Winlaw Regional and Nature Park - Winlaw, BC - Municipal Parks and Plazas on Waymarking.com

Winlaw Regional and Nature Park is located on the west shore of the Slocan River. Comprised of 22.7 acres, the park includes restrooms, change rooms, a covered pavilion with fire pit, picnic areas, playground, beach and an elevated boardwalk that takes you into several wooded areas of the park. There is great fishing in the nearby area.

The boardwalk traverses a broad expanse of marshland which is habitat for birds, mammals and reptiles which inhabit the area. Several hundred feet in length, it is a necessary route which carries pedestrians from the parking area to the facilities mentioned above, all of which are at the riverside. The first section of the trail is through cedar forest which ends where the boardwalk begins.

Winlaw Regional & Nature Park

Occupying 22.7 acres of land, just north of the Winlaw Bridge on the west shore of the Slocan River, this park is pure nature. The park land was once old growth forest made up of cedar, cottonwood, spruce and hemlock. The original forest was logged, and the site burned in the early 1900s. You can still see the large stumps throughout the park's forest. Before the 1970s the land was used for cattle grazing, and in 1971 the area was designated as an area for recreation and public enjoyment. In 1984 the Regional District of Central Koote-nay (RDCK) began working on a Park Plan and by 1989 be-came the owners of the Winlaw Regional and Nature Park.

Community volunteers have worked hard to maintain it ever since. A grant helped develop the beach and trail systems. The beach area includes washrooms, change rooms and a covered gazebo. Two newly replaced boardwalks over wetland areas are a key part of the area trail system, as is the quiet service lane which provides maintenance access. The rest of the park is forest and wetlands with trails meandering along the river and into the forest.

Winlaw Regional and Nature Park is used every day of the year. This is where the locals go to enjoy the woods and river, to see wildlife, to walk dogs, to count the birds, to snowshoe or ski, to have picnics, to swim and to build sand castles and visit with each other while the kids play on the swings or chase each other in a game of tag. It is the place to share with guests, to have weddings, to do yoga, to have Art in the Park shows, to be regaled by a theatre troupe performing en plein air. The park is also the destination for the famous Slocan River Poker Float that takes place in August.
From Go Kootenays, Spring Summer 2015, Page 55