Spotlight on 2020 Discover Canada Contest locations

Admire its steep rock walls, waterfalls and dizzying peaks. In the Cree language, the word "yoho" is used to express amazement and wonder. This is the perfect word to describe this spectacular landscape of immense ice fields and mountain peaks. Explore this park, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks.

• Try to catch sight of trains passing through the Spiral Tunnels drilled into the steep slopes of the Rockies and watch the ingenious engineering in action!
• Walk through a lush evergreen forest to discover the marvelous Wapta Falls. Listen to the roaring waters and get lost in the beauty of nature at work.
• Visit Natural Bridge, an impressive work of nature formed by the powerful Kicking Horse River. Be amazed at the influence of rushing water as it carves ancient rocks.
• Rent a canoe and explore Emerald Lake’s bright, jewel-coloured waters up close!
• Make sure to see Takakkaw Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in Canada! Listen to the rushing water resonate within the air, and feel the fresh spray of mist on your skin.
• Hold a 500-million-year-old fossil in your hands on a hike to the famed Burgess Shale!

Explore this land of contrasts! From the dry grassy slopes of the Columbia Valley, where cacti grow, to glaciers, narrow canyons and extensive mountain ridges, Kootenay is rich in diversity. Established in 1920 as part of an agreement to build a road across the Rockies, the park and its scenic route still amaze approximately 500,000 visitors each year. Happy 100^th anniversary Kootenay!

• Download the Kootenay Guided Tour App, buckle your seatbelts, and get ready for a GPS-triggered, behind-the-scenes audio driving tour of one of BC’s most scenic highways. Listen to your virtual guide and check out the Continental Divide, the breathtaking Kootenay Valley Viewpoint and Sinclair Canyon.
• Enjoy the easy hiking trails in the Redstreak Restoration Area. Admire the lush green grass supporting the remarkable Columbia Valley—maybe you’ll even spot some Bighorn Sheep!
• Head to the intriguing Paint Pots and see this vibrant orange mineral spring-system! Admire the ochre-coloured clay that Indigenous peoples have been gathering from this special place for thousands of years.
• Hike to Marble Canyon and marvel at the glacier blue waters rushing through a striking limestone gorge.
• Be one of the lucky few who get to discover the amazing Burgess Shale fossils sites and learn about the ecosystems that once thrived there. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is continuously looking for, and finding, new animals. Can you identify a new fossil?

Take a day for rejuvenation and relax in the hot springs while taking in the beauty of Sinclair Canyon. Located in Kootenay National Park, Radium Hot Springs features Canada’s biggest hot springs pool. The water is uniquely odourless and clear, making this hot spring perfect for a relaxing soak.

• Soak in the expansive hot pool or cool off in the cooler swimming pool.
• Admire the architecture of the Aquacourt, this unique heritage building exploits the natural hot springs as well as the cooler water of Sinclair Creek.
• Put on one of our vintage swimsuits for a fun selfie!