Floe Lake is a little-known day hike in Kootenay National Park with an impressive rock wall surrounding the lake. Commonly known for British Columbia, the trail is surrounded by greenery rather than rocks, as itβs the case with hiking trails in Alberta.
Kootenay National Park is not often visited for a simple reason. Much of the park is inaccessible and a big part of the forests burnt down during wildfires. Those few hiking trails in the park were closed in 2019 due to the reconstruction of parking lots or other amenities.
Being little-visited also has a huge advantage β very few people on trails.
When weβve heard about Floe Lake being over a 20 km hike, weβve decided to push our limits and go for a trail run. Weβve met a few hikers at the Floe Lake who were hiking in a day, but most visitors were staying at the Floe Lake Campground as a part of a multi-day Rockwall Trail.
In this blog post, weβll share with you our trail run report, tips for hiking, and an extensive photo gallery, so you know what to expect when you visit Floe Lake. Enjoy!
TIP
For activities in the neighbouring national park, read our post 100 things to do in Banff National Park
More hiking ideas:
- 15 best day hikes near Calgary
- Hiking in Jasper National Park: 17 best hikes for all levels
- 20 best hikes in Banff National Park
- Hiking in Yoho National Park
Pros & cons of the Floe Lake Hike
Pros:
- Few people on the trail
- A good option for an overnight backpacking trip for beginners
- Tranquillity by the lake
- Picnic tables and outhouse at the lake
- A beautiful lake surrounded by a giant rock wall
Cons:
- A bit far from any town or city
Where is Floe Lake & how to get there
Floe Lake is in Kootenay National Park in British Columbia at 2,053 meters above sea level.
When coming from Calgary, Banff (64 km) or Lake Louise, take Trans-Canada Highway and follow signs near the Castle Junction towards Radium Hot Springs, #93. If youβre coming from Radium Hot Springs, itβs about 72 km to the Floe Lake trailhead.
The trailhead is clearly signed along the Banff-Windermere Highway/#93. The parking lot is quite big and has an outhouse.
Floe Lake Hike in Kootenay National Park
- Distance: 22.2 km out-n-back (it took us 3,5 hours; hiking would take around 7 hours)
- Elevation gain: 1,000 m
- Difficulty: difficult
- Best time to go: June to October
- Gear: water bottle with filter (you can fill up from the creeks or waterfall), windproof jacket, running/hiking shoes, bear spray
The narrow trail starts at an elevation of 1,334 meters through a forest. Itβs winding and flat for about one kilometre until the bridge across the Kootenay River. This was surprisingly our first stop as we got mesmerized by the turquoise colour and interesting rock formations lining its banks.
We were steadily holding a good running pace as the trail slowly and gradually inclined. Even though the tallest trees were bare and burnt out, we were running through a valley that offered us views of surrounding mountain peaks, only briefly when the clouds cleared a bit.
The autumn provided some colours to the meadows and we even saw quite a lot of raspberries. I wondered where all the bears were and why they left so many raspberries along the trail.
I like how the trail to Floe Lake was built and that it was being taken care of. Long stretches of the trail are almost flat, and then you gain elevation on a few switchbacks. The trail has been obviously brushed out on both sides which meant no scratches from the bush on our legs.
At about the 8 km mark from the start, we quickly changed from running to slowly hiking. We reached a dried-out creek where some good soul marked the trail with orange tape, so we knew where to cross the branches and continue on the trail. It steepened significantly.
We were slowly climbing the never-ending switchbacks. When we got to the top and the trail flattened, it was only a few minutes until we got a glimpse of the Floe Lake, passed picnic tables and arrived at the Floe Lake backcountry campground.
The weather was very moody, and the wind by the Floe Lake was unforgiving, we were above 2,000 meters after all. Our warmed-up bodies from the strenuous uphill hike got cold very quickly. We came prepared with layers packed in our backpacks and put on everything we had.
