Kaslo is a charming and bustling village located at the delta of Kaslo River, on Kootenay Lake. The population is 1,032. With beautiful tree-lined avenues and heritage houses at every turn, Kaslo is the quintessential small town of everyone’s imagination.

Kaslo, originally called Kane’s Landing, was founded in 1893.  It is the region’s first incorporated city. The town soon became renowned as the commercial centre of the gold, silver and lead mining industries. Kaslo’s peaceful cove, one of only a few such natural harbours along the 97 mile long lake, bustled with activity. Ore barges, rowboats, private launches and steamships all jostled for a place alongside the busy wharf.

Kaslo is a community that celebrates all four seasons!  Festivals and events highlight the rich history of the area, the arts and culture unique to the community and the incredible beauty of the natural surroundings.  At Kaslo’s annual May Days, people gather, as they have since the village was incorporated, to celebrate Queen Victoria’s birthday and watch the May Pole dance.  In August, the village hosts the Kaslo Jazz Etc. Festival considered the Best Little Jazz Fest in Canada; the enchanting sound of the music filters through the summer days from the heart of Kaslo Bay.  In October, crowds gather for Suffer Fest, a 2-day, multi-event run & bike festival that tests the skills and endurance of the participants.  All races take place on the spectacular and challenging trails surrounding Kaslo.

For summer visitors there are many hiking and biking trails, great camping and beaches for swimming. Kaslo also has one of the most scenic golf courses in the area. Kootenay Lake is famous for the giant Gerrard rainbow trout, some weighing as much as 32 pounds.  Kaslo has often been called ”Rainbow Country” for both its trout and its many beautiful rainbows.

In winter, Kaslo is your gateway to alpine skiing, cat-skiing cross-country skiing, skating and snowmobiling.

A stroll down Front Street brings you to the majestic SS Moyie, one of the last great sternwheelers, now a national historic site. The SS Moyie is open from mid-May to Mid-October for anyone who wants to step back in time and experience life at the turn of the last century.  The Langham Cultural Centre, another heritage site, provides a venue for local artists and theatre groups; it also has a permanent exhibit of the Japanese-Canadian internment during the Second World War.

SS Moyie

Kootenay Lake

Main Street in Autumn

The Village of Kaslo has undergone dramatic changes since the mining and logging boom days of the 1890s. Where there were once 27 saloons full of boisterous prospectors, there is now a myriad of activities for everybody to enjoy. Today the economy of Kaslo is based on the retail and service sector supported to a great extent by tourism.  Kaslo has strong cultural and heritage values celebrated in annual events that are rich in history, strong in community spirit, and spectacular in location.

For more information on Kaslo, check out the Kaslo Chamber of Commerce website.