Mind the Minute: A Closer Look at Creston BC’s Quirky Sense of Time

Enjoying a autumn sunrise and coffee with a view of the orchards and Skimmerhorn mountains in Erickso

By Brian Lawrence

There are many things that make the Creston Valley special, from the abundance of fresh food grown in the valley to outdoor adventures just minutes from town, to the welcoming shops and restaurants that give the community its small-town charm. But one of Creston’s most curious quirks is that here, the clocks never change.

Although Creston is officially on Mountain Standard Time (MST), Daylight Saving Time (DST) isn’t observed in the Creston Valley or along Kootenay Lake’s East Shore!

This means our clocks line up with Vancouver’s in the summer and Calgary’s in the fall. It’s a distinction shared by only a few other regions in North America — like Arizona, Saskatchewan, and parts of northern B.C. — and while it occasionally leads to confusion for visitors, it’s also one of the many things that make our valley refreshingly unique. Keep reading to learn about why this came to be so in this small pocket of the Kootenays, and how to deal with it while planning your trip!

How 'Creston Time' Came to Be

Did you know that communities originally set their own time based on high noon? It may seem logical in isolation, but when the Canadian Pacific Railway needed to set a standardized schedule, civil engineer and railroad surveyor Sir Sandford Fleming developed the system of 24 global time zones in the 1880s, setting the stage for perpetual befuddlement ever since!

Railroad ties piled up in the early days of Yahk. The Canadian Pacific Railway was a key factor in the development of the Creston Valley's time zone. BC Archives photo

Creston’s time story begins with those early rail days. Before the 1930s, trains coming from the east and south through Creston and ending at he south end of Kootenay Lake naturally kept the valley on eastern time. But when the CPR switched Creston to its Pacific Division in 1916, local time shifted back an hour. During both WWI & WWII Canada first adopted Daylight Savings to conserve energy for the war effort — yet Creston didn’t participate, and it never really looked back.

Even after a 1952 referendum saw most of British Columbia permanently adopt DST, Creston held firm, choosing to remain on Mountain Standard Time year-round. When Alberta followed suit with DST in 1971, Creston became an even rarer holdout — a place where time stands still, at least twice a year.

For a deeper dive, visit the Creston Museum’s blog, where Manager Tammy Bradford unpacks the full story in even more incredible detail in her Part 1 and Part 2 of Creston's Time Anomaly!

Daily Time Zone Oddities

While it’s easy to feel equal parts gratitude and smugness to be clock-change-free, folks in the Creston Valley and Kootenay Lake’s East Shore know that being out of sync with our neighbours (and a decent portion of the planet, for that matter) can also make scheduling a bit interesting. Locals traveling in either direction or scheduling our of town appointments always need to keep the following in mind:

In the winter, Creston is one hour ahead of Pacific Time communities to the west, such as Nelson and Vancouver, and aligned with Mountain Time communities to the east, such as Cranbrook and Calgary.

Then In the summer, when DST is in effect, Creston is in sync with Pacific Daylight Time (Nelson/Vancouver) and one hour behind Mountain Daylight Time (Cranbrook/Calgary).

This handy Infographic helps illustrate what time of year Creston aligns with either Pacific or Mountain time.

Needless to say, most folks in Creston always have a few clocks and calendars on standby at any given time! It’s all just part of the charms and challenges of living on Creston Time!

Travel Tips For Staying in SynC with Creston Time

Creston’s unique time zone can sound confusing at first, but a few quick tips will help you stay perfectly on schedule during your visit:

1. Flying In or Out - Cranbrook’s Canadian Rockies International Airport, the main regional airport in the region is in the Mountain Time zone, meaning it's the same time as Creston in winter and one hour ahead in summer. So if you’re traveling from Creston to catch a departing flight, plan accordingly and give yourself a little extra travel time — it’s always better to arrive early than miss your flight!

Taking a ride west on the Kootenay Lake Ferry? In the winter, your clocks will need to go back an hour as you head down the ramp.

2. Catching the Kootenay Lake Ferry - Keep in mind that the Kootenay Lake Ferry always operates and publishes schedules in Pacific Time year-round. That means in winter Creston is one hour ahead of the printed schedule. while in summer, it’s the same time. As you drive north along Highway 3A on Kootenay Lake, you’ll stay on Mountain Time until you reach the Kootenay Bay ferry terminal — where you'll switch to Pacific Time.

3. Cross Border Time Changes- If you’re visiting from the U.S. it's also important to so be sure to double-check the local time at both the Kingsgate and Rykerts border crossings, as in winter neighbouring northern Idaho (Pacific Time) will be an hour behind Creston, while in summer it will be the same time.

4. Check Your Devices - Most of us rely on our cellphones to keep track of the time for us, but cellphones and smartwatches don’t always adjust automatically in the Creston Valley. To be safe, manually set your device to the same time zone as Phoenix, Arizona — also on MST year-round without Daylight Saving Time.

A Valley That Moves to Its Own Rhythm

Whether you’re crossing the border, catching the ferry, or just taking your time to explore the valley’s markets and mountain views, Creston’s unique approach to time is part of what makes life here so wonderfully unhurried.

Around here, time moves a little differently, and that’s exactly how we like it. From sunrise over the Skimmerhorn Mountains to sunset across Kootenay Lake, you’ll quickly discover that the best moments in Creston aren’t measured by the clock at all.

Before your visit, check out our Time Zone Guide and other Know Before You Go resources to help you make the most of your stay. Otherwise, for more travel inspiration be sure to checkout our Get Inspired blogs to find ideas for things to do and see— no matter what time of year you arrive!

Until next time, enjoy your visit to Creston and make every minute (or 60) count!

Freelance writer Brian Lawrence is a former editor and publisher of the Creston Valley Advance. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking and trail running, and acting in and directing productions with Creston's Footlighters Theatre Society.