Kootenay National Park of Canada
Visitor Information
Welcome
Kootenay Valley Viewpoint, Kootenay National Park
of Canada
© Parks Canada/John
Pitcher/2002 |
From Cactus to Glacier
Kootenay National Park (1,406 km2) is one of 41 national parks
in Canada. Together, they celebrate and protect the diversity of the nation's
great landscapes. Kootenay National Park represents the south-western region
of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
From glacier-clad peaks along the Continental Divide to semi-arid grasslands
of the Rocky Mountain Trench, where cactus grows, Kootenay National Park is
noted for its diversity of landscapes, ecology and climate. Natural features
characteristic of the Rocky Mountains include sedimentary rocks and thrust-faulted
mountains, landscapes sculptured by glaciers and water, and plants and animals
typical of alpine, subalpine and montane ecological zones.
For thousands of years, the area which is now Kootenay National Park was
part of the traditional lands identified by the Ktunaxa (Kootenay) and Kinbasket
(Shuswap) First Nations people. Archaeological evidence suggests the mountains
were used primarily as seasonal hunting grounds. Groups also travelled across
the mountains periodically to hunt bison on the plains east of the Rockies.
Some sites are considered sacred.
Kootenay National Park was established in 1920 as part of an agreement between
the provincial and federal governments to build the Banff-Windermere Highway
– the first motor road across the Canadian Rockies. A strip of land
five miles (eight kilometres) wide on each side of the highway was set aside
as a national park. The completion of the highway in 1922 expanded the new
age of motor tourism in the Canadian Rockies and established a commercial
link between the Windermere Valley and Calgary.
The 94 km Banff-Windermere Highway (93 South) takes you through the park
along the Vermilion and Kootenay rivers and through the narrow gorge of Sinclair
Canyon to the famous Radium Hot Springs. Many use the highway simply as a
scenic route to reach the Windermere Valley, beyond the park's southern
boundary. But those who take the time to stop along the way discover some
of Kootenay's quiet, colourful secrets...
...such as the vibrant new forests growing up in the wake of the forest
fires at Vermilion Pass and Mount Shanks, the blue glacial waters and white
dolomite walls of Marble Canyon, the rust-coloured mineral pools and ochre
beds of the Paint Pots, the shaggy white mountain goats (the park's wildlife
symbol) on the crags and slopes of Mount Wardle, the panoramic overlook at
Kootenay Valley Viewpoint, the little green gem of Olive Lake nestled in Sinclair
Pass, and the iron rich cliffs of the Redwall Fault – an impressive
park entrance for visitors from the south.
The character of Kootenay National Park is defined by its ecosystem –
the dynamic interaction of its native species and natural processes. Preserving
the natural state of the park requires maintaining the integrity of its ecosystem.
The ecological integrity of Kootenay National Park is threatened by a variety
of human impacts such as development, fire suppression, introduction of non-native
plants, habitat fragmentation and human/wildlife conflicts. Parks Canada is
taking a number of actions to restore and maintain the ecological integrity
of national parks.
Kootenay National Park of Canada offers opportunities to experience the
Rocky Mountains, learn about their natural and cultural heritage, and connect
with nature. National parks belong to the people of Canada. As such, we all
share in the responsibility for their stewardship. An understanding and respect
for the land and its people will help ensure the ecological and cultural integrity
of these special places are maintained for future generations. Welcome
to the Kootenay National Park website. We hope you will have the opportunity
to visit the real park for yourself!
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