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Field BC: The Best Mountain Town in the Canadian RockiesHave you heard of Field, BC? It’s a perfect little mountain town in the Canadian Rockies that you should definitely visit, with much less tourists than nearby Lake Louise and Banff. Read on to find out more!

My need to live in the mountains has been growing more and more as time progresses. It was never something I thought about when I was a kid growing up on the North Island of New Zealand. As long as I was by the sea I was happy, but that has shifted over the past few years.

I still hold a special spot for the sea in my heart. But now more than ever, it is the mountains that feel like home. 

And my favourite mountains? The Canadian Rockies. Majestic, breathtaking, awe-inspiring. You could throw any superlative at them but none of them would truly hit the mark. It is damn near impossible to describe what being in the presence of the Rocky Mountains feels like for me. I’m sure that I’m not the only one.

But I hadn’t planned on adding them to my itinerary this past summer. Looking back, I’m not exactly sure why now. It probably had a lot to do with forcing myself to visit new places in Canada’s West although I ended up returning to Vancouver, Victoria and Denman Island.

Beautiful downtown Field, BC

It was a mistake to not factor in the Rockies and with a little help from fate, that mistake corrected itself.

When my Alaska plans didn’t work out as expected and I suddenly had two months to play with, I started looking at Help Exchanges all over British Columbia. I found a few that sounded promising but none more so than the perfect placement I found in the small village of Field, BC, in Yoho National Park in the Canadian Rockies.

Luckily my Skype interview went well and I was offered the placement. I decided to start in two weeks and committed to almost six weeks. I was excited to return to Field. I had briefly passed through a couple of summers earlier and I had wanted to return ever since. I just didn’t think it would be so soon.

Train coming through Field, BC

Field is a small historic town of 200 residents that is located in Yoho National Park, in the Canadian Rockies. Field started life as a railway town back in the late nineteenth century and it still has strong ties to the railroad with railroad bunkhouses being located there and trains passing through at all times of the day.

Tourism now also plays a major part in the town’s economy, with almost every second house being a guesthouse. It is the perfect stopover on a road trip from Calgary to Vancouver.

Returning to Field, BC

My Help X placement was in the small, boutique Fireweed Hostel – the only hostel in Field, BC. I was to work three eight hour days per week, mostly cleaning and checking people in with a bit of landscaping thrown in.

In return, I would receive a room in a staff house with internet and cable TV and the use of a vehicle, although I still needed to pay petrol money.

It’s pretty standard for Help Exchanges at Hostels, Inns, Lodges etc to not include food so even though I would still need to buy my own, I was excited to work in another hostel after my great experience Help Exchanging at the Squilax HI Hostel in Shuswap Lake a couple of years ago.

Update Apr 2023: Unfortunately, the Fireweed Hostel has now closed due to the Canadian Pacific Railway not renewing the lease.

Field from across the Kicking Horse river

I arrived on a sunny afternoon in Golden BC, the nearest large town to Field, located 60km to its west. My boss-to-be Craig picked me up and we ran a couple of errands around town then he showed me around a bit, taking me down to the Kicking Horse River and a marshy lake near town.

Then, within fifteen minutes of leaving Golden, we entered Yoho National Park. I was back in the mountains and they were even more beautiful than I remembered. So was Field.

Field, BC looks like a movie set. Impossibly pretty with not a hair out of place. The streets are spotless, the houses are well kept and attractive with colourful flowerbeds and window boxes, with every second house being a B&B – for such a small town, there is a lot of accommodation in Field, BC.

It is located in a valley surrounded by mountains on both sides and the milky blue Kicking Horse River runs through it, cutting off the majority of the town from the highway and the Yoho National Park Visitors Centre.

Downtown of the village of Field, BCDowntown Field, BC consists of a cafe called The Siding, a Pottery Studio, a Post Office, the Community Centre and a restaurant/bar called Truffle Pigs which is part of the Kicking Horse Lodge. And that’s it.

No grocery store, no retail shops, no movie theatre. If you wanted any of those things you needed to drive the almost 60km from Field to Golden which I did a couple of times to stock up on groceries (and Tim Horton’s donuts). Field to Lake Louise town centre was half the distance but there isn’t a lot there either, and the groceries were significantly more expensive.

