Kootenay: Marble Canyon to Paint Pots

Exhibit A: Hiking creekside. My blog hates me and wouldn't let me put this photo where I wanted, so it has made itself at home at the top of this post.

What a great night it has been. Just did a major organization haul of all of our paperwork from the last few years, teared up a little from finding our wedding vows again, looked through some old photos I found, AND we’re listening to Johnny Cash on repeat. Thus, I can think of nothing better to close off my night than another blog post. I’m starting to chip away at the 8+ hikes I have left to share until I’m caught up. Luckily this weekend is a girls trip to BC which I highly doubt will involve hiking (that being said I doubt it will involve anything other than sangria, hot tubs, and girl talk), so I’ll have a bit of a dry spell before I add to my “To Blog” list.

So that same 4th anniversary weekend the day after we hiked Juniper and Marble Canyon, both just little guys, we went for a swim at Radium Hot Springs. I love going there in summer because they have their cold pool open and the ONE athletic activity that I can kick Jon’s bum at is treading water. I’m not sure if that is something to be proud of as it only means I’m more buoyant (and thus, likely the opposite of fit, but I’ll take it!!). I challenge him to treading competitions until he gets mad and starts sinking to the very bottom on purpose. We do this every year (the joys of married life?).

After our dip in the pool we decided to find a relatively flat and easy hike before we headed back to Calgary. We saw a trailhead the day before at Marble Canyon to hike to Paint Pots, another roadside attraction a few kilometres further into Kootenay National Park. You can hike this either way. Either stop at Paint Pots and walk to the attraction, and a small sign will point you towards Marble Canyon. Or, begin the Marble Canyon interpretive trail and before you begin to climb up the canyon there is a small gate pointing to Paint Pots. And here is the thing about blogging about a hike over a month after I did it, I can’t remember exactly how long it is, uh oh! I do know it is between 3.1 - 3.3km one way, so the round trip ends up being about 6.5km.


The trail is neat, it runs right alongside the river through a very new growth forest. The brunt of the forest along the trail was burned to the ground in the massive Kootenay fires in 2004. The mountains almost look hairy, as all that remains higher up are the skeletons of the old forest. But closer to the river are the new little fuzzy pine trees, I think I noted their cuteness about five times before Jon stopped listening. Fires are very important to the life cycle of a forest, so while a little sad to see the husks of what once existed there, the magnitude of the fire was breathtaking.

We also met another friend along the way.

Exhibit B: Spot the frog!

Soon we made it to the paint pots, which were super cool! The Aboriginal people of the area used to press the red dirt of the paint pots into disks, then use the pigment later to paint their clothes, tipis, and bodies. We did the whole interpretive trail for the paint pots. Something worth noting is that they have a trail that is almost fully paved so those who are disabled may also enjoy the beauty of the pots.

Exhibit C: Paint Pots

Exhibit D: Another shot of the paint pots. My cell phone camera really doesn't do the colour justice

Kootenay National Park: Marble Canyon to Paint Pots (or vice versa) about 3.2km one way
Difficulty: 3/10
Scenery: 5/10
Great for: A way to stretch the legs while driving down highway 93. You could easily combine this and the Marble Canyon Informational trail.
Wildlife spotted: A giant frog (and a few baby frogs)


As a side note that didn't really fit into any of the hikes I blogged about, we saw TEN bears that trip. Apparently they love dandelions and eat off the flower heads (yes, I viewed the bears from a respectable distance, this is the max zoom on my phone).

Exhibit E: Three of the ten bears we saw

Also a final note, since this will be my last post about that trip, the highway to Radium is gorgeous. If you haven't been, please go. The background on my blog right now is just a snap from my phone at a random roadside turnout on the highway.

Kootenay: Juniper

I’ve been to the Radium area more times than I could possibly count. It is a great vacation for Calgarians looking for a super cheap weekend getaway. There is a lot to do, especially if you love the outdoors. While Jon and I have stayed in Invermere, Fairmont, and Radium, we’ve for sure gone to Radium the most as it is the cheapest of the three. There is something so appealing about cheap family-run motels and diners, familiar faces, and having to park your car while a herd of big horn sheep cross through the middle of town (and as a side-note for those who know me: I’ve checked all of the hotels we’ve stayed in and there hasn’t been a sign of a bed bug yet!).

We go to Radium enough that it has become somewhat of a routine. Drive to Canmore, stop for coffee, drive down highway 95, stop for animals/interesting informational trails, get to Radium, go to the hot springs etc. Juniper Trail is a part of this routine, I don’t remember a time that we’ve gone to the Columbia Valley area without doing at least a kilometre of the trail. This time was no different, and we did the trail that night (after visiting the Marble Canyon that afternoon).

The trailhead is accessible on the North side of highway 93 right by the gates to Kootenay National Park entering (or leaving, unlucky you) Radium Hot Springs. While there is a little pull out where you can park at the trail head, you can easily walk from most hotels in town. Also, if you’re feeling a little saucy, the trail ends at the hot springs, so bring a suit to go for a dip.

Exhibit A: Sinclair Creek

There is a short downhill to Sinclair Creek and Sinclair Falls, it is very pretty and something about it reminds me of the Westcoast Trail. Could just be how green it is, covered in junipers and spray from the falls. From there you can check out a few campgrounds in the valley, or begin the climb to a nice vantage point where you can see the town from above. While the climb seems short and very reasonable to me now, I remember the first time I did it I was very out of breath so I’d recommend bringing some water just in case you need a lil’ break halfway up, or even at the top to take in the views.

Exhibit B: Jon as we start climbing the hill

After the vantage point at the top of the hill, you’ll descend until you hit the springs. From here, you can either A) Go back the way you came, B) Take the road back, or C) Take the trail by Redstreak which begins in the hot springs parking lot. Oddly enough, for the number of times we have done this hike we have never taken the Redstreak way back. We either turn straight around the way we came, or take the road if we’re in a hurry to get back. Maybe one of these days we will try the other way, but old habits die hard and who knows if we’ll be back this summer with all of the other awesome trips we have planned.

Exhibit C: A different trip to Radium, but Sinclair Creek as you start to climb the hill

Kootenay National Park: Juniper trail (3.2km one way)
Difficulty: 3.5/10
Scenery: 7/10
Great for: A short work out super close to the townsite. It is a great way to see the town and a fun way to get to the hot springs if you don’t mind walking back a little damp. Because it is so close to town, it would be easy for half your party to go mini-golfing and half of you to hike if so inclined.