The first day of our Local Adventure Awaits campaign took us to the gorgeous Kootenay National Park which is only a quick 15 minute drive to the park gates in Radium Hot Springs. KNP was established in 1920 as part of an agreement to build a new road across the Rockies. Thank goodness they agreed to what is now known as highway 93 way back then as many locals and visitors alike use this access road daily today. In our opinion, a great feature of highway 93 is the lack of cell phone service. You can go hiking, snowshoeing or site seeing all day long and never hear one “bing” from your phone, just silence.
First, we had to pick up the gear for our big day; snowshoeing was our activity of choice. We stopped by Far Out Adventure Hub and talked to Phil about renting some snowshoes and chatted about the other adventure gear they offer. We found snowshoes, snow tubes (for tobogganing), cross country skis and ice skates all available for rent at Far Out.
“We started offering a delivery service for the products that our customers just couldn’t fit in their vehicles. It has been a very popular service and we are happy to see our customers having fun using our gear!”
Phil – Far Out Adventure Hub (www.rentfarout.com)
You can rent a snow tube and go tubing at the park in Radium only a few blocks away. Rent some ice skates and skate at the local outdoor rink or venture into Invermere to the Whiteway. Whatever you choose to rent, just make sure you have fun!
Heading into Kootenay National Park, our second stop was at the park gates where we paid our day use fee to the friendly Parks Canada gate attendant.
“Parks Canada manages an extensive world-class system of protected natural and cultural heritage areas where Canadians, and people from around the globe, can experience the best Canada has to offer. All of these places provide visitors high-quality experiences while contributing significantly to local economies.
To maintain its operations, Parks Canada relies largely on government appropriations and supplements its budget with revenues from user fees. Government appropriations are used primarily to protect cultural and natural heritage in Canada for the benefit of all Canadians. Revenues generated by fees partially recover the costs required to provide those products and services, for which users receive a personal benefit.
These fees are set so that Parks Canada can provide amazing experiences and great value to visitors, and continue to make important contributions to tourism across the country.”*
The Best Trails in Kootenay National Park for Snowshoeing
While there are a lot of really beautiful trails throughout Kootenay National Park, we prefer the ones at the south side of highway 93 for quick access from Copper Point Resort. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Redstreak Creek Trail – This trail is only 4.6kms in length, but have you ever snowshoed 4.6kms? It’s a lot slower than hiking! Enjoy the sound of the creek at the bottom as you crunch through the forest of Douglas Fir trees. With only a few switchbacks at the beginning of this trail, it is a pretty easy trail for any beginner to explore!
- Dog Lake Trail – Want something that checks all of the boxes? This is the one for you. Mountain views? Check. Suspension bridges over the Kootenay River? Check. A lake destination? Check. Yup, it’s got it all!
- Juniper – Sinclair Canyon Trail – You don’t have to go far to find this one. Park at either trailhead, one in the parking area just inside the park gates or at the Radium Hot Springs main parking lot. There is some fun elevation here and takes about 2 hours round trip (hiking) with a 260m elevation gain. But hey, if you choose to park at the Radium Hot Spring pools parking lot, you can take a quick dip post hike!
Overall, we had a great day exploring Kootenay National Park and we sure are grateful to live in such a beautiful part of the World. Our hope for you is that you too get the opportunity to adventure into the quietness of the forest and leave feeling fulfilled with gratitude.
Thank you to Far Out Adventure Hub for providing us with the gear to go for an adventure and to Parks Canada for doing a great job of maintaining our beautiful Kootenay National Park.
Sources:
* Parks Canada Agency, G. (2021, January 20). Fees. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/voyage-travel/tarifs-fees