Field is very much a cat town. There are so many cats here and most of them are more than happy to let you give them a bit of affection. My favourites were Star and Apollo who would come and hang out with me at the hostel when I working.

Star would barrel in when I opened the door and would lounge around on a chair watching me clean, rolling on her back when I passed for a belly rub, while Apollo would climb onto my lap on the porch, purring and chatting to his heart’s content. I miss those two.

The Kicking Horse River that runs through Field, BC in Yoho National Park

Checking Out the Food Scene in Field, BC

It took me almost two weeks before I checked out Truffle Pigs. I think the crowds of people lining up out the door had put me off up until then. This place is popular, and not just because it is the only restaurant in town. The food is incredibly good, and so is the ambience.

After I popped my Truffle Pigs cherry I spent a lot of time there, usually propping up the bar and talking to the bartender and whoever else was sitting there that night, drinking the house-made ginger beer and trying different dishes from the menu. I met a few of the locals there and I slowly started to feel like I was settling in.

The only other place to eat in Field proper is The Siding Cafe which offers a simple but delicious menu of burgers and sandwiches. You can also buy wine and beer to go here.

Outside of Field nearby at Emerald Lake, I had a few meals and delicious honey beers at Cilantro with my friend Paulina (her husband Darren was the Manager). There’s no better place to be on a warm summer’s day than on the patio overlooking the gorgeous lake with a cold beer.

Damn Yoho National Park is stunning.

Cilantro at Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park

Despite eating out at Cilantro and Truffle Pigs on numerous occasions, most of the time I would just cook. It felt like a novelty after two months of travel and I enjoy cooking. I baked fresh soda bread and made lentil soup from scratch.

I had healthy vegetable stir-fries and pierogies stuffed with potato and cheese and smothered in natural yoghurt and sweet chilli sauce. It was nice to have more control over what I was eating again.

Cooking when the weather is bad in Field, BC

My Help X Placement at the Field, BC Hostel

I loved my house. I was sharing with a shy teenage boy from South Africa which wasn’t ideal but he was nice enough. He just didn’t really talk. The two-bedroom house was clean and modern, with a grassy backyard with BBQ and a fire pit. The kitchen was kitted out with every appliance and utensil you could need including an all-important French press.

My room was spacious with a queen size bed and there were mountain views from nearly every window in the house. And to top it all off the house was blue, my favourite color.

The little blue Help X staff house in Field

My house was located right in the middle of town and only a couple of minutes walk from the guesthouse and the hostel, both of which I would be cleaning. My bosses Kim and Craig lived with their three kids above the guesthouse and it was at their place that I would start my shift, grabbing the radio, keys and the check-in sheets, and finding out what needed to be cleaned that day.

It all seemed a bit daunting at first. Craig gave me a thick manual with everything I needed to know about cleaning the guesthouse and hostel and dealing with guests. I carried it with me for the first couple of weeks but I pretty much had it down after working my first three training shifts, the cleaning part anyway.

My first day was long and hard. Cleaning is physical work and cleaning for eight hours straight, especially so. But I enjoyed it. I love how you can listen to music and just get stuck into each task, one by one, seeing tangible evidence of your accomplishments as you go. And when you are working in such a beautiful space, it makes it even more enjoyable.

I loved being in the hostel. It felt so much like a cozy ski lodge and whenever I stepped outside to take out the rubbish or glanced out the window of the lounge as I was sweeping the floor, the mountains staring back at me never failed to put a smile on my face. Within a week I felt fitter and it didn’t feel difficult anymore.

Fireweed Hostel in Field BC, Yoho National ParkAs much as I enjoyed the cleaning, my favorite part of the job was checking in hostel guests and answering any questions they had about Field and Yoho National Park. I met loads of friendly and interesting people during my time working at the hostel.

The people who stayed at the hostel and the guesthouse came to Field to hike and to be surrounded by nature. That is why I came there too, so it felt like I was meeting kindred spirits.

I may not have been paid for my work but I did get a few generous tips (one of $20!) and I saved money by not eating out too much and buying food from the supermarket in bulk. I even got a locals discount at local businesses in Field and Lake Louise. Every little bit helps.

