If you’re an avid iPhoneographer, like myself, you’ll know the value of good scenery. On a bluebird day, I’m often out at my various go to spots snapping pictures. The beauty of a small town is they don’t take long to get to each of them, because timing can either be a photographer's greatest enemy or secret friend. And, as the nice person I am, I’m going to share my top spots where I go for my pictures.

Reflection Lake

This is a fairly busy spot during the summer. Bikers will park there since it’s the bottom of the Mount 7 trails, and it’s also a frequent spot for bird watchers. The lake is populated with a variety of ducks, as well as the occasional swans. When you get to the parking lot, you’ll immediately see the little deck that overlooks the lake. If you’re awake early enough to watch the sunrise, this is a great spot. The sun rises right over Mount 7 and shines onto the lake. If you aren’t a morning person (like me) you can still get some neat night clouds that definitely makes it worth it.

Edelweiss Slough

The slough will always have a special spot in my heart since I used to go there all the time when I was a little kid. I remember going down to look for the tiny wild strawberries in the opening right after you cross the bridge, so if you’re there early June go see if you can find them! Don’t be surprised if they are all gone, local kids will likely get to them first. To get there all you have to do is find the local RCMP detachment and it’s just a little ways down the road from there, you’ll be able to see the parking lot easily.

Confluence Park

To locals, or maybe just me, this is more commonly known as the sands, or the airport. It all depends which generation you ask. I’ve spent a lot of summer days there; playing in the water and working on my tan of course. If you’re ever here during April, you’re able to walk right where the Kicking Horse river flows into the Columbia, once the snow melts. You get a great view of the west mountain range, and you can access various spots along the Columbia River to get different perspectives.

Rotary Trails

Now this one runs all over town, but my two favourite spots are Spirit Square with the Pedestrian Bridge and the view of Mount 7 along the Kicking Horse river. The Rotary Trails are a good way to see lots of the local areas of town and enjoy a nice walk at the same time. There are so many photo worthy spots, I definitely recommend walking at least part of it during your visit. If you walk from Confluence Park toward the Spirit Square, you’ll see the view of Mount 7 I mentioned earlier. It’ll be especially picture-worthy if you get that 7 in there (typically visible in mid to late June)!

All of these spots are around town, so you don’t have to venture too far out to find them. If you have a chance, I definitely recommend going up to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. Take the gondola right up to the top, I can guarantee your jaw will drop. The views are absolutely amazing. The other I’d recommend is driving up to the launchpad on Mount 7, it’s a local favourite. Depending on your timing, you may even get to watch paraglider and hang gliders going off the launchpad, it makes for an awesome photo!