Kootenay Rockies Walking

Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park

Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park encompasses 32,035 ha (79,150 ac) of spectacular country in the Selkirk Mountains. Its name is derived from a First Nations word that means "red fish" and refers to the salmon of Kootenay Lake.

The park, one of Canada's oldest, is a panorama of mountain peaks, snowfields and glacial lakes. Lush valleys, colourful meadowlands as well as stands of old-growth spruce, hemlock, western redcedar, lodgepole pine and larch surround Kokanee Glacier, which towers centre stage. Be on the lookout for mountain goats, deer and black and grizzly bears.

Five access roads lead to trailheads in the central area of the park. One of the park's popular trails is the Gibson Lake Loop Trail, an easy, 2.5-km (1.6-mi) hike around Gibson Lake with great mountain views. There is also good fishing in the lake.

The park offers amenities at several sites.

A word or two on your visit:

• Rated: easy to difficult
• Approximate time required: 1 hour to 2 days
• Opening of trails depends on snowpack

> Kokanee Glacier Park website

Mount Revelstoke National Park

This park is a wonder of old-growth rainforests, rolling sub-alpine meadows, alpine tundra and glacial ice. The Monashee Mountains rise before you to the west, with the Selkirk range to the east.
 

There are over 41 km (25 mi) of trails here. Giant Cedars Boardwalk Trail takes you through a stand of old-growth western redcedar and hemlock trees, some more than 800 years old. Exhibits help you to discover the secrets of the world's only inland non-tropical rainforest. 

Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk Trail leads through fragile wetlands inhabited by beavers, bears and the skunk cabbage marsh plant. Exhibits help identify the many birds that migrate to the Skunk Cabbage wetlands each year from Central and South America.

When the snow has melted at the summit of Mount Revelstoke, usually near the beginning of July, a bus shuttles visitors from the Balsam Lake parking area to the mountaintop. First Footsteps Trail presents the stories of the First Nations of the Columbia Mountains. Koo Koo Sint Trail profiles the journeys of David Thompson, the great fur trade mountain explorer.

For a longer hike, take the Eva Lake Trail and the Jade Lakes Trail to a spectacular viewpoint at Jade Lakes. The hike to Eva Lake is about 6 km (3.7 mi) through the alpine wildflowers, which bloom in August. The trail takes two to three hours each way. Jade Lakes are another 3 km (1.9 mi) with an elevation gain of 240 m (787 ft). The trail takes an additional 90 minutes each way.

Pick up the "Selkirk Summit," which contains a trail map and information, at the Visitor Centre in downtown Revelstoke or at the Parkway Welcome Station.

You can reach Mount Revelstoke from the Trans Canada Highway. The Meadows-in-the-Sky Parkway is a 26 km (16 mi) paved mountain road (open May to October).

A word or two on your visit:

• Rated: easy to difficult
• Approximate time required: 15 minutes to a full day
• Best time: May - October

> Mount Revelstoke Park website

Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park protects a portion of the Columbia Mountains Natural Region in the interior wet belt of British Columbia. Its warm, moist climate allows diverse plants and animals to thrive. The park protects stands of old-growth cedar and hemlock that provide important habitat for threatened and endangered wildlife species such as caribou, mountain goat and grizzly bear.

There are many scenic walking trails in the park. Interpretive exhibits provide an excellent introduction to the cultural heritage and historic significance of the area. Rogers Pass National Historic Site is situated here as well.

Hemlock Grove Boardwalk Trail is a short interpretive trail that takes visitors through a stand of old-growth western redcedar trees, some over 350 years old. The 1885 Trail, a gentle 3.8 km (2.4 mi) each way, follows the original Canadian Pacific Railway line. New exhibits lead you through the remains of Glacier House, one of the first great CPR mountain hotels. Rockgarden Trail is a short loop trail up and over a 10,000-year-old rockslide.

For a closer look at a massive glacier, follow the steep Great Glacier Trail for 5 or 6 hours to a panoramic lookout point near the impressive Illecillewaet Glacier.

Pick up the "Selkirk Summit," which contains a trail map and information, at the Illecillewaet Welcome Station or the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre.

Glacier is located between Golden and Revelstoke along the Trans Canada Highway.

A word or two on your visit:

• Rated: easy to extreme (mountaineering skills required) 
• Approximate time required: 20 minutes to multi-day
• Best time: June to October

> Glacier Park website

Yoho National Park

The name "Yoho" comes from a Cree word expressing awe, which is fitting, as awe-inspiring sights and sounds abound in this national park.

Twenty-eight peaks rise over 3,000 m (9,843 ft) to preside over gem-coloured glacial lakes, some of Canada's highest waterfalls as well as forests dense with western redcedar and western hemlock.

There are historic railroads, roaring rivers, spiral tunnels hidden within mountainsides and steep rock faces where mountain goats roam. You won't want to miss Burgess Shale, which contains the world's finest 505-million-year-old Cambrian-aged fossils of soft-bodied marine organisms.

The park offers over 400 km (249 mi) of hiking trails catering to all skill levels. The Wapta Falls Trail is an easy, relatively flat trail that takes you to a viewpoint overlooking Wapta Falls. The hike is about an hour each way. The falls plummet 30 m (98 ft) along the Kicking Horse River.

The Yoho Valley Trail is a moderate, 7.9-km (4.9-mi) hike with an elevation change of 300 m (984 ft). Starting from Takakkaw Falls Campground, hike along the Yoho River past a number of smaller waterfalls en route to the spactacular Twin Falls. The trail takes three hours each way.

Yoho borders Banff and Kootenay National Parks along the Trans Canada Highway.

A word or two on your visit:

• Rated: easy to difficult
• Approximate time required: 1 hour to multi-day
• Opening of trails depends on snowpack

> Yoho Park website