When I wasn’t working I was hiking as much as possible or just spending time in my perfect little mountain town. And Field was perfect, or near enough.

Stunning Field, BC in Yoho National Park

Things To Do in Field, BC

I spent a lot of time gazing out of the lounge window, watching hummingbirds feed on the bright flowers in the window box and at the snow-sprinkled majesty of Mount Stephen and Mount Field behind the town.

The view from my lounge in Field, BC

When I was short on time or if the weather wasn’t great and I was dying to get out of the house I would walk around town, walking the perimeter then across the bridge and around the pond that locals swim in summer (it was too cold most of the time I was there), then back to my house. It only took about twenty minutes, that is how small the village is.

The pond in Field, BC where the locals swim

There were also a couple of short trails that start in the village including the one-hour return on the Mount Burgess trail to Field Stone with a great view over town, the 6km return Tally Ho trail to Natural Bridge, the 2km return up to the town cemetery and the first section of the Mount Stephen trail towards the shale beds to the point where entry is restricted.

Village Cemetery in Field, BCNatural Bridge in Yoho National Park, Canada

I did a lot of hiking in Yoho National Park, as well as driving the short distance from Field to Banff National Park to do multiple hikes around Moraine Lake and Lake Louise too.

Yoho National Park is stunning and I have no idea why it is not as popular as Banff. Emerald Lake is just as beautiful as Lake Louise, and Takakkaw Falls, the second-highest in Canada, is spectacular.

That’s not even mentioning the Lake O’Hara Alpine area which a lot of people say is the most beautiful spot in the Rocky Mountains. Visitor numbers are strictly limited as you can only reach it by hiking in along the 11km gravel road, or by nabbing a spot on one of the shuttles which only operate during the summer months and usually sell out within a day.

A lot of the hikes in Yoho National Park start at either Takakkaw Falls or Emerald Lake. I want to write in more detail at some stage about the many hikes I did but my favorite was the 18km Iceline trail that is the showpiece of the park and leads through peaceful forest, sub-alpine meadows, and across an alpine plateau with spectacular views over Takakkaw Falls and the Yoho Valley below.

Spectacular Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park

Yoho Pass from Takakkaw Falls to Emerald Lake was another favorite of mine in the park. It switchbacked up to the pass through dense forest and past beautiful Yoho Lake, then down past waterfalls to the Emerald Lake basin before following the lakeshore for the last couple of kilometers.

And of course the epic hike up to Abbott Pass, one of the most incredible and scary experiences I have ever had, you can read about it here. Update Apr 2023: Unfortunately the hut is now closed and is being removed due to erosion.

In Banff National Park I loved the 14.6km hike above Lake Louise that linked the Lake Agnes and Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouses, the short but sweet hike to Consolation Lakes, and the stunning 11.6km Sentinel Pass and Larch Valley hike from Moraine Lake that I did with my brother to see the yellow larches. 

On my first day off I did the Tally-Ho trail and I ended up getting so scared about bears that I ran through the forest singing the chorus of ‘Yellow Submarine’ on repeat at the top of my lungs.

By the end of my time in Field, I did the 18km Iceline trail by myself with no freakouts. I was proud of how far I had come. It also definitely helped to have the bear spray that my downstairs neighbor Jill left me.

Hiking Mount Stephen from Field, BC in Yoho National Park

Fall in Yoho National Park

Although late summer saw a lot of rain, I am still happy that I chose this time of year to go because I got to bear witness to the changing of seasons from summer to autumn.

From the beginning of September, bright red leaves started appearing on the low foliage beside hiking trails, and aspens and larches turned from dark green to a golden yellow. Driving the road up to Takakkaw Falls was especially scenic in Autumn.

We also started getting snow at higher elevations as early as late August. In my last week, I was snowed on four times while hiking. 

Fall colours coming in in Yoho National Park Snow on the trail to Sherbrooke Lake in Yoho National Park, BC

Autumn really is the most beautiful time to be in the mountains and I welcomed the creeping cold for all the beauty it was bringing.

The road to Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park, BC

Making Friends in Field

It may have been slow starting with meeting people but looking back I did make more friends than I realized during my time in Field. My first friend was Paulina, a lovely Chilean who works and lives year-round at nearby Emerald Lake with her Irish husband Darren.

