Ktunaxa Range

The mountains of Ktunaxa country rise on either side of the Kootenay River and the long lake into which it flows. The Purcell Mountains stretch north between Kootenay Lake and the Rocky Mountain Trench, their ridges overlooking wooded valleys and streams. South of the lake, the river passes through the Creston Valley, home to the Yaqan Nukiy people. Waterways and valley routes connected their communities with Ktunaxa relatives farther along the river, despite the high mountains between them.