Kootenay National Park in the Canadian Rockies
Kootenay National Park, is a place of great contrasts. From glaciers to grasslands, stained, red earth to steaming springs, Kootenay adds a new dimension to the more familiar Rocky Mountain landscapes.
The park in the south west corner of the Canadian Rockies sits directly to the west of Banff National Park and to the south of Yoho National Park.
There are fewer visitor services in Kootenay than some of the more famous national parks in the Canadian Rockies, but with very little development, there’s not much to distract you from the natural beauty of the surroundings.
Memorable sights at Kootenay National Park include:
› Radium Hot Springs
› Pain Pots
› The Rockwall
› Marble Canyon
› Sinclair Canyon
› Floe Lake
› Stanley Glacier
Wildlife in Kootenay National Park ranges from the rare and secretive such as grizzlies, black bears, moose and wolves, to elk, big horn sheep and nimble mountain goats which are often in plain sight.
If you’re visiting Kootenay during the fall, check out the tours that take you to the best viewpoints for catching the loud and violent big horn sheep rut.
Tourists first came to Kootenay National Park to wallow in the 27ºC plus temperatures of the odour-free hot springs. The springs are still very popular but today, Kootenay is a place well suited to the self-sufficient adventurer.
The main rivers within Kootenay National Park are safe only for experienced paddlers, the cross-country ski routes are ungroomed and traverse avalanche terrain and one of its most famous trails (The Rockwall) is over 55km.
With no gondolas to take you to the best look-out points in Kootenay and few organized tours, you really do have to make the effort to explore the spectacular wilderness under your own steam.
Popular activities in Kootenay National Park include:
› Hiking
› Soaking
› Mountaineering
› Rock climbing
› Wildlife watching
Kootenay National Park - Canadian Rockies
There are no towns in Kootenay National Park and the only available accommodations within the park are the campsites. If you want a more elevated level of comfort, accommodation is available in the town of Radium Hot Springs, at the south entrance of the park or in the small town of Invermere a few kilometers south of Radium.
Alternatively, you can head into Banff situated 33km from the park’s north entrance or try Golden 103km to the north.
Related sections: Canadian Rockies | Jasper National Park