Bottom Line:
About 2-1/2 hours north of NE WA lies Kootenay National Park, BC. Floe Lake is one of the best larch hikes in the park, known for its turquoise glacial waters (a little subdued without direct sunlight), dramatic limestone Rockwall cliffs (rising 3-4K feet directly above the lake), and surrounding alpine meadows and golden larches. The ascent is mostly through an old burn area with newbie trees, spectacular fall color and snowy peaks. The snowy headwall above Floe Lake looms in the distance; the contrast with the fall-painted slopes was reminiscent of Nepal. Backcountry camping at the lake (permit required, and somewhat difficult to get; I am amazed by how many Europeans seem to scoop up the permits in this area).
Stats:
- Distance: ~17 miles, with a partial lake circumnavigation
- Duration: 7-1/2 hours
- Vertical: 3360 ft
- Road/Parking: Easy parking right off Hwy 93 (same Hwy up from Coeur D'alene) with space for ~30 cars which is plenty this time of year; National Park pass required; no toilets; board recording recent wildlife sightings, including grizzlies
- Weather: Mostly cloudy with sunny periods and temperatures from 28-45F, a few snow showers at the lake; a change of clothes and a puffy at the lake to warm up
- Water: This is plenty of water for filtering on the trail, although the glacial flower may prematurely clog your filter
- Larches: Larches are just past prime with needles starting to fall. The recent snowfall has also accelerated the shedding a bit
- Hike: A quiet trail with just a handful of other hikers, although a number of folks heading up to spend the night on the late afternoon descent. The RT trip to the lake is ~13-1/2 miles with the remaining mileage made up with exploring the lake and meadows. The trail is fairly moderate for the first 4 miles, with steeper switchbacks up to the Floe Lake cirque. This is grizzly country, with frequent sightings, including a recent sow and cubs. Leased dogs are permitted in Canadian National Parks, although not recommended during current grizzly hyperphagia. Carry bear spray. We did not see a grizzly on the trail, but there was one along the road shortly after our hike. Bugs are long gone, as are the flowers, but the fall color was nothing short of breathtaking. The lake level is low, making it easy to walk around the lake, and scale the moraine at the outlet to explore the base of the limestone headwall. There are pocket icefields here some ice caves. Floe lake is at 6620' on the west side of the Continental Divide with 3-4K ft limestone cliffs rising directly above the lake.
- Takeaway: I would like to return mid-summer for alpine flowers, a lit-up lake and the full Rockwall circuit. While this would be a great spot to packraft, personal watercraft are not allowed here due to the spread of invasive species. If I lived in Spokane I would be all over this place :)
Higher resolution pics are available at the Instagram link.
