Home > Facts > National Parks Facts > Kootenay National Park Facts

Kootenay National Park Facts

Kootenay National Park Facts
Kootenay National Park is a 543 square mile park located in the southwest region of the province of British Columbia, in Canada. The park was established in 1920 when the Canadian government wanted to build a highway and the British Columbia government agreed provided they were granted title to 8km wide strips of land on either side of the highway for a national park. Kootenay National Park was originally called Kootenay Dominion Park but was later changed to its current name. Kootenay National Park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, along with a number of other parks in the Rocky Mountain region that together form the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks.
Interesting Kootenay National Park Facts:
The Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks are made up of four national parks including Kootenay, Banff, Jasper, and Yoho, along with three provincial parks including Hamber, Mount Assiniboine, and Mount Robson.
UNESCO named the region a World Heritage Site because of the mountains, waterfalls, glaciers, caves, fossils, and canyons located in the area.
Forest fires are a constant threat to Kootenay National Park. Lightning started one of the largest forest fires in the province's history in 2003 and burned 17,000 hectares in the Rockies.
Attractions in Kootenay National Park include Sinclair Canyon, Marble Canyon, the Paint Pots, and Radium Hot Springs.
The Paint Pots in Kootenay are iron-rich springs, which stain the earth orange. Prior to the 1900s the First Nations people used the Paint Pots in order to create ochre paint pigment.
Radium Hot Springs are a series of hot springs that can reach temperatures of 117 degrees Fahrenheit. A town just outside the park is named after these springs. At one time the hot springs were promoted as a therapeutic cure due to the mild radioactivity.
Olive Lake in Kootenay National Park is popular with tourists as a place to picnic.
Marble Canyon is a narrow canyon that surrounds Tokumm Creek and has breathtaking cliffs and rock faces.
Sinclair Canyon in Kootenay National Park is a magnificent gateway to Kootenay National Park, with a highway built through it.
The rubber boa snake is commonly found in the area around the hot springs in Kootenay National Park.
Red chairs are placed throughout Kootenay National Park for visitors to sit on and enjoy the views.
Wildlife that can be found in Kootenay National Park includes black bears, grizzly bears, coyotes, wolves, lynxes, cougars, martens, wolverines, mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, mountain goats, moose, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, and marmots.
Kootenay National Park has several ecological zones because of its diverse landscape and climate. These zones include montane valleys, wet subalpine forests and meadows, harsh alpine tundra, and rock and ice high in the mountains.
There are several features in Kootenay National Park that are in the back country. Floe Lake can be reached by a 10.7km hiking trail. Kaufman Lake must also be hiked to, and Valley of the Ten Peaks is popular with mountaineers.
A multi-day trail is Rockwall Trail, which features vertical limestone walls that stretch for 55kms.


Related Links:
Facts
National Parks Facts
Animals Facts
Yoho National Park Facts
Banff National Park Facts