There’s a lot of news that is getting missed as the world deals with the Coronavirus pandemic, but I didn’t want Kootenay National Park to get lost in the shuffle. Today, Kootenay turns 100 years old, which is definitely a birthday worth celebrating.
September at Floe Lake, in Kootenay National Park
The park was created out of a “land for service” swap inked on April 21, 1920. The province of British Columbia transferred about 1400 square kilometres of land to the federal government in exchange for the feds building the “Banff Windermere Highway,” today’s highway 93S, from Castle Junction to the town of Radium. This road has given Canadians and world travellers a century of access to some sublime scenery and nature.
Perhaps the most dramatic area in Kootenay is the Rockwall trail. It’s one of the most celebrated trails in the Canadian Rockies, and for the 100th birthday of the park, a part of the Rockwall trail has been featured on a Canadian postage stamp.
Photographer Roger Hostin, centre, beside his beautiful shot of Kootenay’s Floe Lake
My friend and long time Parks Canada co-worker Roger Hostin, a very talented landscape photographer, had his image of Floe Lake chosen for the stamp. If you still send letters, look for it at your favourite post office!
And if you want to see more of Roger’s work, check out www.rogerhostin.com.
Happy Birthday Kootenay!
