3. Went on a cloudy day and it was fairly cold at the top near the lake. 1,550m of total elevation gain and 5 hours later, I summited (Photos 3, 4, 5) and the 360° views sure are pretty: Mount Temple to the north and Mount Assiniboine to the southeast, with more recognizable peaks within closer view. Day One: The hike to the Floe Lake Campground Floe Lake campground is the first destination. Packing up. It's a solid 7 hours of hiking to get there and back, with quite a bit of vertical gain as you ascend to the lake itself, but it's an extraordinarily beautiful place. The last hour of the hike you're hiking up the switchbacks. Trail Distance: 55km (one way between the Paint Pots and Floe Lake Trailheads). The Rockwall is made of a thinly-laminated (and highly cleaved, as I will show in another post) limestone called the Ottertail Formation. Once you break the treeline, the trail is relatively flat for most of the way, opening up to wide meadows where for several weeks in the Summer, you will be wading through fields of pink fireweed. As you meander through this initial part of the Floe Lake trail take time to stop and admire the views around you. The best part of the hike is the wall of limestone cliffs that reach a staggering 2950 feet. Floe Lake Track is a spectacular trail in Kootenay National Park, southwest of Banff. Well tracked, even with the relatively poor weather conditions, we still saw a decent crowd. Floe Lake is a lake in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia, Canada. Guided Hiking Tours w/ Hotel Stays - Banff/ Jasper Hiking Tour- Hotel - Banff/ Yoho Hiking Tour- Hotel - Beyond Vancouver Hiking Tour- Hotel BC Wellness and Yoga Retreats - Rivers and Sage Wellness Retreat - Surf and Cedars Yoga Retreat Winter. Mucky trail conditions very slippery. 58 likes. The path becomes slightly less clear here due to avalanche debris. When you reach the top, the view opens up to Floe Lake, an isolated glacial lake butting up against granite cliff. This challenging 12-mile trail is not for the faint of heart — it features an elevation gain of almost 3,000 feet — but if you’re up for a strenuous adventure, the breathtaking views are more than worth it. Starting out at 7am, it would be 6km from the Floe Lake trailhead to the stone bench intersection (see Bob Spirko’s description and photo of the stone bench) where I made the north turn to go up the rock avalanche chute. This…, The Kindersley-Sinclair Loop hike is a classic hike in Kootenay National Park. Kootenay National Park is not often visited for a simple reason. Was there last summer. Floe Lake Track is a 12 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near East Kootenay G, British Columbia, Canada that features a lake and is rated as difficult. Parks Canada does not book sites at Floe Lake campground until July 10. This hike was definitely one of the most beautiful and scenic hikes I’ve done. Loading... Unsubscribe from will mcKechnie? I almost gave up but the views are very nice! Although it’s an unrelenting grind fest on rock scree (Photo 2) that never lets up for the next 1,000m elevation gain, there are two or three really fun scramble sections you can choose to do, or you can simply avoid those and swing to either side. The first 7 km of the hike are relatively easy, but the next 3 km to the lake is about 30% up hill climb. So most of the trip is through burned forest … Hike the Floe Lake Trail 6.5 miles and 2,350 feet of elevation gain to Floe Lake camp. The trail was really easy to follow and was on the narrow side. As the trees thinned out, the views opened up. Went for a day hike and took 6.5 hours, the uphill was very challenging and it was windy so the fire damaged trees were falling in the valley while we were walking through. I wanted to hike this trail from north to south back in 2017 but forest fires and smoke led to the trip being cancelled. Floe Lake. After 5.8km the trails starts to gain more elevation – about 235m, in a short period. However, the trail has numerous ups and downs as you climb over 4 passes. From there, the trail continues a couple kilometres northwest along the west side of the Vermillion River. However, strong day hikers will find Floe Lake to be a feasible day hike destination and even the sweeping views of Numa Pass are achievable to day hikers with some stamina who start early. The Floe Lake Trail is 19.3 kilometer (12 mi) long, with 959 m (3,146 ft) of elevation gain. Rated difficult due to overall length and 850m elevation gain, but would be fairly “easy” for experienced hikers. It’s just breathtakingly gorgeous and other-worldly (Photos 1, 6, 7, 8). Floe Lake is a lake in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia, Canada. Was it beautiful? The first 2/3 were fun, easy and pretty! The Rockwall Trail is a multi-day trek that is sure to astound you. notes. A couple sketchy places and some challenging switchbacks are at the end to be prepared for! There are beautiful wildflowers here though. Descending toward the Piper Pass The route to Piper Pass is special to me for several reasons. The hike to Floe Lake is long and typically done as either