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Parks Canada - K Smith
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Parks Canada
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Parks Canada - K Smith
By Karin Smith
The Canadian Rockies are the one of the most popular summer attraction in Canada, but where do you go when you want to enjoy the beauty of the Rockies without the crowds? It is time to hitch up the RV for the ultimate summer road trip – the Golden Triangle Tour! This spectacular 300 km trip takes you through two provinces, three national parks and four mountain towns.
Just across the Alberta-BC provincial boundary, sit two sometimes overlooked gems – Yoho and Kootenay national parks. Like Banff and Jasper, these parks make up part of the contiguous Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks UNESCO world heritage sites. These parks are part of ancient travel routes used by First Nations people and feature stunning peaks, spectacular waterfalls, hiking trails, a relaxing hot spring and rustic campgrounds all connected by the Trans-Canada Highway, Highway 93 and Highway 95.
Beginning from Banff National Park, explore the 93-year-old Banff-Windermere highway (Highway 93S) through Kootenay National Park. A highway connecting the Windermere Valley to Banff and Calgary was the vision of local Windermere businessman Randolf Bruce. Construction began from the Columbia Valley in 1911, with a road to the Radium Hot Springs and over Sinclair Pass. A lack of funds, and the beginning of the First World War soon brought construction to a halt. By 1919, the road was far from completed and the province did not have the funds to finish the work. Under the Banff-Windermere Road Agreement, the federal government agreed to build the highway in exchange for 8 km of land on either side of the road for a national park.
The construction of the Banff-Windermere highway was no easy task. Massive road building equipment did not exist, instead sheer hard work by men and horses cleared the forest and hacked the highway into the stony mountainside. In 1923, after just a few short years of steady construction, the highway opened allowing visitors to travel to the Columbia Valley for the first time by car. An early publication praised the highway as being an excellent road for drivers because, “fear was practically eliminated”. Of course, a trip from Banff to the Radium Hot Springs, took a whole day and travellers felt every bump.
Kootenay is a land of startling contrasts – from glaciers to grasslands, broad vistas to narrow canyons, icy rivers to steamy hot springs. Every twist and turn of the highway reveals something interesting to explore; the blue-grey walls of Marble Canyon, vibrant new forests growing in the wake of recent forest fires, fuchsia-coloured fireweed lining trails to epic backcountry treasures, the panoramic view from the Kootenay Valley Viewpoint and the red cliffs and shattered rock of Sinclair Canyon – home to the Radium Hot Springs!
Kootenay has three RV accessible campgrounds, but if you are looking for electrical, water and sewage hook ups head to Redstreak. Located on the park’s southern most boundary, Redstreak is Kootenay’s largest campground and provides ample opportunity to relax while taking in the local sights and sounds of the Village of Radium Hot Springs. Try out one of the many restaurants in town, bring your lawn chair and enjoy Music on Main every Friday and Saturday night in July and August or enjoy a short hike from the campground to the hot springs.
The second leg of your trip takes you outside of the national parks and alongside the mighty Columbia River. This 2,000 km river begins at Canal Flats and snakes through southeastern British Columbia before draining into the Pacific in Oregon. The mountainside town of Golden, at the confluence of the Kicking Horse and Columbia rivers offers endless recreational possibilities including rafting, mountain biking, skydiving and golfing. In town, artisan studios, art galleries and countless restaurants, line the main streets.
Camping options for this leg of the trip are abundant – both around the town of Golden and in Yoho National Park. From Golden, head east along the Trans-Canada Highway into Yoho National Park. Monarch and Kicking Horse campgrounds, located only a few km east of the community of Field, offer rustic RV sites surrounded by stunning mountain views. For more information on campgrounds around the town of Golden visit the BC camping and RVing coalition at: campingrvbc.com.
Yoho is one of Canada’s oldest national parks. Named for a Cree expression of awe, a trip to Yoho is truly awesome! The park’s towering peaks, expansive glaciers and impressive waterfalls have attracted artists, scientists and explorers for over a century. Established in 1886, Yoho’s story is closely tied to Canada’s transcontinental rail history. These same spectacular features were the curse of railway engineers as they built over Kicking Horse Pass and inspired the construction of the Spiral Tunnels – a modern engineering marvel.
Yoho is truly a hiker’s paradise; trails lead to scenic waterfalls such as Takakkaw Falls, one of Canada’s tallest, turquoise blue lakes and breathtaking viewpoints high above the tree line. Take an afternoon walk around the apply named Emerald Lake, enjoy a leisurely stroll to Hamilton or Takakkaw Falls or pull out your hiking boots for an epic day trip along the Iceline trail or to Paget’s Peak. If you choose to stay in Kicking Horse Campground enjoy an after dinner stroll from your campsite to the remains of an old steam engine on the Walk-in-the-Past trail.
The final section of this tour, takes you back into Banff National Park. Along the way, stop in Lake Louise for a hike to one of the teahouses or admire the view of the Victoria Glacier from the Lake Louise shoreline trail. Lake Louise maybe well known to tourists – but there are still opportunities to get away from the crowds on hiking trails such as Helen Lake, Paradise Valley or Taylor Lake.
If you go:
· Consider joining a guided hike to the Burgess Shale fossil beds in either Yoho or Kootenay national parks. Parks Canada offers eight hikes weekly to the Mount Stephen, Walcott Quarry and Stanley Glacier fossil sites. Information and reservations are available at parkscanada.gc.ca/Burgessshale
· Spend a few days – while the entire Golden triangle can be driven in a day, take 3-6 days to get out of your RV and explore everything that Yoho and Kootenay national parks and nearby communities of Golden and Radium Hot Springs have to offer
· Pack your swimsuit – a trip to Kootenay National Park is not complete without a dip in the Radium Hot Springs.
· If you are spending six or more days in Canada’s national parks, consider buying a Discovery Pass. This annual pass provides access to over 100 national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservations operated by Parks Canada.
· The Yoho Valley Road leading to Takakkaw Falls has two steep narrow switch backs – trailers must be left in the parking lot across from Monarch Campground
Change things up – spend a night in one of Parks Canada’s new oTENTik tent-cabins found in Kootenay’s Redstreak Campground. Visit parkscanada.gc.ca/knp-otentiks for more info.