The Headwaters of the Columbia River

Canadian Rockies Road Trip, Day 6 | Canal Flats to Radium Hot Springs, BC | Findlay Falls | Kayaking in Columbia Lake | June 2023

We woke up all alone in our campsite to a bit of a drizzly and misty morning. We took our time and stretched out our morning routine of oatmeal and tea before heading back down the logging roads. Along the way we stopped at a trailhead we had passed by on the way up as a possible campsite. And while it had been occupied then, it was not occupied now, so we parked and set out on a short hike to Findlay Falls.

As the name suggests, the hike was to a set of roaring waterfalls. It was a short hike all things considered and worth the small effort, even with the light morning mist.

We returned to the car and then finished the drive out of the forest and back to the highway – only to get off once again for a viewpoint of Columbia Lake: the headwaters of the Columbia River. We made an unnecessary but scenic scramble to a short hill offering views of the lake and up and down the Rocky Mountain Trench and then discussed what we wanted to do today. Kayaking was at the top of the list, but a municipal boat ramp Jess had bookmarked turned out to cost $20.

After a bit of perusing the maps, we concluded that if we could get to a provincial park on the opposite (Eastern) shore, maybe we could put in there? This was a big if – the provincial park website gave driving directions, but Google Maps certainly did not agree. Fortunately, the gravel road that Google Maps ended at was just the long and winding road to Columbia Lake Provincial Park. This park and a bunch of other public (and even a few private) lands help preserve almost the entire eastern shore and upland of Columbia Lake.

We were the only ones to be at the park this early in the morning, and we grabbed our kayaking things and started the short hike down to the water’s edge. Circumstances like these are one of the many reasons we bought the OruKayak in the first place.

At the water’s edge, I set up while Charlotte sniffed around the shore and Jess supervised. Soon enough we pushed off and were kayaking South along the eastern shore of Columbia Lake. The lake was very calm this morning and our vantage offered great views of the bluffs on the opposite side of the lake. We made our way leisurely South for about a mile or so before stopping to watch a bald eagle get harassed by some magpies. Nature. Our return trip was equally leisurely, and followed almost the exact original course back. Overall Charlotte enjoys these boat rides, but when she starts to sense that we aren’t making progress, she’ll let out a little grunt to remind us that we can’t spend all day in the boat.

Once we had beached, we packed up the kayaking stuff, returned to the car, returned to the highway, and continued our way North towards Radium Hot Springs and Kootenay National Park. We grabbed a park pass as well as some stamps from the visitor center and did a couple of hikes in the park, which we’ll cover in the next post.

That evening we again sought out free camping in Crown land to the West of Radium Hot Springs. This area was a lot more popular than the previous night (which made sense as it was a Friday night near a national park) but we eventually settled on a pull off with a narrow view of some peaks to the East. Except for a visit from the friendly fire warden and some cows, the night was peaceful and quiet, and Charlotte enjoyed sniffing around the area.