an out-and-back backpacking trip or as part of a multi-night traverse of northern Kootenay National Park along the base of the Rockwall. Difficulty? Incline isn't too bad in the beginning, but gets steeper when you get close to the lake. I would recommend this direction for a backpack, and the opposite direction for a trail run (it's about 50k). If you're looking for a great alpine lake hike or backpacking trip with solitude in the Canadian Rockies, then I would recommend going to Floe Lake, located in Kootenay National Park. Soon you come to Floe Lake campground, which you walk through and down to Floe Lake. Topo map: 82 N/1 Mount GoodsirLength: 55.6 kmLowest Elevation: Floe Lake Trailhead on Highway 93 at approx. The first part of your morning will be spent hiking through the trees, and eventually climbs up and over Numa Pass, the highest point of the Rockwall trail. What a difference. Commonly known for British Columbia, the trail is surrounded by greenery rather than rocks, as it’s the case of hiking trails in Alberta. Floe Lake . The final ascent to Floe Lake near the end of the trail is the most strenuous, consisting of a series of steep switchbacks out of the valley. Once you have finished exploring and fueled up, head back to the Floe Lake parking lot the way you came. For multi-day hikers, there is a campground at the Floe Lake, so you can witness a sunrise or a sunset at the lake. Floe Lake and Numa Pass are part of the multi-day backpacking route between Marble Canyon and Vermillion Crossing in Kootenay National Park: the Rockwall. So many wild flowers and berries. No spam. Bridge over Vermilion River. In the summer I can only imagine how awful it would be, due to the lack of shade, so pack sunscreen on a hotter day. Hike 10.7 kms up a steep and unrelenting trail from the parking lot through burned forest. As the trail steepens, you switchback your way up to the stunning vistas and gorgeous Floe Lake - which is perfect for a well-deserved cool down after a big hike! The open landscape also allows for plenty of breathtaking views as you make your way up to the lake. The name Floe Lake comes from the small icebergs that used to flow through the lake after glacial calving. An image of Floe Lake appears on the wall of the International Arrivals at Customs Canada in the Calgary International Airport . The trail starts off easy and then gets strenuous as the trail gradually steepens. Duration: day hike / overnight / multi-day. Start from the Bradley Taggart Lakes trailhead and stay between the two lakes. This parking lot is usually full with backpackers doing the longer Rockwall trail. This is where the real elevation gain begins, as the trail gains about 370m over several switchbacks. The entire area was burned in July 2003 by the Tokumm - Verendrye Creek fire. It's a 6 miles hike and the last 1.5 mile it's really steep, but truly worth it. The bridges were especially slippy as we found out when we had to help a motor cyclist who had fallen off his bike on Hwy #1. After taking a lunch break, I made my way to Floe Lake. Sign up. Plan your day so you have some time to spend at the lake too. For the dozens (and dozens) of alpine lakes in Grand Teton National Park, only one of them is at 10,652-feet, Icefloe Lake. I kept thinking we were almost there but no. Start early and bring plenty of water, this hike can get very hot as you are going through a burn area with little to no shade. The first 7 km of the hike are relatively easy, but the next 3 km to the lake is about 30% up hill climb. The last 1/3 was draining mainly because it was slippery and i did fall a few times. Once up the avalanche slope, I could see Numa Peak, which would be another 400m elevation gain - on scree yet again. I recommend to do the whole Rockwall trail. All junctions with other trails are clearly signed showing directions and distances. Snow rain sleet. Hard, very gradual and flat rise for the first two hours, and an extremely difficult finish with multiple switchbacks, right when you think you are done there is another hill. Right around it's shores there is an alpine larch forest. The lake is only accessible by a 10.7 km hiking trail that leaves from a marked trailhead on highway 93. There is a backcountry campground at the lake as well as a … Scramble? It is lightly trafficked and rated as moderate. A full day hike of 21km with elevation gain of 938m and 7.5 hours of enjoying the outdoors. The trail is primarily used for hiking, camping, and backpacking and is best used from June until October. This is where we camped out for the night. Floe Lake Overnighter: Hike up to Floe Lake from the Floe Lake Trailhead. Once we reached the top, the clouds opened to reveal a breathtaking view of a ridge and … Rockwall Trail run - arriving at Floe Lake will mcKechnie. I went here with 2 of my friends and it was a wonderful experience. The Floe Lake hike in Kootenay National Park takes you to one of the highlights of the Rockwall Trail – Floe Lake. I also fancy the alpine forest and abundant wild flowers! Egypt Lake Shelter via Whistling Valley Trail. 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