Floe Lake The Best Fall Backpacking Spot
Last updated on May 7th, 2022 at 04:21 pm
Fall could be my favorite season in the Rockies. A camping trip to Floe Lake in Kootenay National Park is amazing at any time of the year but I’m sure fall is the most stunning time of the year at Floe Lake. Surrounded by golden larches, this campground is located a 2 minute walk from the lake with a few sites even having lake views. The towering mountain behind the lake, makes this one of the most captivating and stunning alpine lakes around.
The Floe Lake campground forms one of the stops along the Rockwall Trail and for those who have more time the Rockwall Trail is a must do, over four or five days hikers get to experience stunning views, glaciers, the Rockwall and incredible views from one of the many passes you have to hike over! The Floe Lake campground is without a doubt, the most picturesque campground on the trail and can be incredibly hard to book as it’s easily accessible for an overnight trip or as part of the Rockwall Trail.
Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links, so I may earn a small commission on any purchase made, at no additional cost to you. This helps me keep the blog running, so thank you for your support!
Getting to the Floe Lake Trail
The trailhead is clearly signposted off of the 93S Highway and approximately a 20 minute drive from the junction with Highway 1. The parking lot isn’t overly large and during larch season in September you’ll want to arrive early to snag a spot.
The Floe Lake Trail
Distance: 10.5km
Elevation gain: 715m
The trail to the Floe Lake Campground is not for the faint hearted while carrying a full backpack. It runs through a valley which was devastated by a forest fire back in 2003 and this has left a lot of standing but dead trees. A surreal experience but allowing for some incredible views and incredible colours from the plants which have flourished after the the fire.
From the parking lot the trail runs down to a bridge crossing a river, marvel the rock slabs left from the river erosion. Cut through the high bushes and you’ll soon be at a second bridge. After this bridge the trail climbs somewhat dramatically and you get the first set of switchbacks out of the way.
Once the first chunk of elevation has been gained the trail cuts back through the valley, high above the valley bottom, allowing for some breathtaking views. Because of the lack of trees, this section of the trail offers very little in the way of shelter so, if you are like me, it’s time to make sure your sunscreen is applied! Don’t forget to make sure you have plenty of water as well, it can get hot on this stretch and there isn’t anywhere to fill up for a number of kilometers.
The trail reaches a washed out section, look for flagging tape to navigate where the trail continues a short way up the creek. Once back on the main trail the hard work really begins! This is where most of the elevation gain happens, luckily you are back in the trees for some much needed shelter on a hot day, but be prepared for what feels like relentless switchbacks, poles came in really handy for this part! We kept looking up and thinking we were almost there, it wasn’t the case! This part of the trail felt pretty punishing on us if I’m honest but when we got to the top it really felt like we had achieved something and there was a lot of celebrating!
If like us, you are heading out to the Flow Lake Campground during fall, you’ll know you are almost there as the number of Larch trees starts to increase, but even in the middle of summer, once you reach the top of the switchbacks, you are within easy reach of Floe Lake. A short mostly flat walk and you’ll reach the first campground sign and see the lake on your left, made it!
The Floe Lake Campground
When you get to the Floe Lake Campground there is a site map on a sign, I must admit, I didn’t find it very clear. There are two sites on the right, just above the lake which are easily spotted from the trail, all the other sites are in pockets of four or five in tree clearings up on the right hand side. Many of which offer beautiful mountain views.
There are two cook areas, one of which is on a rocky outcrop on the lake shore, allowing incredible views of the lake, however, as we found out, offers no shelter from the wind. There were a few moments of panic as we chased dehydrated food packets and our seat pads around the food area! Both cooking areas have food lockers, be prepared to share though if the site is full.
The campground spans out along the trail with a cook area at each end of the site and drop toilets dispersed throughout the site. There is easy access to the lakeshore from all over the site and for those who don’t wish to follow the trail you can walk the whole way along the side of the lake which borders the campground. Towards the far end of the lake there is also a warden hut.
Backcountry bookings for the Floe Lake campground can be made through the Parks Canada website here.
Day Hikes from the Floe Lake Campground
We had some spare time and since it was larch season we decided to head up to Floe Pass, a trip I would absolutely recommend regardless of the time of year. It’s approximately 2.5km to the pass and a fair amount of elevation gain but the views from the pass and even from the trail on the way up to the pass make it totally worthwhile.
Although not a big hike, never forget to carry the essentials with you. I love that the Osprey Ariel pack comes with a detachable lid which turns into a backpack for that exact reason! Otherwise we always carry a small packable day pack.
From Floe Pass, the views back over Floe Lake are spectacular and out on the other side of the pass, the views stretch way down the valley towards the Rockwall and the many distant mountains. From the pass it is apparently possible to summit Floe Mountain for even more expansive views. We were short on time and the wind was whipping us so we headed back down from the pass and packed up camp before heading back down to the car.
