Kootenay NP

Kootenay National Park is more than 500 square miles of beauty....from rushing waterfalls to meandering rivers and an endless amount of forest that reaches almost to the mountain tops. Highway 93 cuts through the heart of Kootenay, starting at the south end at the town of Radium Hot Springs and traveling north to the borders of Banff and Yoho national parks.

If just the natural beauty of Kootenay is not enough to appreciate, there are Sinclair Falls and Marble Canyon that are sure to impress. Go. See.

Much of Kootenay was devastate by a raging wildfire in 2003 that lasted more than a month. Now, more than a decade later, new growth is popping up everywhere.

If we're told a trail is uphill, that's fine. At least we know what to expect. But if we're told it's flat, and it turns out to be uphill and more uphill, that's a bummer. That's the Dog Lake Trail. At the end, there wasn't much to be seen. It's a beautiful walk...but it's a little more than gradual uphill...for 1.5 miles or more (five klicks RT). Maybe we misread the trail description.

Parks Canada has started a program they hope will motivate people to get out of their homes and enjoy nature by placing sets of Adirondack chairs at key locations in their national parks. It has promoted lots of controversy, and I kinda agree with those who question why the chairs might promote visits if the sheer beauty of the parks doesn't. However, I did enjoy seeing the bright red color against green mountains and clear blue waters. These chairs are at Marble Canyon.

Marble Canyon, as difficult as it was to get pictures of, was a highlight of Kootenay for me. The canyon walls are narrow, almost touching in spots, and the water rushes down, down, down to the canyon floor below. There are a series of bridges that crosses from one side of the canyon to the other before reaching the top where the Vermillion River starts its descent.

The Juniper Trail at the south end of Kootenay NP is a farily moderate trail that leads down to Sinclair Falls, then up, up and over the side of the mountain to the hot springs in the town of Radium. It offers beautiful panoramas to the west of the Purcell Mountains across the Columbia wetlands. The next several shots were taken from the trail.

The most dramatic part of Sinclair Falls is right at road level where Highway 93 enters the park from Radium Hot Springs. There's plenty of parking and curbs for walking to this section of the falls. This is also the best place for seeing the Sinclair Canyon as it practically engulfs the main thoroughfare into the park.

This bridge leads to the Paint Pots which comprises mineral springs that are rich in iron. As a result, the soil is an orangish-yellow-ochre color used by the first Indians as a face paint. The colored soil runs flows slowly down a ravine and spreads itself over a small area that can be easily viewed by walking the short distance, often over a boardwalk where the soil has puddled. The actual "pots" (springs) are at the far end of the trail. Pictures are below.

The south entrance to Kootenay National Park at Radium Hot Springs seemed to be a hot spot for big horn sheep and mountain goats. We had a great time getting shots of both on two separate days.