Backpacking into Floe Lake campsite in Kootenay National Park
We finally made it to the famous Floe Lake and… What an AMAZING spot! I’ve been wanting to hike there for ages, but due to our limited availability and its crazy popularity, we never got a chance to. That is, untiI I snagged a last-minute opening on the Schnerp site!
I’ve got to be honest: Taking our three-year-old along was no easy task! I would actually recommend visiting with children in the stages before or after toddlerhood (a.k.a. when they’re still babies, or once they’ve mastered the art of hiking longer distances). Nonetheless, we decided to take on the challenge since Teix had recently demonstrated his ability to walk a remarkable 6 kilometres on our last two hikes. So we took the chance, hoping he would cover the same distance and planning to carry him for the remainder.
Well… That's not exactly how it played out. In fact, he didn't walk much at all on the way in! And who can blame him? It was a scorching hot day, and we had a bit of a late start. Despite all that, we made it to Floe Lake.
At a Glance:
Distance: 10.5 kilometres one-way
Accessibility: Hiking
Amenities: Outhouses and secure food storage
Reservations at: Parks Canada
Right off the bat, this hike is splendid! It starts by crossing a bridge with bright blue glacial water running beneath it. Then it continues into the forest, gaining quite a bit of vertical for a short amount of time. Due to a recent storm, we had to maneuver around some fallen trees that were blocking the trail. After gaining some quick elevation, it becomes an 8-kilomentre stretch of a very gradual uphill trail that is narrow, bushy and not one bit shady. After that comes the real challenge: A 2.5-kilometre section of switchbacks where most of the elevation is gained and where most of challenge really lies.
We had numerous stops on the way in. At times, they occurred because our son wanted to walk, then quickly realized he couldn't manage for long. Other times, they were to switch parents, to rest or take bathroom breaks.
Finally, we reached Floe Lake. We were in complete awe! It immediately made a lot of sense why this campsite is so hard to book: The backdrop to the lake is a sheer rock face that feels so dramatic and breathtaking to look up at from the lakeshore. The campsite is also surrounded by alpine flowers (which make their appearance in the peak of summer) and larch trees (which pop off at the start of the fall). It has 18 tent pads scattered throughout, as well as a cooking area on a small cliff next to the lake with numerous picnic tables and secure food storage lockers.
We found ourselves in a bit of a rush to set up the tent and prepare dinner since it was already 6 p.m. by the time we arrived. That means we were on the trail for a shocking 5+ hours! Every single one of us was exhausted, so we turned in for the night as soon as it got dark.
The next morning, we enjoyed a slow half-day by the lake. We savoured breakfast, then lunch while admiring our stunning surroundings. I even went for a swim!
At around 2:30 p.m., we started our decent back to the trailhead. Fortunately, Teix seemed more motivated to walk this time! In fact, he ran 2 kilometres down the switchbacks, took a nap in the Trail Magik carrier, and then was back on foot for the final kilometre to the car. Our descent was much quicker, taking us only 4 hours.
While this experience hasn't discouraged us, we've decided not to return until Teix is fully capable of hiking. Until then, we'll see you out there on some shorter/mellower trails in the great outdoors!