Kootenay National Park

July 30, 2018

We’re in Radium Hot Springs for tonight and the next.. Long, satisfying day today: excellent hike along Johnston Creek, followed by a ride through Kootenay National Park along the Vermillion River. Too hot, got a bit dehydrated. Wiped out. More after I sleep on it.

Canmore, 6AM. We haven’t seen the moon too often on this tour, because it’s never dark when we’re awake. I was surprised to see it is full.

Johnston Creek

Plenty to look at and admire here. And even at 8:30 in the morning, we’re hardly alone in our admiration. The crowds arrive early.

On the Johnston Creek trail, at a fairly quiet time. On our way out we’ll see a constant flow of traffic.

Lower Johnston Creek Falls is about a half hour’s easy walk from the parking lots.

The most dramatic, close-up view of the lower falls is through the tunnel at the end of this walk. The line barely moves, so even at this quiet time of morning we’d be looking at about a fifteen minute wait. We passed.

We’re above the lower falls now, on the walk to the upper falls (this little guy isn’t it). It’s a bit more challenging, and no longer paved. We lost about 80% of the foot traffic when we moved beyond the lower falls, and it’s much quieter now.

Still on the way to the upper falls, which is another kilometer past the lower one. Neither of these ripples is it either.

This is the upper falls. Easily worth the extra walk to get here, and we arrive at a good time. There aren’t man6 folks here yet, and the sun is just making it down in the canyon enough to light them up. It’s quite dramatic, because you can’t see them until the very last minute, at the end of a walkway out over the water. Only two or three people at a time can stand where they’re visible, so it’s worth getting here at a quiet time.

As impressive as the falls themselves is this colorful travertine wall just below it.

The Kootenay River

I was a bit confused by the river we were following today. Some places named it the Vermillion, others the Kootenay. Here’s a map of Kootenay National Park to help clear up the confusion. It looks like it gets renamed below the confluence with the Simpson River.

The Vermillion River, as it exits Marble Canyon. I’ve no idea why it’s called this - looks more aquamarine to me.

Heading west on the Banff-Windermere Highway, just west of Marble Canyon

A large burn scars the land for the first part of the ride. I think this is still the aftermath of the great fire of 2001.

Still westbound along the still aquamarine Vermillion River. At some point in here it becomes the Kootenay River, but I’m not sure where. Maybe downstream from its confluence with the Simpson?

We had a bit of company at our lunch break at Kootenay River Crossing. Swainson’s thrush?

We’re heading back east again, leaving Kootenay Crossing. Somewhere beyond this the sky starts hazing over from the nearby fire.

A bit before the Simpson River, we start seeing the effect of a small nearby fire.

The bridge across the Vermillion, at the Simpson River confluence (with bicycle)

The bridge across the Vermillion, at the Simpson River confluence (without bicycle)

By the time we near the car, the sky is starting to seriously haze over.

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Ride stats today: 55 miles, 2,200’

Today's ride: 55 miles (89 km)
Total: 1,035 miles (1,666 km)

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Jacquie GaudetWow! I don't recall the scenery at all from when I rode from Banff to Vermilion Crossing back in the early 1990s. Al and I had gotten separated before Castle Junction (long story) and I was trying to catch up (he was behind me). I guess I'll have to ride the Parkway again and continue south to get Amtrak home--but I'll pick a time of year when forest fires are unlikely so the skies won't be smoky.
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