Kootenay Rockies Things To Do

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 rugged splendour. Wind through old-growth rainforests of giant cedar and hemlock as well as sub-alpine forests that lead to rolling alpine meadows and tundra. The Monashee Mountains rise before you, 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 trees, some more than 800 years old. 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.

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 July and August. The trail takes about two hours each way. Jade Lakes are another 3 km (1.9 mi) with an elevation gain of 240 m (787 ft) and takes about 90 minutes each way.

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.

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. Meadows-in-the-Sky Parkway, a paved mountain road open summers only, winds 26 km (16 mi) through the park.

A word or two on your visit:

• Rated: easy to moderate
• Approximate time required: 30 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 area preserves unique stands of old-growth cedar and hemlock. It is also a critical habitat for threatened and endangered wildlife species such as caribou, mountain goats and grizzly bears.

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

The 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. A new exhibit takes you through the remains of Glacier House, an old CPR mountain hotel.

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 moderate
• 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