We did a few hikes together along with their dog Naya, as well as dinners and drinks at Truffle Pigs and a BBQ and bonfire at my place. I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t met Paulina, my time in Field would have been a lot lonelier.

There was my downstairs neighbor Jill who was working at the hostel over the summer. We worked together a few times and planned to meet up out of work for a drink but it only happened just before she left.

It’s a shame we didn’t get to hang out more because it was fun drinking Shafts (the local coffee cocktail) and hanging out at Truffle Pigs the one evening that we did meet up.

Friends at Moraine Lake in Banff National Park, Canada

After a month the quiet South African moved out and a friendly Slovenian moved in. It was great living with Katja and we hung out a lot at home and at Truffle Pigs, I only wish she had been my flatmate the whole time.

I met a few of the locals during my evenings at Truffle Pigs including Ross who lived in Revy but stopped in Field BC a lot for work (he worked on the railroad), Steven from Edmonton who was working down the road at Cathedral Mountain Lodge for the summer, and Tanya the Receptionist at the Kicking Horse Lodge who I swear must be a vampire because I don’t know how a beauty that looks as young as her could be mother to a 20-year-old.

I was also lucky enough to have a few friends visit me. My friends (and former couch surfing hosts from Toronto) Roger and Anna stayed for a couple of days and we did some rainy day hiking in Yoho National Park, I met up with my friend Kathryn and a couple of her hostel buddies for a day of hiking around Moraine Lake, and my brother even came for a week, during which we hiked in Banff and Yoho National Parks and tackled the difficult two-day hike up from Lake O’Hara to the second-highest permanent structure in Canada: The Abbot Pass Hut.

There were bonfires and BBQs, lock-ins at Truffle Pigs, hiking adventures, burgers at The Siding, road trips to Golden, lazy afternoon drinks by Emerald Lake, home-cooked meals, and movies at my place. I loved it all.

Friends and family in Field BC

Hard Times in Field

But it wasn’t all good. In a lot of ways, it was the hardest part of my trip. During my time in Field, I started to feel increasingly disconnected from Trav after spending more than two months apart.

I struggled with loneliness a lot. It took me a while to make friends and I spent a lot of time by myself which I thought I would be OK with. Turns out that I wasn’t. I am not as introverted as I once thought and more than a couple of days away from people left me feeling very lonely and isolated.

I also got bored at times. It rained a lot during my time in the Rockies and there was also a very smoky week when the smoke from the wildfires raging in Washington State drifted over, blocking out the sun and leaving the acrid taste of smoke in my mouth when I went outside.

I was housebound a lot. I ended up hiking in the freezing rain a couple of times just to get out of the house. It was actually kind of beautiful.

Smoky skies in Field, British ColumbiaAs I only worked three days a week, I quite often would have four or five days off in a row which was great when the weather was nice or I had people to hang out with but not so much when it was raining and I was by myself. I watched a lot of Netflix and read a lot of books and there is only so much of that you can do.

By the last couple of weeks, I had met enough people and was settled enough that the feelings of loneliness had passed. I really started feeling like I was settling in and then it was time to leave. Isn’t that the way it always goes?

From wanting to leave early to not wanting to leave at all and crying on the bus ride to Vancouver because I already missed it, my relationship with Field was complicated. I loved it, I hated it at times, but mostly I feel like it was a home to me. And I think I needed that.

And I finally got to live in the mountains, if only for a short time.

I spent six weeks in Field BC in summer/fall of 2015, and returned again in 2017 for a week, and 2022 for a night. This post has been updated so all restaurants and accommodations mentioned are current.

How to Plan Your Trip to Field, BC

Where to Stay in Field

Although Field is tiny, there are a surprising amount of places to stay. Unfortunately, as the Fireweed Hostel has now closed, the best budget option is to camp, and the nearest campgrounds to Field are Monarch and Kicking Horse. 

There is also the HI Lake Louise Alpine Center Hostel at nearby Lake Louise which offers dorms and private rooms, and the rustic HI Yoho National Park Whiskey Jack Hostel across from Takakkaw Falls which is only open from late June till September.

