Tourism Fernie 2025 Annual Report
Paleo Trail BC & Fernie Paleo Trail
Paleo Trail BC, a regional initiative across Sparwood, Elko, and Cranbrook combines education, storytelling, and tourism to showcase the extraordinary fossil discoveries found throughout the Elk Valley and the Kootenays. In collaboration with Dinosaur Valley Studios and TrueArc Media, Tourism Fernie is producing a 10 – 15 minute interpretive video designed to guide a self-drive tour experience across the region. A separate website will also be developed to support and promote this new tourism product.
The video will bring our prehistoric past to life through engaging storytelling and animated sequences, transporting viewers back 150 million years to ancient seas filled with ammonites and Ichthyosaurs. It will show how major geological shifts transformed marine life into the fossils that are now revealed in the dramatic mountain landscapes surrounding our communities.
Fernie’ s story, the Fernie Paleo Tour, will explore the iconic Ammonite and Ichthyosaur fossils discovered southeast of town, with replicas on display at the VIC. Tourism Fernie is also collaborating with a Fernie youth artist to create a children’ s book that introduces young readers to these fascinating creatures and our
The interpretive video will serve as the foundation for a self-guided driving tour, allowing residents and visitors to explore fossil points of interest across Fernie, Sparwood, Elko, and Cranbrook at their own pace. Educational tour components are also being developed to further enhance the experience.
Paleo Trail BC & Fernie Paleo Trail represent a new learning tourism experience in the Elk Valley and the East Kootenays with hopes to create and expand further into BC. This project has been funded primarily by Pacifi- Can’ s Tourism Growth Program, with additional funding support from Tourism Fernie, as well as CanFor and CBT specific to the Elko site.
30 Report for 12 month fiscal period of January – December, 2025