Kootenay National Park

On a shoulder season road trip through the Kootenay Rockies region of British Columbia, I whirled through Glacier National Park and Yoho National Park in that awkward down time between fall and winter. But while there was just enough snow to make hiking treacherous, and not enough snow to do winter sports or take comfort in the knowledge that the grizzlies were hibernating, I was still able to explore with my camera in hand.

Relaxation doesn’t come naturally to everyone, so when I grudgingly slipped into the steamy, mineral-rich water at Radium Hot Springs, I couldn’t help but think of that deadly day in 1967 when a semi truck hauling gasoline lost control on the steep mountain highway nearby and crashed, killing the driver and spilling more than 7,000 gallons of fuel into the creek that ran beside the hot pool and under the main stone building.

Traveler contributing photographer Rebecca Latson took herself and her cameras on a 2,000-mile September road trip to visit four national parks in the Canadian Rockies. Despite the mixed bag of weather and clash of expectations versus reality on the road, Rebecca captured amazing shots which she uses to illustrate tips and techniques for your own national park road trip.

During her road trip through four Canadian Rockies national parks, Traveler contributing photographer Rebecca Latson managed to hike a few trails, two of which are in Kootenay National Park. She writes about these hikes for the Traveler’s “Trails I’ve Hiked” series.