination of fares on the Tancook Island ferry in June 2021, made it the longest free passenger ferry route.

Sternwheeler era

A number of companies operated ferries on the lake from the 1890s. When the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

completed a rail link between Procter and Kootenay Landing in 1930, sternwheeler service on the southern arm of the lake ended. In 1931, the BC government chartered the SS '' Nasookin'' for the Main Lake crossing between Fraser's Landing and Gray Creek. The government acquired the vessel in 1933, modifying the upper decks for the route.

Balfour–Kootenay Bay

In 1947, the terminals were relocated to Balfour and Kootenay Bay. Launched in 1946, the 40-vehicle, 150-passenger capacity MV ''Anscomb'' served the route until 2000. In 1960, the superstructure was raised to increase truck clearance. In 1972, the vessel was stripped to the car deck and completely rebuilt. In 2004, the decommissioned vessel sank while moored for renovations. The 28-vehicle, 150-passenger capacity MV ''Balfour'' was launched in 1954. After the October 1963 opening of the

Salmo ''Salmo'' is a genus of ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae. The single ''Salmo'' species naturally found in the Atlantic North America is the Atlantic salmon, whereas the salmon and trout of the Pacific basin belong to another genus, ''O ...

– Creston highway over the Kootenay Pass, ferry fares were eliminated the following month. Built by Kootenay Ferry Builders at Nelson, the 80-vehicle, 250-passenger capacity MV ''Osprey 2000 '' was launched and entered service in 2000. Since 2004, Western Pacific Marine has been the service contractor. The free ferry operates under contract to the

British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is the British Columbia government ministry responsible for transport infrastructure and law in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is currently led by Rob Fleming. The ministry is respon ...

. A single vessel sails throughout the year, with ten departures from Balfour between 6:30am and 9:40pm, returning from Kootenay Bay between 7:10am and 10:20pm. The second vessel runs in summer only, providing an extra five crossings in either direction. The crossing is about in length and takes 35 minutes. The ''Osprey 2000'' normally handles the main service, while the smaller ''Balfour'' usually provides the additional summer sailings. In 2021, a realignment of Upper Balfour Road to eliminate a steep slope was completed, and a new washroom building was erected at the Balfour Terminal. Under construction by Western Pacific Marine at Nelson, the 55-vehicle capacity replacement for the ''Balfour'' is designed with both diesel and electric motors. Scheduled to enter service in 2024, the vessel will more than double the vessel capacity and will be fully converted to electric propulsion by 2030.

Footnotes

References

External links

Western Pacific Marine website
Contractor that operates the ferry {{coord, 49.65196, -116.911526, region:CA_type:landmark, display=title, format=dms
Connecting the Kootenays: The Kootenay Lake Ferries
Ferries of British Columbia Crossings of the Kootenay River

Sternwheeler era

Balfour–Kootenay Bay

See also

Footnotes

References

External links