Kootenay Rockies Things To Do

Kootenay National Park

From glacier-clad peaks to semi-arid grasslands, Kootenay National Park offers visitors a stunning array of landscapes. Linger in forested valleys, watch kokanee spawn in the Kootenay and Vermillion Rivers or behold colour-splashed mineral pools.

Year-round activities abound in this 140,600-ha (347,428-ac) park. The wildlife viewing is extraordinary. Depending on the season, you may see black and grizzly bears, elk, deer, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, coyotes, wolves and owls as well as migratory birds, including bald and golden eagles, songbirds, ducks and hawks. In summer, there is swimming, cycling, hiking and backpacking, with the latter two activities extending until early October. In winter, try cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

The Radium Hot Springs hot pools may be the park's most popular indulgence. Let your worries dissolve in these natural mineral springs, set against a gorgeous rock outcrop.

You can reach Kootenay National park from Golden via Highway 95 or from the south via Highway 93/95.

> Kootenay Park website

Mount Revelstoke National Park

Mount Revelstoke National Park is known for its spectacular wildflower meadows and rugged peaks. The 26,000-ha (64,247-ac) park offers magnificent vistas; summers, you can reach Mount Revelstoke's peak by driving along the 26-km (16-mi) Meadows-in-the-Sky Parkway through a dense rainforest of cedar and hemlock, sub-alpine forest and meadows. You'll enjoy astonishing views of the ice-topped Monashee Range and, on the eastern horizon, the Selkirk Mountains.

Most summer visitors drive the parkway to Balsam Lake. From here the mountain can be explored from a number of hiking trails. The Giant Cedars Boardwalk Trail takes you through a stand of old-growth western redcedar trees, some more than 800 years old. Beavers and the skunk cabbage marsh plant inhabit the Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk Trail's jungle-like wetland. It's a bird watchers' paradise. Backpacking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are popular in the winter months. Look for caribou and bears in the fall.

Revelstoke National Park is located just outside of Revelstoke, along Highway 1.

> Mount Revelstoke 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 lakes, roaring rivers, historic railroads, 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. Make sure to visit Takakkaw Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in Canada, with a free fall of 254 m (833 ft), plus the Natural Bridge, where the Kicking Horse River has carved through solid rock.

You can cross-country ski and snowshoe in winter. Summer brings biking, picnicking, rafting, horseback riding, cycling, climbing, fishing and more. Try late-season hiking and backpacking into the fall.

The wildlife viewing is plentiful. In winter, watch for elk, deer, moose, coyotes, chickadees, dippers and grosbeaks. Spring brings out black and grizzly bears, mountain goats, wolves, owls, and migratory birds, including bald eagles. Summer is perfect for spotting many of the species listed above as well as pikas, snowshoe hares, marmots, ground squirrels and songbirds.

Yoho National Park is located 40 minutes east of Golden, along Highway 1. It borders Banff and Kootenay National Parks.

> Yoho Park website

Glacier National Park

Rogers Pass is one of BC's great mountain crossings between Revelstoke and Golden.

As you drive this historic high point of the Trans Canada Highway, you'll reach the 1,382-m (4,534-ft) summit in Glacier National Park.

More than 400 glaciers are sculpted from the park's rugged peaks and sheer cliffs. Glacier's steep slopes and high annual snowfall make it one of the world's most active avalanche zones. The rugged beauty and challenge of the 135,000-ha (333,590-ac) park attracts many outdoor enthusiasts. You can ski well in to May here. Some of the year's best hiking can be had in September before the snow comes to stay in mid-October. The park's lush forest makes the area a haven for threatened and endangered wildlife.

Hiking, mountaineering, caving, scenic driving, backpacking, picnicking and the Rogers Pass Centre Museum are all highlights of Glacier, as well viewing bears, mountain goats, moose and birds.

Glacier National Park is an hour west of Golden, located on Highway 1.

> Glacier Park website

Valhalla Provincial Park

This 49,893-ha (123,288-ac) park takes in 30 km (18.6 mi) of the western shoreline of beautiful Slocan Lake and most of the Valhalla Range of the Selkirk Mountains. The New Denver Glacier dominates the landscape, reaching 2,758 m (9,102 ft).

With extensive hiking trails, a chain of sub-alpine lakes, dense redcedar and western hemlock forests, isolated pebble and sandy beaches, cascades and waterfalls, roaring rivers as well as abundant wildlife, you may not have time to catch your breath. The park's massive granite peaks, magnificent spires and huge, sheer cliffs attract mountain climbers from around the world. Camping, canoeing, kayaking and boating are also popular activities here.

Wildlife lovers may spot grizzly and black bears, mountain goats, mule and white-tailed deer, cougars, golden eagles and alpine ptarmigan while in Valhalla.

Valhalla Provincial Park is located along the western shore of Slocan Lake and is accessible by water, forest industrial roads or by trail.

> Valhalla Park website

Top of the World Provincial Park

Experience the towering beauty of this alpine park, located at the Top of the World Plateau, most of which lies at an elevation in excess of 2,200 m (7,218 ft). Jagged peaks form a backdrop to the west, while alpine flowers such as glacier lilies and western anenome carpet the plateau.

