From Nelson [1], it’s 101 kilometers (63 miles), plus a ferry trip, to Creston [2], then 106 kilometers (66 miles) farther east through the East Kootenays, with the Canadian Rockies rising abruptly from the Columbia Valley to the Continental Divide and the British Columbia–Alberta border to the west.
The crossroads of the region is the service center of Cranbrook [3], from where Highway 3 heads west to Fernie [4], and Highway 93/95 parallels the Columbia River northward through a region dotted with golf courses, hot springs, and many provincial parks.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/british-columbia/southern-interior/nelson
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/british-columbia/southern-interior/nelson-the-rockies/creston
[3] http://www.moon.com/destinations/british-columbia/southern-interior/nelson-the-rockies/cranbrook
[4] http://www.moon.com/destinations/british-columbia/southern-interior/nelson-the-rockies/fernie