Nelson, British Columbia
A modern mountain home on Nelson's North Shore, five minutes across the Big Orange Bridge from downtown. Sleeps six. Private hot tub. A covered deck you will not want to leave.
The house
The Treehouse is a modern three-bedroom home on the North Shore of Nelson, BC, rented as a whole-house vacation rental for up to six guests.
The main level is one bright open room — kitchen, dining and living together, around an oversized island, with big windows facing out toward Kootenay Lake. It is a house designed for a group that cooks, spreads out maps on the counter, and argues about tomorrow's trail.
Off the entry there is a proper mudroom with room for skis, boots and bikes, so wet gear never makes it onto the floors. A washer and dryer are in the suite. Guests have exclusive use of the entire upper level, the entry foyer, the covered deck, the backyard and the hot tub.
Beds: Bedroom 1 has a queen. Bedroom 2 has a queen. Bedroom 3 has a bunk bed. Two full bathrooms. Maximum six guests.
Access is from the carport into the foyer, then one flight of stairs up to the living space. A separate lower-level suite has its own private entrance; guests rarely cross paths, and we ask for quiet evenings out of respect for the neighbours.
The deck & hot tub
A large covered deck runs off the living space and works year-round — rain, snow, or 32°C in August.
There is an outdoor dining table, a pair of swing chairs, a hammock, and a BBQ. Because the deck is covered, it stays usable through a Kootenay rain squall and through a January snowfall, which is the whole point.
The private hot tub sits in the backyard and is for the exclusive use of guests. It is the reason most people book in ski season and the reason nobody goes to bed early in summer.
Morning coffee is handled: drip machine and a French press in the kitchen.
What's included
Where you'll be
The Treehouse is on the North Shore of Nelson, British Columbia, just across the Big Orange Bridge from the downtown core.
That single bridge buys you quiet. You are out of the busy blocks, on a residential street with lake views, and still five minutes from dinner on Baker Street. The Pulpit Rock trailhead — Nelson's signature lung-buster with the postcard view over town — is a three-minute drive. A small public beach is three blocks away.
Nelson sits in the Selkirk Mountains on the West Arm of Kootenay Lake, about a six-hour drive from Calgary, seven-plus from Vancouver, and four from Spokane, WA. Castlegar (YCG) is the nearest airport, roughly 45 minutes away.
| North Shore public beach | 3 blocks · walk |
|---|---|
| Pulpit Rock trailhead | 3 min drive |
| Lakeside Park & main beach | 10 min walk |
| Downtown Nelson / Baker Street | 5 min drive |
| Whitewater Ski Resort | 30 min drive |
| Ainsworth Hot Springs | 40 min drive |
| Castlegar Airport (YCG) | 45 min drive |
Lakeside Park has the main swimming beach plus basketball, tennis and pickleball courts. Getting there on foot means walking the bridge, which is worth doing once regardless.
Best suited to
Ski trips. Whitewater is 30 minutes up the road, the mudroom eats wet gear, and the hot tub is waiting at the end of the day. Two queens and a bunk means two couples plus kids, or a group of five or six splitting the cost.
Mountain biking and hiking. Nelson's trail network starts minutes away, and Pulpit Rock is close enough to do before breakfast.
Summer lake days. Beach three blocks down, Lakeside Park a walk across the bridge, deck and BBQ for the evening.
Remote work and longer stays. 253 Mbps and a dedicated desk, which is not a given in a mountain town.
Summer contract crews. The Treehouse takes monthly and multi-week bookings for crews working seasonal contracts in the Nelson area — forestry and wildfire, tree planting, construction, trades, utilities and survey work. Three bedrooms sleep a crew of up to six, there is free parking for three vehicles including trucks, a mudroom that swallows work boots and gear, in-suite laundry for filthy clothes at the end of a shift, and a full kitchen so nobody is eating restaurant food for six weeks. The hot tub does a lot for a body that has been on its feet since 6 AM. Message the hosts for monthly rates.
Families. The bunk room, the fenced-in feel of the backyard and the full kitchen make this straightforward with kids.
Questions
The Treehouse is on the North Shore of Nelson, British Columbia, Canada, directly across the Big Orange Bridge from downtown Nelson. It is a five-minute drive to Baker Street, a ten-minute walk to Lakeside Park, and three blocks from a small local beach on the North Shore. The exact address is shared after booking.
The Treehouse sleeps up to six guests in three bedrooms with four beds: two queen beds and one bunk bed. There are two full bathrooms. Six guests is the maximum.
Yes. There is a private hot tub in the backyard, available exclusively to guests staying at the house, usable year-round.
Whitewater Ski Resort is roughly a 30-minute drive from The Treehouse. The house has a mudroom with gear-friendly storage for skis and boots, and a hot tub for after the drive back.
Yes. Wi-Fi has been speed-tested at 253 Mbps and there is a dedicated workspace in the house, plus a smart TV with streaming apps for the evening. Longer stays are welcome — message the hosts about monthly rates.
Yes. Free on-site parking for up to three vehicles between the driveway and the carport. No permit is needed.
Check-in is after 4:00 PM and checkout is before 10:00 AM.
Access is from the carport into the entry foyer, then one flight of stairs up to the main living level. The house is not step-free and is not suitable for guests who cannot manage a flight of stairs.
Guests have the entire upper level, foyer, deck, backyard and hot tub to themselves. The building also contains a separate lower-level suite with its own private entrance, so occasional neighbours are possible. Guests rarely interact with them. The hosts live about one kilometre away and are reachable by message.
Nelson is a heritage mountain town on the West Arm of Kootenay Lake in the Selkirk Mountains, known for its restored Victorian main street, arts and music scene, independent restaurants and cafés on Baker Street, and outdoor access. Common activities are skiing at Whitewater, mountain biking, hiking Pulpit Rock, swimming at Lakeside Park, paddling on Kootenay Lake, and soaking at Ainsworth Hot Springs about 40 minutes north.
December through March for skiing at Whitewater, which is known for deep snow and a low-key mountain. July and August for lake swimming, long evenings and mountain biking. September is quieter, warm and often the best value. The house works in every season because the deck is covered and the hot tub runs year-round.
Booking is through the Airbnb listing for The Treehouse in Nelson, BC, where live availability and nightly rates are shown. Message the hosts through Airbnb for questions about longer stays, group size or specific dates.
Your hosts
A young family of four who put down roots in Nelson. They mountain bike, they ski Whitewater as a family, and they have been hosting for eight years with Superhost status, a 4.97 average rating across 295 guest reviews, and a 100% response rate — usually within a few hours.
They live about a kilometre from the house, which means the answer to "where's the trailhead / what's open Monday / can we get a plow" arrives fast and is actually correct.
Live availability, nightly rates and instant booking are on the Airbnb listing. Ski season and July–August fill early.