The calm Floe Lake was astonishing, and the peaks of the giant rock wall behind the lake were covered in thick clouds.
We ran around the lake a bit, tried to warm up and admired autumn colours. During our quick snack break by the lake, a very curious chipmunk started to circle around us. We had to carefully watch our backpacks and all the food we had because that little creature had no problem climbing all over our stuff looking for food.
Somehow we couldn’t warm up at the Floe Lake but at least had a good snack, and headed back. After the steep downhill switchbacks and losing some elevation, we were warmed up and happily running again. I was feeling very tired but running in the mountains is my favourite thing, and the endorphins kept me going.
We love visiting British Columbia because of its moist air and greenery everywhere (unlike dry and rocky Alberta). It reminds us of our home country Slovakia.
The trail to Floe Lake delivered everything we hoped for, a nice flow, challenging switchbacks, and a gorgeous lake.
Tips for Floe Lake Hike
National park fees
To visit any national park in Canada, you are required to purchase a Park Pass (daily or yearly).
- 10.50 CAD per person for a daily pass, 21 CAD for a group/family
- 72.25 CAD per person for a yearly pass, 145.25 CAD for a group/family
The yearly Discovery Pass is valid for all National parks in Canada. You can purchase it at the gate when you enter the national park, in the Visitorβs Centre or online here.
Road closure
For trail closures due to wildlife presence or avalanche dangers in Yoho National Park, check out the report from Parks Canada.
Accurate road conditions for Alberta can be checked here, and for British Columbia here.
Trail report
Before you head out, check current trail conditions on Trail Report from Parks Canada.
Packing list for Galatea Lakes Hike
Our hiking essentials include:
- Paper map of the area and downloaded map of the hike on the phone
- External battery for the phone (especially for using GPS on the phone)
- Lifestraw water bottle with a filter so we can drink from anywhere
- Extra snacks
- Windproof & waterproof jacket (yes, in summer as well)
- Fleece or down jacket as unexpected snowstorms happen in summer
- My absolute favourite trail running shoes
- Bear Spray
And a few other items as well. For a full list of our gear, check out our hiking packing list for summer in the mountains. You can see the full list with links to purchase our favourite gear on our Amazon page.
Staying in Kootenay National Park
To have the most freedom and enjoy nature to the fullest while staying on a budget, we always recommend staying in the campgrounds. Check out our Smile Campervans; they can be your home on wheels in the Canadian Rockies.
The closest campground to Floe Lake Trailhead is Marble Canyon Campground, around 15 km north. Itβs open June 25 to September 7 for a fee of 21,97 CAD per night per campsite and offers toilets but no showers.
If youβd like to visit from neighbouring Banff National Park, read our comprehensive guide about camping in Banff National Park for all camping info and lots of pictures of the campgrounds.
Bear safety
As always in the Canadian Rockies, you are in a bear habitat. You should always carry a bear spray (can be purchased at Visitorβs Centre or outdoor stores), know when and how to use it and make noise while hiking and running (so you donβ surprise any bears)! Carefully read these instructions on how to behave around them.
We didn’t see any bears on the way to Floe Lake but carry bear sprays anyway, even in winter.
Hope you enjoyed our tips and now you’ll plan to visit Floe Lake, one of the best Kootenay hikes.
*In the spirit of full disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you purchase through them, we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. We appreciate your support!
Our favourite hikes in the Rockies
Canmore & Kananaskis Country:
Banff National Park:
- Sulphur Mountain
- Johnston Canyon in summer and winter
- Aylmer Lookout
- Glacier Lake
- Mount St. Piran
- Healy Pass
- Boom Lake
- Rockbound Lake
- Peyto Lake
Yoho National Park:
Jasper National Park:
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The pic of βraspberriesβ was in fact not raspberries but thimbleberries. Totally different leaf and a rather boring tasting red fruit.
Thanks for pointing that out, I haven’t heard of thimbleberries before.