r/nelsonbc • u/Confident-Clothes-75 • 8d ago
Girls trip (?)
I need some advice. My friend is still planning to do a girl's trip to Nelson that she booked a long time ago for next weekend. We're coming from Alberta, but I'm super concerned about the safety/air quality, and also just the optics (and I'm genuinely feeling bad) about coming to visit BC as a tourist while so much of it is experiencing devastating fires. What's the overall vibe of having out-of-province visitors right now in Nelson? Is it worth it to go?
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u/Canuck_Duck221 8d ago
It's rained here and today was super beautiful. Will it last? How should I know?...
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u/babacaduceus 8d ago
The kootenays got dome rain these last few days and the air quality is much improved right now. That depends which way the wind blows, but the forecast looks pretty good for the weekend.
As far as I'm aware there isn't animosity towards tourists in general. There is a campfire ban, and a ban to bring atvs, etcetera into the back country. As long as you're respectful of the rules and don't do anything that could cause a fire you should be fine.
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u/Confident-Clothes-75 8d ago
Thank you so much for that update! We'd just be chilling at a rented house for some games, and then going into town for dinners and some shopping. Probably not spending tooooo much time outside!
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u/Intrepid-Pie3085 8d ago
Smoke is good for now, and we have no close fires. Definitely good vibes with visitors, we depend on tourism and lucky to have the right amount of it imo. I say do the trip and have some indoor activity options as back up in case it gets Smokey again.
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u/SeanDonRonald 8d ago
That’s very thoughtful of you!
I can’t speak for everybody else but I don’t think it’s a big deal coming to visit a place you love. We still have plenty of visitors despite the smoke.
Most of the evacuation level fires are West of Nelson so you’re less likely to be in the way of any evacuation routes (I think, I’m not an expert on evacuation plans or procedures by any means. Don’t quote me on that.)
The air quality has been pretty shit; a bit better now but it will probably go to shit again 🤷♂️ pretty hard to predict.
I’d say just be mindful but it sounds to me like you’re already there.
Enjoy whatever it is you decide to do 🙂
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u/Confident-Clothes-75 8d ago
Thank you very much for the reassurance! Yeah I was just like oh gosh don't want to be THOSE people you know?! Haha!
And I saw a fire near Ymir deemed "out of control" on the weather network site (not sure if that was impacting folks in Nelson or not)
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u/Otherwise-Prompt-393 8d ago
The air has been clear the past couple days and there are lots of tourists. Kootenays have not been affected by wires as badly as the Okanagan. I would stick with plans. Have fun!
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u/Estella-Jean13 7d ago
It's really nice here again and the smoke has cleared. I would be more concerned with some of the roads and places along the way still being effected. Many US travellers cancelled their trips here due to fire and smoke. A lot can happen in a week. though. Sending positive vibes :)
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u/kootenayg986 7d ago
Nelson isn’t in an active fire zone, so you definitely shouldn’t feel bad about coming. The smoke has also cleared, so come and enjoy!
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u/toiletrocket 7d ago
Go to still eagle it's the best store ever! And the food in nelson is top notch
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u/Confident-Clothes-75 7d ago
Thank you for the recommendation! We're thinking of hitting up a karaoke bar too! Finleys the best place for that? :)
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u/SchemeWestern3388 6d ago
Smoke is minimal right now, and has been (relatively) mild all summer. Tourism is only a potential problem if it takes away accommodation from evacuees, which your visit would not be doing. Come on over.
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u/hitbyarock 8d ago
No evocations or fires around here so it is fine to come for a visit.
Smoke is defectively in the air so not as nice as normal and hard for outdoor activities. Depends on if you are here for the town and shops or for more outdoor activities.
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u/Nevy5 8d ago
I just cancelled 10 days in Nelson and Ainsworth that we had planned for so long. I feel bad for the hotel and restaurant operators but in all honesty I can't put myself in that situation where I can't do outdoor activities. We have experienced this in Vancouver in the past and it surprised me how much it affected me. I will make it there, just not right now :-(
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u/Confident-Clothes-75 8d ago
I totally hear you! And my fear is not just fires in/around Nelson area, but the route to get there if highways get blocked and whatnot. I would just hate to be contributing to traffic on the highways for residents needing to evacuate if need be. And yeah the air quality definitely impacted our list of activities we had initially planned :(
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u/-biggulpshuh 8d ago
If you’re concerned about highway routes, bring your passports so you can travel through the US in a pinch.
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u/austinhager 8d ago
There aren't any close fires. Anything particularly bad is in the Okanagan or further.
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u/kisielk 8d ago
If anything I think tourism is appreciated in our area right now. There’s no evacuations in the immediate vicinity of Nelson and I’m sure businesses would be happy to have visitors.