Page 271 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Pacific Northwest
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BRITISH C OL UMBIA 269
park’s many glaciers, including
the Great Glacier, now known
as the Illecillewaet Glacier.
Glacier National Park contains
rainforests, glacial lakes, streams,
and waterfalls. During winter,
snow falls almost daily, totalling
as much as 75 ft (23 m) per
season. The threat of avalanches
in the park is serious; skiers and
climbers are always encouraged
to obtain information about
travel conditions before visiting.
The Rogers Pass line was
eventually abandoned by
the Canadian Pacific Railway
The dramatic peaks of the Rocky Mountains in Kootenay National Park because of the frequent
avalanches, and a tunnel was
u Kootenay form a natural gateway across built underneath it instead. The
National Park the highway. Farther north, the Trans-Canada Highway (Hwy 1)
magical Paint Pots, ocher and follows the route of the original
Road map 2 C4. n 7556 Main St E, red pools formed from iron-rich rail line as it bisects the park
Radium Hot Springs, (250) 347-9331. mineral springs, are reached by en route to the lovely city of
Open daily. Visitors’ center: Open late a short trail from the road. Revelstoke. From here, visitors
May–mid-Oct: 9am–5pm daily (late may access the ancient forests
closing during Jul & Aug). & 7 8
∑ pc.gc.ca/kootenay i Glacier National and jagged peaks of Mount
Revelstoke National Park.
Kootenay National Park covers Park
543 sq miles (1,406 sq km) of Road map 2 C4. n Rogers Pass,
the most diverse terrain in the (250) 837-7500. Open daily. & 7
Rockies. Much of this scenery 8 ∑ pc.gc.ca
can be seen from the Kootenay
Parkway (Highway 93 South), Glacier National Park covers
which cuts through the park from 520 sq miles (1,350 sq km) of
north to south following the wilderness in the Selkirk Range
Vermilion and Kootenay Rivers. of the Columbia Mountains.
Most of the park’s attractions can The park was established in
be seen from the many short 1886, and its growth was
trails that lead from the highway. linked to the expansion of
The road winds eastward the railroad, which was routed
through Sinclair Pass, where the through Rogers Pass in 1885.
high red walls of Sinclair Canyon, Today, one of the park’s most
a limestone gorge, lead to the accessible trails follows an
Sinclair Falls and the Redwall abandoned railroad line.
Fault. Here, rust-colored cliffs Other trails here offer visitors Illecillewaet Glacier, one of 420 glaciers
spectacular views of the in Glacier National Park
Hot Springs Havens
The geology of the Canadian Rockies has created numerous hot
springs, formed naturally by groundwater seeping downward,
coming into contact with hot rock 2–2.5
miles (3–4 km) below the earth’s crust,
and rising back to the surface at
a very high temperature. The
region’s many hot springs
resorts offer hot pools in
the 100°F (38°C) range, as
well as larger warm pools
for swimming. The waters
are rich in sulfates, calcium,
and hydrogen sulfide and
are said to benefit arthritis Roadside sign welcoming visitors to Radium
The ocher-colored Paint Pot pools in and rheumatism sufferers. Hot Springs
Kootenay National Park
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