This is the first half of one of the most scenic rides anywhere — and the second half is even more scenic and will take us even higher, up to the equally breathtaking Rocky Top Mine.
Doctor Lake - The History
Long before anyone thought to put a name on the maps, the lake lay quiet beneath the Purcells, a cold eye of water watching centuries pass. The Ktunaxa moved through the valley each season, following game trails and creek lines, knowing where the snow lingered longest and where the animals would return. They left little behind but stories, and the land remembered them.
In the late 1800s, strangers arrived with iron tools and louder ambitions. They followed Doctor Creek upstream, boots heavy with hope and pockets full of rumors—silver in the rock, gold just one ridge farther. A few men scratched tunnels into the mountainside, built rough cabins from fresh-cut timber, and waited for the earth to answer them. Sometimes it did. Mostly it didn’t. Winter came early, prices fell, and the mountains stayed unimpressed.
Trappers followed after, quieter men. They knew the valley differently—where martens ran the timber edges, where beaver dams held back the creek, where smoke could rise without being seen. Each fall they checked their lines, each spring they packed out pelts and left the lake alone again. The cabins aged, roofs sagged, and moss crept up the logs as if trying to erase them.
By the time trucks and radios reached Canal Flats, Doctor Lake was already becoming memory. The mine road softened back into trail. 4x4's, ATV's & Snowmobiles traced the paths where ore carts once rattled. The forest closed ranks, hiking, biking, and tourism took over.
Then, in the summer of 2020, lightning split the sky above Doctor Creek. Fire ran uphill fast, feeding on a century of dry timber. Smoke filled the valley, and people down in Canal Flats watched the ridges burn, knowing that old cabins, traplines, and tunnels were passing into smoke with everything else. Helicopters thudded overhead. Evacuation orders came and went. The fire burned (4564 hectares) until it decided it was done.
When the rains finally came, the lake was still there.
Charred trees stood like blackened markers of every era that had passed through—hunters, miners, trappers, firefighters. New green shoots pushed up through ash. Doctor Lake reflected the sky the same way it always had, holding no grudges, keeping no records.
The land had seen it all before.
Amazing ATV rides through the Rocky Mountains near Cranbrook, BC, exploring the backcountry trails of the East Kootenays. Captured in 4K with drone footage, and gopro footage, with original music from the region.
In this video we cover:
• Scenic mountain views
• Wildlife and terrain
• Group riding with local ATV clubs
• Polaris/Yamaha/Can-Am/Honda performance
• Ride scenes and original music production
If you’re an ATV rider or club in BC, Alberta, or the Pacific Northwest—this is for you.
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Trail Location: East Kootenays, British Columbia, Canada
Gear Used: Polaris General 1000 / GoPro / Drone
Music: Original music created by Dougs Big BackYard in Cranbrook BC
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