Backcountry Hiking
and Wilderness Camping in Kokanee Glacier
Park
As you make your way through the lush cedar,
hemlock and spruce forests of Kokanee Glacier
Park’s lower elevations, to the wildflower-filled
meadows of its alpine heights, tip your hat
to the rugged miners of earlier years, who
carved the trails that now bring recreational
pleasure to hundreds of hikers every summer.
A
Steamy Soak at the Ainsworth Hot
Springs
A natural shower, a rejuvenating
steam bath, a relaxing, mineralized
soak at the privately-operated
Ainsworth Hot Springs, on the
western shore of Kootenay Lake
between Balfour and Kaslo, a series
of springs from the Cody Caves
area work their way down through
porous rock, increasing to a temperature
of 40 – 42 degrees Celsius.
The steamy water falls down from
the roof of a horseshoe-shaped
cave into waist-deep water. The
hot water is piped in to a main
outdoor pool overlooking Kootenay
Lake and the Purcell Mountains.
Bathers can explore the cave’s
tunnels, carved out by miners
attempting to increase the flow
of hot water from the springs. |
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Many of the Park’s 85 kilometres
of hiking trails follow the century-old
paths of fortune-seekers who mined the rich
mineral veins in the area’s hard granite
rock. The miners used the trails to haul
supplies in, and ore out, over steep wilderness
terrain. Their grit and determination have
provided a legacy to today’s hikers
and backcountry campers, who can choose
from more than 20 routes through one of
British Columbia’s most beautiful
mountain parks.
Kokanee Glacier Park, located in the Slocan
Range of the Selkirk Mountains, between
Slocan Lake and the North Arm of Kootenay
Lake, covers 32,035 hectares. It includes
3 glaciers – Kokanee, Caribou
and Woodbury –
and more than 30 glacial lakes,
including Kokanee Lake,
Sapphire Lakes, Joker Lakes, Gibson Lake,
Kaslo Lake and Tanal Lake.
It is filled with creeks, deep valleys and
soaring peaks (Kokanee Peak, cloaked in
the Park’s namesake glacier, rises
2,774 metres in the middle of the Park).
Most of the Park sits above 1,800 metres
in elevation, with forests of Englemann
spruce, lodgepole pine, alpine fir, hemlock
and western red cedar at lower levels, subalpine
and alpine meadows of dwarf blueberry, heather,
moss and lichen at higher levels, and avalanche
paths covered in alder and huckleberry.
While hikers in Kokanee Glacier Park are
most likely to encounter smaller mammals
such as hoary marmots, martens, ground squirrel
and pikas, and birds such as American Dippers,
Sharp-shinned Hawks, Franklin Grouse and
Golden Eagles, they may also be fortunate
enough to catch sight of mountain goats,
deer and black bears. Park users
should be aware that this is also grizzly
country. The Park was expanded
in 1995 to protect grizzly bears, and is
carefully designed to keep humans away from
prime grizzly habitat. Some areas are closed
seasonally when bears are known to be feeding
on nearby berry patches.
Carefree
Cruising on the Kootenay Lake
Ferry
The views are priceless, and the
ride is free! The Kootenay Lake
Ferry, a year-round service provided
by the British Columbia Ministry
of Highways, is billed as the
longest and most scenic free ferry
crossing in the world. The trip
between Balfour,
on the lake’s West Arm,
to Kootenay Bay,
on the eastern shore, offers million-dollar
views of the Selkirk and Purcell
Mountains that frame the waterway.
Service is provided 20 hours a
day by 2 vessels, the MV Balfour
and the MV Osprey 2000.
Ferries leave both terminals every
50 minutes in the summer season
(Victoria Day in May -Thanksgiving
Day in October), and every 100
minutes in the winter season.
Check for specific sailing times.
The MV Osprey carries up to 80
vehicles; foot passengers can
walk on at any sailing. |
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Sport fishers in Kokanee Glacier Park can
expect excellent catches of rainbow trout,
cutthroat trout, and Dolly Varden.
• Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park
is located 34 kilometres northeast of Nelson,
British Columbia, west of Kootenay Lake.
• There are 5 access roads to the
Park’s trails, including Kokanee Creek
via Highway 3A, Woodbury Creek via Highway
31, Keen Creek via Highway 31A, Enterprise
Creek via Highway 6 and Lemon Creek via
Highway 6. Expect rough terrain on some
routes.
• There are more than 20 designated
hiking trails in Kokanee Glacier Park, ranging
from easy to difficult; most are in the
moderate range. Easy trails include: Gibson
Lake Trailhead Loop Trail, 2.5 kilometres;
Kokanee Lake to Kaslo Lake, 3 kilometres
(includes alpine meadows), Woodbury Creek
to Sunset Lake, 3 kilometres. Moderate trails
include; Gibson Lake to Slocan Chief Cabin,
8.3 kilometres, Gibson Lake to Kokanee Lake,
4 kilometres, Enterprise Creek to Slocan
Chief Cabin Trail, 10.2 kilometres, Enterprise
Creek to Tanal Lake, 6.4 kilometres, Woodbury
Creek to Woodbury Cabin Trail, 8 kilometres,
Lemon Creek to Slocan Chief Trail, 14.3
kilometres. Difficult trails include; Woodbury
Creek Trailhead to Silver Spray Cabin Trail,
7 kilometres, with elevation gain of 1,016
metres, and many switchbacks. Check for
temporary closures or seasonal restrictions.
• The Park is open year-round, but
hiking season runs from July to October.
Trails may remain snow-covered well into
early summer.
• There are several designated wilderness
camping areas throughout the park and 2
8-person backcountry cabins, the “Woodbury”
and the recently-constructed “Silver
Spray.” Check for seasonal camping
and cabin fees, and campfire restrictions.
• All hikers should be equipped with
appropriate footwear, rain gear, extra warm
clothing and food. Only experienced mountaineers
should venture onto snowfields and glaciers.
• Parked vehicles should be protected
with chicken wire to deter porcupines that
chew on rubber hoses and tires!
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