The Rockwall Trail in Kootenay National Park has been on my list for a LONG time. I had seen photos online of a trail stretching for kilometres beside towering cliffs and I knew I had to hike it. This August, I spent 5 days on the Rockwall Trail and it was insanely beautiful – easily one of the best backpacking trips I’ve ever done (and I’ve done LOTS). My favourite spots were Rockwall Pass and Numa Pass, but there were so many gorgeous areas – it’s easy to see why the Rockwall Trail is on many hiker’s bucket lists. In this guide, I’ll give you all the insider info you need to plan your own Rockwall Trail hike.
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Adventure Tours To Kootenay National Park
The Rockwall Trail is a 55km-long multi-day backpacking trip in Kootenay National Park in the Canadian Rockies. The horseshoe-shaped route travels beside a spectacular formation known as the Rockwall where sheer cliffs rise up to 900m above the landscape. You’ll walk past spectacular glaciers, beside gorgeous blue lakes, and through beautiful subalpine meadows.
The Rockwall Trail isn’t actually one trail – it’s a series of trails strung together. You’ll hike the Ochre Creek Trail, Helmet Creek Trail, Rockwall Pass Trail, Wolverine Pass Trail, Tumbling Pass Trail, Numa Pass Trail, and Floe Lake Trail.
Trail Elevation Gain: 2600m. However, the trail has numerous ups and downs as you climb over 4 passes. See the detailed trail description below for a better idea of how much elevation and loss you’ll tackle on the Rockwall Trail.
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How long does it take to hike the Rockwall Trail:Most people hike the trail in 4 or 5 days, but 3 day trips are also common. The trail is increasingly popular with trail runners, who blitz the whole route in one long day.
Best Time to Hike the Rockwall Trail:The trail is snow-free between late July and mid-September. You can also hike in mid-July and late September, but there is usually a bit of snow. Between October and mid-July the trail has enough snow that avalanches are a hazard and Parks Canada does not accept campground bookings, so it’s not a good time to hike. If you want to see the larch trees after their needles turn golden, plan to hike in mid-September.
Rockwall Trail Weather:The Rockwall Trail sits high up in the Rocky Mountains. In July and August, the average high temperature is 21C and the average low is 2C. The mountains create their own weather and short rainstorms are common. Use my picks for the The Best Weather Apps for Hiking.
Rockwall Trail Guide: Everything You Need To Know
What to Bring on the Rockwall Trail:Everything you need to be self-sufficient. Use myRockwall Trail Packing Listto get your gear prepped for the hike.
Wildlife on the Rockwall Trail:This is bear country and both black bears and grizzly bears live in the area. Carry bear spray, hike in a group, and make noise, especially through brushy sections. Use the campground kitchen areas and store all your food and toiletries in the bear lockers at night. Read my bear safety tips for backpackers for more advice.
Further Resources: Check the backpacking section of the Kootenay National Park website as well as the trail conditions and bulletins pages. The best guidebook for the trail is
Bucket List: Hike The Rockwall Trail • British Columbia Magazine
Hiking the Rockwall Trail is straightforward, with signs at all junctions. For most hikers, the basic Kootenay National Park hiking map from Parks Canada is all you’ll need.
I brought a copy of the Kootenay National Park Map by Gem Trek Maps. It’s a topographic map with all the trails and campgrounds. I found it really helpful to visualize the terrain (and elevation gain) for each day.
We also used the Gaia GPS app on ours phone. It was helpful to know where exactly we were on the trail (and how much further we had to go!)
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(Psst! Want to save 20% on a Gaia GPS premium annual membership, which gets you the same maps I used on the Rockwall Trail? Use this link.)
I also made a custom Google map for you to help you plan. It includes all the places I mention in this post. Zoom in and click around to see everything. (But don’t use it on the trail since there’s no cell service and this isn’t a good map for navigation.)
The Rockwall Trail is located in Kootenay National Park in British Columbia, just over the border from Alberta. The trail traverses the mountains on the west side of Highway 93. There is no public transport to the trail so you will need to drive yourself.
Floe Lake On The Rockwall Trail 2023
If you need to rent a car, it’s easiest to fly into Calgary airport and rent one there. You can also rent cars in Banff. I use Discover Cars since it lets you compare prices from lots of different rental companies. That way you know you’re getting the best deal.
There are two main trailheads for the Rockwall Trail: Paint Pots and Floe Lake. You can also access the trail from the Numa Creek Trailhead (which is currently closed due to a washout). All trailheads are on the west side of Highway 93 and are a 30-45 minute drive from Lake Louise or Banff and about 1 hour from Radium Hot Springs. Parking can be limited at all three trailheads, so arrive early to get a spot. We couldn’t find a spot at Floe Lake and ended up parking on the side of the highway. Google maps links for driving directions for all three are below.
The Paint Pots and Floe Lake trailheads are 13km apart. There is no shuttle service between the two trailheads so you’ll need to figure out your own transportation. My group had two cars, so we left one at each trailhead.
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Hitch-hiking is also a good option as you can just approach other hikers in the parking lot and ask if they will drive you to the other parking lot. If you are going to hitch-hike, do it at the beginning of your trip so you can hike back to the car. (And so you don’t smell! 🙂 )
To get an early start on the trail, it’s best to book accommodation nearby. Banff and Lake Louise are the closest towns with lots of hotels. It’s worth spending a few days in the area before or after your hike. Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Lake Louise.
If you want to camp, Kootenay National Park’s Marble Canyon Campground is a few minutes from the trailheads. You could also camp in Banff National Park. The Castle Mountain, Protection Mountain, and Johnston Canyon campgrounds are the closest to the Rockwall Trail. But the campgrounds at Lake Louise and Tunnel Mountain in Banff are also not too far away.
Golden Travel Planner By Kootenay Rockies Tourism
You need to make a reservation to hike the Rockwall Trail. To reserve, visit the Parks Canada website. Rockwall Trail reservations for 2023 will open on March 22, 2023, at 8:00 am Mountain Time.
You will need to book each individual campsite when you make your reservation. So prepare a few different itinerary options and dates.
You can make a reservation for up to 10 people in a group and up to 3 tent pads. Park rules specify that you can only have one tent per pad and that the maximum number of people per pad is four. Our friends (a family of four) did the trail in a four-person tent and it just barely fit on the tent pads.
The Rockwall Trail — Elizabeth Gadd Photography
If you didn’t get a reservation, all is not lost. Keep checking Parks Canada’s website. People cancel and spots do open up. Or join the Rockwall Trail Planning Facebook Group to connect with other hikers who may have spots available on their reservations.
You also need a National Park entry pass to park your car at the trailheads for the Rockwall Trail. You can buy one at any of the mountain national parks, either at a drive-up entrance booth or a visitor centre. National Park entry passes are $10/person/day or $20/day for families or groups in the same car. If you already have a Parks Canada Discovery annual pass it covers people in the same car and saves you some money if you plan to spend more time in the National Parks.
Assuming a four-day trip, a solo hiker would pay at total of $91.58 to hike the Rockwall Trail. Per person costs decrease if you hike in a group since you can share the cost of national park entry passes and reservation fees.
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You can hike the Rockwall Trail in either direction. When I was researching my trip, most of the trip reports I found were from south to north (Floe Lake to Paint Pots). I couldn’t find a lot of info online about why people usually go direction