Once the traditional territory of the Ktunaxa Nation, this backcountry is now popular for wilderness camping and hiking. Stroll through sub-alpine forests, drop a line or boat in Fish Lake or settle in for the night at a lakeside campsite. Cross-country skiing and ice fishing also draw winter visitors.

You'll share the park with moose, elk, white-tailed deer, wolverines, bears and porcupines. Mule deer frequent the alpine meadows and marmots are found at higher elevations. Bighorn sheep and mountain goats are also spotted here.

Birdlife is abundant around Fish Lake. Clark's nutcrackers, Steller's jays, grey jays, thrushes and pine grosbeaks inhabit the lake in summer. You may also catch of glimpse of scaups, buffleheads, loons, bald eagles and ospreys.

Top of the World Park is located 40 minutes northeast of the village of Kimberley.

> Top of the World Park website

Elk Lakes Provincial Park

Elk Lakes Provincial Park is a sub-alpine wilderness nestled above the tree line in the Kootenay Rockies. Rugged peaks, clear lakes and glaciers create an outstanding mountain landscape.

You'll find glacial-fed lakes set against massive cliff faces, headwalls, waterfalls, craggy summits and hanging icefalls. Alpine meadows come alive after the spring thaw with colours of fireweed, Indian paintbrush, blue violet, elephant's head and giant ragwort.

The park is ideal for hiking, swimming, canoeing and horseback riding. Angling in the chilly Lower Elk and Upper Elk Lakes for Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout may occasionally yield rewards.

Wildlife spotting ranges from red squirrels, beavers and snowshoe hares to elk, white-tailed deer and moose, which frequent the park's meadows. You may even be lucky enough to spot mountain goats, bighorn sheep, grizzly or black bears. Spruce grouse, wrens, juncos, snipe, flickers and Clark's nutcracker are common birdlife, as are transitory ospreys and blue herons.

Elk Lakes Provincial Park is located about 1.5 hours north of Sparwood.

> Elk Lakes Park website

Bugaboo Provincial Park

Bugaboo Provincial Park preserves and protects the region's Purcell Mountain Range, which is several million years old. Over time, erosion and glacial ice have sculpted the granite masses into spectacular 70-million-year-old spires - some reaching 3,000 m (9,843 ft).

Hard-core mountain climbers come to tackle the park's extensive ice fields, the largest glaciers of the Purcell Mountains and the Bugaboo region's world-famous peaks. Hiking trails of varying distances and terrain are open to those without technical mountaineering skills. Mountain biking and camping are also possible within the park. Guided horseback-riding trips will lead you on a day-long journey into the magnificent wilderness of some of the world's most dramatic mountain landscapes.

Bugaboo Provincial Park is located between Golden and Radium Hot Springs, west of Highway 95.

A word or two on safety:

• Weather conditions can change suddenly in this area and lightning storms with hail and snow are common in summer

> Bugaboo Park website

Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park

Kokanee Glacier Park is a rugged wilderness area of the Selkirk Mountains. Kokanee Glacier, the park's namesake, looms on jagged Kokanee Peak.

Kokanee Lake is some 100 m (328 ft) deep and is surrounded by cliffs and rock slides. The gem-coloured Sapphire Lakes and the milky Joker Lakes are popular scenic spots. Gibson, Kaslo and Tanal Lakes offer excellent rainbow and cutthrout trout fishing.

Surrounding these waters are forests of hemlock, western redcedar, lodgepole pine, larch and Engelmann spruce. Bird species include blue grouse, ptarmigan and golden eagles. Sightings of hoary marmots, pika, ground squirrels and marten are common, with a few fortunate visitors spotting mountain goats, mule deer and black bears. Several grizzly bears also roam this area.

Nelson granite, an impressive geological formation, makes up much of the park's rugged terrain. The setting is ideal for experienced visitors interested in adventurous hiking, mountaineering, wilderness camping and ski mountaineering.

Kokanee Glacier Park is found between Slocan and Kootenay Lakes.

> Kokanee Glacier Park website

Wasa Lake Provincial Park

Take a dip in Wasa Lake and see if you agree that it's the warmest swimming lake in the Kootenays. Families flock to this scenic recreation spot for swimming, canoeing, camping, fishing, boating, cycling, windsurfing and waterskiing. Several of the park's sandy and pebbly beaches have picnic tables, grassed areas and pit toilets. Kids will enjoy the adventure playground.

For a family nature walk, take the "Forest of the Rainshadow Self-guided Interpretive Trail," an hour-long, 2.7-km (1.7-mi) loop that begins at the amphitheatre located in the campground. Or follow the lakeshore along "Wasa Lions Way," an eight-km (5-mi) paved path and secondary road trail around the lake that accommodates both hikers and cyclists.

The park protects a grassland ecosystem. It includes a portion of North America's most northern ponderosa pine forest set amid blue bunch wheatgrass meadows.

Wasa Lake Provincial Park is located 30 minutes north of Cranbrook, just east of Highway 93/95.

> Wasa Lake Park website