Kootenay National Park
Encyclopedia
Kootenay National Park is located in southeastern British Columbia
Canada
covering 1406 sqkm in the Canadian Rockies
and forms part of a World Heritage Site
. The park ranges in elevation from 918 m (3,011.8 ft) at the south-west park entrance to 3424 m (11,233.6 ft) at Deltaform Mountain
. Kootenay forms one of the four contiguous mountain parks in the Canadian Rockies; the other three being Banff National Park
directly to the east, Yoho National Park
directly to the north and Jasper National Park
which does not share a boundary with Kootenay National Park. Initially called "Kootenay Dominion Park", the park was created in 1920 as part of an agreement between the province of British Columbia and the Canadian federal government to build a highway in exchange for title (property)
to a strip of land on either side of the route. A strip of land 8 km (5 mi) wide on each side of the newly constructed 94 km. Banff-Windermere Highway was set aside as a national park.
While the park is open all year, the major tourist season lasts from June to September. Most campgrounds are open from early May to late September while limited winter camping is available only at the Dolly Varden campground.
The park takes its name from the Kootenay River
, one of the two major rivers which flow through the park, the other being the Vermillion River. While the Vermillion River is completely contained within the park, the Kootenay River has its headwaters just outside of the park boundary, flows through the park into the Rocky Mountain Trench
, eventually joining the Columbia River
. The Banff-Windermere Highway, #93 follows the path of both rivers through the park.
The park's main attractions include the Hot Springs, Olive Lake, Marble Canyon, Sinclair Canyon and the Paint Pots. The hot springs offer a hot springs
pool ranging from 35°C to 47°C (95°F to 117 °F). The Paint Pots are a group of iron-rich cold mineral springs which bubble up through several small pools and stain the earth a dark red-orange colour. The Paint Pots were a major source of the ochre
paint pigment for a number of First Nations
groups prior to the 20th century.
Because of the relatively small width of the park (five miles on each side of the highway), many of the park's attractions are situated near the road and are wheelchair accessible. A number of recent forest fires in the northern half of the park in the Simpson River, Vermillion Pass, and Floe Creek areas in 2003 and 2004 have left significant burn areas readily visible from the highway. Numa Falls
is a short drive south of Marble Canyon (Canadian Rockies)
and is accessible directly by Highway 93 which cuts through the park.
Ten minutes north of Radium Hot Springs is Olive Lake. It's a beautiful idyllic spot with a day use picnic area, short hiking trails, and is accessible directly off Highway 93. Bears are often in the area so always look for warning signs and follow precautions. Take a drive through the Olive Lake area: Olive Lake drive-by. There are numerous spots along highway 93 within the park that provide wonderful spots to stop and enjoy a picnic lunch with backdrop of the Kootenay River.
Just outside the park's south-western entrance is the town of Radium Hot Springs
. The town is named for the odourless hot springs located just inside the park boundary. The name originated at the turn of the 20th century when the promoters tried to sell the hot springs as a therapeutic cure and used the springs' very slight radioactivity as a selling point. The area around the hot springs is also home to the rubber boa
snake http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/kootenay/natcul/natcul4_E.asp. The park's north-eastern entrance, connects to Castle Junction in Banff National Park
and the Trans-Canada Highway
via Vermillion Pass, a mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Canadian Rockies on the Alberta/British Columbia border, at an elevation of 1,651 metres (5,416').
There are many back country attractions in Kootenay National Park. Floe Lake
is a picturesque lake which lies on a 10.7 km hiking trail accessible from highway 93. Kaufman Lake is also a popular full day hiking destination. The Fay Hut
is accessible from Marble Canyon, and the Neil Colgan Hut
located above the Valley of the Ten Peaks
is a popular mountaineering destination. There are many multiple-day backpacking trails, some of which are quite strenuous.
The geology of the park is dominated by mountains made up of exposed faulted sedimentary rock and valleys containing glacial till deposited in the Pleistocene
. Just outside the north-western corner of the park, there is an igneous intrusion known as the Ice River Complex containing deposits of sodalite
, an ornamental stone. The hills immediately around the hot springs are composed mainly of tufa
, a calcium carbonate deposit that forms by precipitation of supersaturated hot spring water when it reaches cooler surface water.
The rocks in south-western corner of the park are part of the older Purcell Mountains
range while the eastern park mountains are part of the younger Rocky Mountains
range.
World Heritage Site
in 1984, together with the other national and provincial park
s that form the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks
, for the mountain landscapes containing mountain peaks, glacier
s, lakes, waterfalls, canyon
s and limestone caves as well as fossil
s found here.
