Kootenay was established in 1920 as part of an agreement to build a new 94-km (58-mile) road across the Rockies from Banff to the Windermere Valley, the first highway to cross the central Rocky Mountains. This park is relatively uncrowded compared to Jasper and Banff. It encompasses 1406 sq km (543 sq mi). The narrow shape of the park came about by the initial agreement setting aside 8 km (5 miles) of park lands on either side of the road, highway 93, running from the Continental Divide in the north to Radium Hot Springs in the south. It was the first national park to be centered around a roadway rather than a railroad. The north park boundary is 185 km (115 mi) west of Calgary and 41 km (15 mi) west of Banff. The south park boundary is 1.5 km (1mi) north of the village of Radium. Because the park is narrow with a highway down the middle, much of its spectacular scenery is visible form the road.
The park protects much of the headwaters of the Kootenay River and all of its tributary, the Vermilion, which highway 93 follows for 56 km (35 mi)...
...from the Continental Divide...
... to the confluence. At 3424m (11,234') high, Deltaform Mountain is the highest peak in Kootenay. The lowest point lies at only 901 m (2956') in the Columbia Valley at the park's west gate.
The north end of the park has many burn scars from wildfires, some of the largest forest fires in British Columbia history, with more greenery and wildflowrs.
Burgess Shale fossils at the base of Stanley Glacier, discovered in 2012. Advance reservations are needed to hike in (8.4 km) to see the site, so we did not.
Marble Canyon is a deeply carved limestone gorge cut by Tokumm Creek just above its confluence with the Vermilion River, crossed by seven bridges. There is a small waterfall at the top of the trail where the river drops into the canyon.
The three Paint Pots are formed by iron oxide bubbling up from mineral springs, resulting in liquid with pigments from red to orange to brown. The area is sacred to the Ktunaxa people, who gathered the ochre liquid to color their clay vessels and paints.
Numa Falls on the Vermilion River about 80km north of Radium Hot Springs at the north end of Kootenay National Park.
The Simpson River flows into the Vermilion River in a regrown burn scar area.
Kootenay Valley viewpoint affords views of the Mitchell and Vermilion valleys as you begin the ascent of Sinclair Pass from the north. When we were in the area a significant wildfire was burning on the ridge to the east.
Olive Lake is 13km north of Radium Hot Springs.
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Last modified 212 August 2023