After discovering the magnificent Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, our first park in the Canadian Rockies that truly dazzled us, we enter British Columbia! On the agenda: rivers with icy blue waters, vibrant ochre earth, and breathtakingly typical Canadian landscapes as we explore a new park, Kootenay National Park
Monday, June 6, 2022
From the incredible Waterton Lakes National Park, we head north. The drive is filled with constant vigilance due to numerous “Wildlife crossing” alerts. We even spot a black bear on a trail. We make unexpected discoveries, like the largest truck in the world, once used in the mines. Wild landscapes amaze us at every turn. We also stop for a wash for Jeepy, who got really muddy on a local trail. 😵 Oh, and we enter British Columbia, the westernmost province of Canada.
It’s raining, it’s chilly, so we decide to stop at some natural hot springs to warm up. A nice hot bath, just what we need! Yeah, right!! The water is warm, sure, but not warm enough for my taste, especially given the outside temperature! We find the hottest spot in the pools and soak for an hour, dreading the moment when we’ll have to get out, into the rain, wind, and cold. What an idea!
In the evening, we set up camp at a popular spot, next to a few vans. We unfold the tent. A big storm breaks out. We take shelter under the awning and cook as if nothing is happening. We try to ignore our neighbors who are cozy in their vans! Lucky them! The storm passes. They predict rain all night. We fold up the tent. We sleep in Jeepy 😅.
Tuesday, June 7
Although we are up at 7 a.m. like every morning, we don’t hit the road to Kootenay National Park until 11 a.m., after a laundry stop and some work.
The warning is clear from the entrance. the first 15 kilometers are closed, and stopping is strictly forbidden due to the high presence of bears! So, we admire the landscape from the car… Well, at first! We’re so in awe of the wild nature around us that we decide to take the risk and stop at the viewpoints. But we stay close to the car, just in case.
We head for a walk in Marble Canyon, which offers us a breathtaking view of a deep gorge with icy blue water flowing through it. As for the temperature, we’ve seen freezing waters since we’ve been in Quebec, but this is on another level! It feels like dipping your hand into a huge bowl of snow!
We then explore the ochre flowing through the forest. Sometimes orange, sometimes reddish, sometimes greenish, it creates beautiful reflections in the water as it flows… and certainly doesn’t hesitate to paint our shoes! The indigenous people used this ochre to paint their faces and decorate their horses, tipis, and clothing.
Kootenay National Park still has plenty to offer. A beautiful hike awaits us there, with the bonus of taking our first steps in Canada’s most famous national park: Banff National Park!