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
covering 1406 sqkm in the Canadian Rockies
Canadian Rockies
The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. They are the eastern part of the Canadian Cordillera, extending from the Interior Plains of Alberta to the Rocky Mountain Trench of British Columbia. The southern end borders Idaho and Montana of the USA...
and forms part of a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
. The park ranges in elevation from 918 m (3,011.8 ft) at the south-west park entrance to 3424 m (11,233.6 ft) at Deltaform Mountain
Deltaform Mountain
Deltaform Mountain is one of the mountains in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, located on the Continental Divide on the border of British Columbia and Alberta, and also on the border between Banff and Kootenay National Parks in Canada...
. Kootenay forms one of the four contiguous mountain parks in the Canadian Rockies; the other three being Banff National Park
Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110–180 kilometres west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine...
directly to the east, Yoho National Park
Yoho National Park
Yoho National Park is located in the Canadian Rocky Mountains along the western slope of the Continental Divide in southeastern British Columbia. Yoho NP is bordered by Kootenay National Park on the southern side and Banff National Park on the eastern side...
directly to the north and Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, spanning 10,878 km² . It is located in the province of Alberta, north of Banff National Park and west of the City of Edmonton. The park includes the glaciers of the Columbia Icefield, hot springs, lakes, waterfalls and...
which does not share a boundary with Kootenay National Park. Initially called "Kootenay Dominion Park", the park was created in 1920 as part of an agreement between the province of British Columbia and the Canadian federal government to build a highway in exchange for title (property)
Title (property)
Title is a legal term for a bundle of rights in a piece of property in which a party may own either a legal interest or an equitable interest. The rights in the bundle may be separated and held by different parties. It may also refer to a formal document that serves as evidence of ownership...
to a strip of land on either side of the route. A strip of land 8 km (5 mi) wide on each side of the newly constructed 94 km. Banff-Windermere Highway was set aside as a national park.
While the park is open all year, the major tourist season lasts from June to September. Most campgrounds are open from early May to late September while limited winter camping is available only at the Dolly Varden campground.
The park takes its name from the Kootenay River
Kootenay River
The Kootenay is a major river in southeastern British Columbia, Canada and the northern part of the U.S. states of Montana and Idaho. It is one of the uppermost major tributaries of the Columbia River, which is the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
, one of the two major rivers which flow through the park, the other being the Vermillion River. While the Vermillion River is completely contained within the park, the Kootenay River has its headwaters just outside of the park boundary, flows through the park into the Rocky Mountain Trench
Rocky Mountain Trench
The Rocky Mountain Trench, or the Trench or The Valley of a Thousand Peaks, is a large valley in the northern part of the Rocky Mountains. It is both visually and cartographically a striking physiographic feature extending approximately from Flathead Lake, Montana, to the Liard River, just south...
, eventually joining the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
. The Banff-Windermere Highway, #93 follows the path of both rivers through the park.
Attractions
Hot Springs
Hot Springs may refer to:* Hot Springs, Arkansas** Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas*Hot Springs, California**Hot Springs, Lassen County, California**Hot Springs, Modoc County, California**Hot Springs, Placer County, California...
pool ranging from 35°C to 47°C (95°F to 117 °F). The Paint Pots are a group of iron-rich cold mineral springs which bubble up through several small pools and stain the earth a dark red-orange colour. The Paint Pots were a major source of the ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
paint pigment for a number of First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
groups prior to the 20th century.
Because of the relatively small width of the park (five miles on each side of the highway), many of the park's attractions are situated near the road and are wheelchair accessible. A number of recent forest fires in the northern half of the park in the Simpson River, Vermillion Pass, and Floe Creek areas in 2003 and 2004 have left significant burn areas readily visible from the highway. Numa Falls
Numa Falls
Numa Falls is a waterfall of the Vermillion River located in Kootenay National Park, Canada.It is accessible via a short drive off the Banff-Windermere Highway 93 that connects Banff National Park and Radium Hot Springs. While not a large falls, it is easily accessible directly by the roadside,...
is a short drive south of Marble Canyon (Canadian Rockies)
Marble Canyon (Canadian Rockies)
Marble Canyon is a canyon surrounding Tokumm Creek just above its confluence with the Vermilion River, at the north end of Kootenay National Park in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, Canada....
and is accessible directly by Highway 93 which cuts through the park.
Ten minutes north of Radium Hot Springs is Olive Lake. It's a beautiful idyllic spot with a day use picnic area, short hiking trails, and is accessible directly off Highway 93. Bears are often in the area so always look for warning signs and follow precautions. Take a drive through the Olive Lake area: Olive Lake drive-by. There are numerous spots along highway 93 within the park that provide wonderful spots to stop and enjoy a picnic lunch with backdrop of the Kootenay River.
