PARK PICK

KOOTENAY NATIONAL PARK

Icy waterfalls and steamy hot springs. Deep canyons and towering mountain peaks. Remote wilderness, within easy reach. Kootenay National Park, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a place of beautiful contrasts. It is long and narrow, running eight km (five mi.) on either side of Hwy 93 in southeastern B.C.

Its quirky shape is the result of a 1920 agreement between the provincial and federal governments that created the park in exchange for a highway through the Rocky Mountains. As a result, rugged though it is, many of the park’s greatest attractions are easily accessible, even by wheelchair, including the popular healing Radium Hot Springs (www.parks canada.gc.ca/kootenay).

Forget the map, use the app: To explore Kootenay National Park, download Parks Canada’s first guided driving tour app, Explora Kootenay.