{"id":19829,"date":"2020-05-06T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-06T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/?p=19829"},"modified":"2024-01-16T15:01:46","modified_gmt":"2024-01-16T22:01:46","slug":"best-of-the-canadian-rockies-backpacking-kootenay-national-parks-rockwall-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/best-of-the-canadian-rockies-backpacking-kootenay-national-parks-rockwall-trail\/","title":{"rendered":"Backpacking the Canadian Rockies: Kootenay\u2019s Rockwall Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Michael Lanza<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few hours into our hike\u2019s first day, we round a bend in the trail to a sight that can stop you in your tracks: a pair of skyscraping stone monoliths rising thousands of feet above the treetops. Silhouetted by the sun arcing toward the west, the peaks resemble nothing less than a pair of El Capitans standing shoulder to shoulder. Farther along, one of the tallest waterfalls in the Rocky Mountains comes into view: Helmet Falls, plunging 1,154 feet (352m) over a cliff in two braids that recouple before the column of water crashes into the rocks at its base, spraying a fine cloud of mist into the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

But these scenes are just a warm-up act for the majesty that awaits us on this four-day family backpacking trip.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Helmet
Helmet Falls, Rockwall Trail, Kootenay National Park.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Backpacking the Kootenay Rockwall Trail<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re hiking the approximately 34-mile (54k) Rockwall Trail in Kootenay National Park, in the vertiginous heart of the Canadian Rockies. Well known among Canadian backpackers but less so among Americans and international trekkers, the Rockwall arguably deserves a place on any list of the world\u2019s prettiest trails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The route\u2019s name comes from its defining geological feature: a nearly unbroken, massive limestone escarpment in Kootenay\u2019s Vermilion Range, plastered with glaciers and towering in some locations about 3,000 feet (900m) above the trail. Backpackers follow the base of this wall for more than 18 miles (30k) of the route (although the wall extends farther than that). It\u2019s no exaggeration to liken it to dozens of the tallest cliff in Yosemite Valley, El Capitan, lined up in a row stretching for miles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rockwall Trail isn\u2019t actually a single trail, but a U-shaped, point-to-point route that links up several trails and usually takes four to six days. It begins and ends in the valley of the Vermilion River, which flows emerald green with glacial flour, flanked by peaks rising to over 10,000 feet on the British Columbia side of the Continental Divide, west of Kootenay\u2019s more-famous sister park, Banff. Backpackers on the Rockwall walk through larch forests and meadows carpeted with wildflowers, and may encounter wildlife like mountain goats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/strong>Hi, I\u2019m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here<\/a> to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside<\/a> to get full access to all of my blog\u2019s stories. Click here<\/a> for my e-guides to classic backpacking trips. Click here<\/a> to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.<\/p>\n

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Although we\u2019re in grizzly country and the Rockwall Trail crosses three named passes (and a fourth, unnamed pass east of Limestone Peak), this is, in many ways, a beginner-friendly backpacking trip. Trails are well marked and easy to follow. The passes range from about 7,300 to 7,700 feet\u2014elevations that rarely affect hikers more than leaving you winded. There are bridges over the creeks (we never had to get our feet wet), and designated camping areas with bearproof, metal lockers for food storage, pit toilets, and even picnic tables in the camps\u2019 cooking and eating areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shortly after 5 p.m., almost six hours after hitting the trail on our first day, we reach the Helmet Falls backcountry campground, having hiked nearly 10 miles. Most of the campsites have already been claimed, but we find an empty one in a copse of trees at the quiet edge of the campground. From here, tomorrow, we\u2019ll begin a two-day walk along the base of the Rockwall formation, beginning with a visit to Helmet Falls, whose steady white noise reaches our campsite from a half-mile away. After dark falls, it lulls us quickly to sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay dry in the Canadian Rockies. See \u201cThe 6 Best Rain Jackets for Hiking and Backpacking<\/a>.\u201d<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ochre <\/a>
Ochre Creek Trail, Kootenay National Park. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Helmet <\/a>
Helmet Creek Trail, Kootenay National Park. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Helmet <\/a>
Helmet Creek Trail, Kootenay National Park. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Helmet <\/a>
Helmet Creek Trail. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Helmet <\/a>
Helmet Creek Trail. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Helmet <\/a>
Helmet Falls, Kootenay National Park. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Helmet <\/a>
Helmet Falls, Kootenay National Park. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Rockwall <\/a>
Rockwall Pass Trail, Kootenay National Park. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Rockwall <\/a>
Backpacking the Rockwall Trail, Kootenay National Park, Canada. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Rockwall <\/a>
Rockwall Pass Trail. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Rockwall <\/a>
Rockwall Pass Trail. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Rockwall <\/a>
Rockwall Pass. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Rockwall <\/a>
Rockwall Pass Trail. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\n

Rockwall Pass<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In warm sunshine and a cooling breeze, we stroll across a gently sloping alpine meadow to its high point: Rockwall Pass, at about 7,300 feet (2,230m). A vast wall of rock shoots up more than 2,500 feet above where we stand, with a small glacier tucked into the shadows at its base. We drop our backpacks for lunch and to just gape for a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s our second day on the Rockwall Trail\u2014and will be our biggest day of this trip. We\u2019re hiking almost 11.8 miles (19k) with about 2,600 feet (800m) of uphill, from Helmet Falls campground to Numa Creek campground, including two passes: Rockwall Pass and Tumbling Pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three times since yesterday afternoon, we\u2019ve met other backpackers who look at our son, Nate, 14, and daughter, Alex, 12, and expressed astonishment that we\u2019re hiking the entire Rockwall in four days instead of five, and hiking over 12 miles over two passes on our second day. I actually would have gotten a permit to stay at Tumbling Creek camp, to shorten our second day\u2014though I still would have thought my family capable of finishing it in four days\u2014but Tumbling camp was booked full when I reserved my permit. So we\u2019re going all the way to Numa Creek campsite today instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only people not surprised by our itinerary are my kids: They\u2019re kind of proud of the fact that we\u2019re hiking a distance that other people consider crazy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can help you plan the best backpacking, hiking, or family adventure of your life.
\nClick here now<\/a> to learn more.<\/h4>\n

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