We pulled into the camping site in Kimberley’s Riverside Campground to find a tidy, prepared spot with a travel trailer complete with master bedroom and slide, ready to not roll.

All we had to do was pull our gear from the car, put some food away, light a fire and WHAM – a weekend away was off and relaxing.

I didn’t have to pull the trailer from home to the campsite and set it up for use. I didn’t begin our nice, quiet weekend of camping by becoming a sweating, swearing psycho or a defeated ditz.

It began with the merry snap of a beer can opening and my feet up, seated by a fire that would soon be searing delicious meals.

You’d think the incredible service provided by Fisher Peak Camping and Trailer Rentals (Fisher Peak) – a travel trailer or fifth wheel delivered for your use, ready to go without fuss or muss, would be a common thing in the Canadian Rockies of southeastern British Columbia, being that the area is campers’ paradise.

But it isn’t.

 

Cranbrook residents Christie and Menno Dueck, often found enjoying regional parks in their fifth-wheel, seized upon the idea in 2012 after realizing the need. They haven’t looked back since.

In their second summer season, Fisher Peak has six travel trailers and a fifth-wheel available for rent – and the affordable rates are keeping them busy

Interestingly, it is the only company renting trailers, with the service including delivery and removal, between Nelson and Calgary.

“It’s not a new idea; but it is for this area,” Christie said.

“We’re pretty proud about this operation,” Menno added.

“We view this whole service as something we would do for ourselves,” Christie said.

For example, being experienced campers, they will situate trailers in campsites in the way they would find comfortable and even upgrade the mattresses to ensure a comfy sleep.

“She takes care of the inside and I take care of the outside,” Menno said of their set-up routine.

Not only do you arrive to a fully operational and ready camping home extreme, but the area outside the trailer or fifth-wheel is prepped, including such available touches as a sun shelter, camp chairs, barbecue set-ups, generators and a groomed site.

Popular provincial park locations frequented by Fisher Peak renters include Kikomun, Moyie, Norbury and Wasa. One of their most sought after locations is Kimberley Riverside Campground.

Other destinations include Fort Steele Resort & RV Park, Mount Baker RV Park in downtown Cranbrook, private acreages and exclusive RV resorts.  Their delivery boundary is currently Creston, Kimberley, Fairmont Hot Springs, and Jaffray/Lake Koocanusa.  The best thing to do is simply ask, as Christie says “you never know where we might go, so ask”

A restriction on rental of Fisher Peak’s accommodation-on-wheels is the site must be accessible by a paved or hard surface road, to keep the units in good shape and clean. Apparently they are very picky people!

But there is no lack of world-class parks and sites available for campers of all ages, just as this region does not lack in attractions. More and more people continue to discover the wild and spectacular and still relatively un-crowded southeastern corner of B.C.

Fisher Peak allows for visitors flying into Canadian Rockies International Airport (CRIA) to camp in comfort at provincial parks or other locations, such as Riverside at Kimberley.

Fisher Peak is also perfect for motorcyclists or families without the means to possess or pull a trailer, who wish to camp in comfort and style, with hot water, a toilet, full kitchen, lighting and comfy beds and furnishings.

Working with campgrounds such as Riverside is a pleasure, Christie continued.

“They are super helpful and they just love us to pieces,” she smiled, pointing out that many people are introduced to the lovely St. Mary’s River-side location who would not normally see it.

To butt in, this writer attests to that. As with all the jaw-dropping mountain campgrounds in the Rockies and Purcell Mountains where Fisher Peak’s service is available, it is the location more than the accommodation that draws. It’s just that it is so much nicer to do it in comfort! As first-time trailer campers, we would never have ventured down into Riverside. I can’t get my wife to camp in a tent to save my life – so this service is the bee’s knees for us!

Like all tourism businesses in the region, Fisher Peak also helps sell the entire East Kootenay experience, Christie said. (See photos below)

“For people who don’t know the area, I try to gather as much information as possible for them,” she said. “We’re more than just a trailer rental. It’s the whole package of what they can do – the whole experience. We invite our customers to treat us as their personal camping concierge.”

To that end, Fisher Peak works with regional tourism operators and service providers whenever possible.

Within an hour’s drive of the region’s market centre, Cranbrook, and CRIA, as well as most campgrounds serviced by Fisher Peak are such attractions as Kimberley, Fort Steele Heritage Town, Wasa, Whiteswan Provincial Park, Columbia Lake and Fairmont Hot Springs to the north; Jaffray, Fernie and Lake Koocanusa to the east; and Moyie Lake to the west. Montana and Idaho are both about an hour southeast and southwest of Cranbrook.

A drive of a touch over one hour will get you to Radium Hot Springs, Invermere, Panorama and Lake Windermere to the north, as well as into the Elk Valley and Crowsnest Pass in Alberta to the east and Creston to the west.

Camping in luxury with Fisher Peak allows folks to set up a great “base” camp to explore the region from.

Renters are often families returning to the area to visit family, or accessing an extra trailer when family comes to visit.

 “There is definitely a need,” Christie said. “We’re surprised by the number of people who use our service who used to live here.”

“A big percentage of our customers are repeats or referrals,” Menno said.

“We’re already booking for 2015” says Christie,” so you might want to start your ‘Arrive & Enjoy’ carefree camping adventure now!”

For more please go to: https://www.fisherpeakcamping.com

Please click on an image to begin self-directed slide show…

Ian Cobb/e-KNOW

All photos by Ian Cobb and Carrie Schafer/e-KNOW except the lead image supplied courtesy Fisher Peak

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