*note* as of summer 2020 the road up to the trailhead from Sandon was washed out. Hiking all the way up the mountain is surely possible by a variety of trails but for the time-being, this is essentially inaccessible for families for the 2-3 hour hike. **
Idaho Peak is my favourite and most spectacular family hike in all the Kootenays. For starters, you can drive most of the way up the mountain. That is definitely a bonus with kids. It’s also absolutely safe and not too steep.
The drive up involves taking a nicely maintained grated road possible without a 4×4. From the trailhead, there are two different starting locations but they soon converge to one hour-long path up the mountain.
15 minutes into the walk it is already a ridge-walk in the sky. On a clear day, the scenery is absolutely stunning.
Mountain summits are a worthy enough destination on their own. The fact that Idaho has a historic fire-watch tower on the top adds a lot to the experience. It is just damn cool.
For the ultimate experience (not the family experience) it is possible to hike the famous Sourdough Traverse all the way to Mount Carlyle where there is a private mountain lodge that can be booked. One day….sigh….
At the bottom of Idaho peak is the abandoned mining town of Sandon. While in the area, it is worth a quick stop.