Outside Fireweed Hostel, the only hostel in Field, BC

There are a number of bed and breakfasts and guesthouses in Field, many which are self-contained and have their own entrances. I recommend the Hummingbird Suite which my friends Paulina and Darren own, Mount Stephen Guesthouse where I worked, and Charlie’s Guesthouse which is also right in town.

If it is luxury you are after, you can’t go past the gorgeous setting of the Emerald Lake Lodge, only a fifteen-minute drive from Field, or Cathedral Mountain Lodge which is a six-minute drive away. 

For a more affordable hotel, stay in nearby Lake Louise at a Lake Louise vacation rental, or at the Lake Louise Hotel which has private rooms and suites, and there are hot tubs and a heated indoor pool on site. 

Getting to Field

You really need a car to visit Field, unless you are comfortable hitchhiking. The Rider Express bus stops in Field and Lake Louise, which is a 20-minute drive away and you can catch this from Calgary, Vancouver or somewhere in between. The nearest large town is Golden, which is a 45-minute drive away.

The Best Insurance for Your Trip

Make sure you get travel and health insurance before your trip. Safety Wing is my go-to and they are cheap and easy to claim with – it auto-renews every month unless you turn it off so you don’t have to think about it for longer trips

Safety Wing also allows you to sign up when you are already travelling, unlike a lot of other travel insurance providers.

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15 Comments on Life in Field, BC: The Best Mountain Town in the Canadian Rockies

  1. Hi, Katie!
    I visited this little cute town, Field, in June 19. Stayed in Banff, Jasper for 2 weeks. Not even know about Field. While in lake louise camp ground someone introduced Field. I fell in love here. After came back home, was browsing the Field, met your story. I love your story, will like to read your another journey.

  2. Hi there….funny how I came across your article….As soon as I saw the word Field, BC…I kept on reading about your experience….I grew up in Field. My late Father and two of my brothers all worked on the railroad…After all, it was a railroad town…We moved out East in 1967….have been back many times to visit Field….it is a majestic place surrounded by mountains…Hope to be back after Covid19 goes away…Thank you for making extraordinary travel experiences…hope to be back soooooon…..

  3. I am 96 years old ..was raised in Field B.C Of course I know a lot of the History and have many pictures ..Not many people left who know the Field of the 1930 s I know 3 of them.

    • It would be amazing if you were able to post the pictures so others can see Field as it was back then! I spent 3dayd, 2 nights with my best friend since childhood at the Cathedral Mountain cottages and fell in love with Field. It’s a hidden gem in the Rockies! I will be back because even though it’s a small town, there’s SO much to see and do!

  4. Wow! Field looks absolutely amazing!!! I’ve always wanted to visit the Rockies, well the whole of Canada to be fair. I think this post has just given me the push to stop talking about it and just get it done. My dream would be to hire a RV type vehicle and do a couple of months seeing as much as possible.

    Maybe even a little work exchange thrown in too. Get a real feel for the area. Field is now on the list!

    have you ever tried workaway for a work exchange platform? It has always suited me the best and I feel it has the best opportunities.

    Anyways, great post and thanks for the inspiration 🙂

    • Hi Anthony, you should definitely do it! The Canadian Rockies has some of the most mind-blowing scenery in the world. I got my volunteer placement in Field through Help X which is basically the same as Workaway, it’s just an older platform. I also did work exchanges in Shuswap Lake, Denman Island and Quadra Island and they were amazing.

  5. Wow, this looks incredible! I visited the Rockies last year and I have to admit Yoho wasn’t high up on my list, although my aunt and uncle (who live on the other side of the Kootenays) raved about it and we almost ended up camping there one night as Banff was stupidly busy. This has definitely made me want to visit!

    I’m surprised your help exchange didn’t include food, I thought most included food and board… interesting, I’ve used helpx before but never for hostels which I’d like to do.

    • Hi Clazz, it’s a shame you didn’t make it but it’s a reason to go back! Unfortunately most hostel exchanges don’t include food unlike other work exchanges through Help X and Workaway. I have done a couple that have included breakfast and dinner or credit to buy food at the attached general store though so they aren’t impossible to find

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