Just outside the park's south-western entrance is the town of Radium Hot Springs
Radium Hot Springs, British Columbia
Radium Hot Springs is a village of approximately 800 people situated in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia. The village is named for the hot springs located in the nearby Kootenay National Park...
. The town is named for the odourless hot springs located just inside the park boundary. The name originated at the turn of the 20th century when the promoters tried to sell the hot springs as a therapeutic cure and used the springs' very slight radioactivity as a selling point. The area around the hot springs is also home to the rubber boa
Rubber Boa
The Rubber Boa is a snake in the family Boidae that is native to the Western United States.-Taxonomy:The Rubber Boa is a snake in the family Boidae and genus Charina. The name Charina is from the Greek for graceful or delightful, and the name bottae honors Dr. Paolo E. Botta, an Italian ship's...
snake http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/kootenay/natcul/natcul4_E.asp. The park's north-eastern entrance, connects to Castle Junction in Banff National Park
Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110–180 kilometres west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine...
and the Trans-Canada Highway
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
via Vermillion Pass, a mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Canadian Rockies on the Alberta/British Columbia border, at an elevation of 1,651 metres (5,416').
Backcountry Attractions
Floe Lake
Floe Lake is a lake in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia, Canada. The lake is only accessible by a 10.7km hiking trail that leaves from a marked trailhead on highway 93....
is a picturesque lake which lies on a 10.7 km hiking trail accessible from highway 93. Kaufman Lake is also a popular full day hiking destination. The Fay Hut
Fay hut
The Fay hut was an alpine hut located above Prospectors Valley in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia. Although the higher Neil Colgan hut superseded it as a base for climbs in the Valley of the Ten Peaks area, it still served as a convenient base for hikers and skiers doing day trips in the...
is accessible from Marble Canyon, and the Neil Colgan Hut
Neil Colgan Hut
The Neil Colgan Hut is an alpine hut located on the Fay Glacier in Kootenay National Park. It is situated in a col between Mount Little and Mount Bowlen, which is one of the peaks overlooking The Valley of the Ten Peaks. The hut is maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada...
located above the Valley of the Ten Peaks
Valley of the Ten Peaks
Valley of the Ten Peaks is a valley in Banff National Park that is crowned by ten notable peaks and also includes Moraine Lake. The valley can be reached by following the Moraine Lake road near Lake Louise...
is a popular mountaineering destination. There are many multiple-day backpacking trails, some of which are quite strenuous.
Geology
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
. Just outside the north-western corner of the park, there is an igneous intrusion known as the Ice River Complex containing deposits of sodalite
Sodalite
Sodalite is a rich royal blue mineral widely enjoyed as an ornamental gemstone. Although massive sodalite samples are opaque, crystals are usually transparent to translucent...
, an ornamental stone. The hills immediately around the hot springs are composed mainly of tufa
Tufa
Tufa is a variety of limestone, formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals from ambient temperature water bodies. Geothermally heated hot-springs sometimes produce similar carbonate deposits known as travertine...
, a calcium carbonate deposit that forms by precipitation of supersaturated hot spring water when it reaches cooler surface water.
The rocks in south-western corner of the park are part of the older Purcell Mountains
Purcell Mountains
The Purcell Mountains are a mountain range in southeastern British Columbia, Canada. They are a subrange of the Columbia Mountains, which includes the Selkirk, Monashee, and Cariboo Mountains. They are located on the west side of the Rocky Mountain Trench in the area of the Columbia Valley, and on...
range while the eastern park mountains are part of the younger Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
range.
World Heritage Site
This park was declared a UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
in 1984, together with the other national and provincial park
Provincial park
A provincial park is a park under the management of a provincial or territorial government in Canada.While provincial parks are not the same as national parks, their workings are very similar...
s that form the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks
Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks
The Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site is located in the Canadian Rockies. It consists of four national parks:*Banff*Jasper*Kootenay*Yohoand three British Columbia provincial parks:*Hamber Provincial Park...
, for the mountain landscapes containing mountain peaks, glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s, lakes, waterfalls, canyon
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
s and limestone caves as well as fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s found here.
See also
- National Parks of Canada
- List of National Parks of Canada
External links
- Parks Canada web site for Kootenay NP
- Geology of the Rocky mountains including Kootenay area
- Parks Canada - Official National Parks and Mountain Guide
- An article on Kootenay National Park from The Canadian Encyclopedia
External links
- Numa Falls Kootenay National Park
- Olive Lake drive-by Kootenay National Park
- Kootenay River Kootenay National Park