How to hike to Floe Lake on the Rockwall Trail
Floe Lake is part of the Rockwall Trail and one of the best things to see in Kootenay National Park, BC.
This beautiful lake (pronounced like Flow Lake) is a gem of an alpine lake.
It’s got busier in recent years as the popularity of backpacking the Rockwall trail has increased, but it’s still nowhere near as busy as the other lakes nearby such as these Banff National Park lakes.
This alpine lake isn’t the only attraction, the huge rock wall that acts as the backdrop to the waters is part of the attraction.
A few years ago this backpacking trip to Floe Lake was my first solo backpacking trip!
I left early in the morning and was the first one up at the campsite for that day meaning I got to pick what I think was the best Floe Lake campground spot (with amazing views of the lake itself and the rock wall!).
After setting up camp I headed further along the Rockwall Trail to make it to the top of Numa Pas where the golden larch trees were fully golden and I got to see some of the most incredible views!
If you’re looking to hike the Rockwall trail, or just want to hike to Floe Lake, this Kootenay National Park hiking guide is for you!
Hiking the Floe Lake trail
Floe Lake is one of the best hikes in Kootenay National Park in BC.
It takes you across a river, up through forest fire damage, and up some serious switchbacks before coming out at the lake.
This hike can be done overnight, as part of a longer multi-day hike, or as a day hike. Just be prepared to start early if you’re doing this as a day hike to leave plenty of time to complete it!
Floe Lake is one of the gems of the Rockwall Trail, a multi-day trip that is considered to be one of the best multiday treks in the whole of Canada.
At 55.6 km long, the Rockwall Trail takes you past an unbroken wall of limestone cliffs that tower over 900 meters high.
Floe Lake is either the first, or the last campsite of the Rockwall trail depending on whether you’re hiking from north to south, or south to north. Most tend to hike south to north.
Floe Lake BC Kootenay National Park trail statistics
Here are a few more details about the hike to Floe Lake!
- Distance: 20 km round trip
- Floe Lake trail difficulty: Moderate-Difficult
- Duration: 6-9 hours (it took me around 3 hours up, and just over 2 hours down)
- Elevation gain: 959 metres
- Floe Lake Trail Head: Floe Lake trailhead, about 30 minutes outside of Lake Louise. Easily accessible, parking lot just off the road.
- Best time to go: July – September
AllTrails is my go-to hiking app for finding, planning, and navigating while I’m out on the trails. With offline maps on AllTrails+ you can be confident you’re still on the right track, even without mobile signal.
Floe Lake BC trail report
The Floe Lake trail begins with a nice flat section to get you warmed up. Around 400m into the trail, you’ll cross over the Vermillion River which is a beautiful aqua color, before strolling through fire damage and crossing over another stream.
As you walk, you’ll notice the fire damage from the wildfire in 2003. In 2018, the wildfires almost burned the Floe Lake trail again and the trail was closed for weeks.
Now you’ll see the signs of new life with trees and shrubs growing in amongst the burned-out trees. In late July/early August you’ll be walking through beautiful wildflowers too.
There’s some elevation after your second river crossing, but it’s nothing too steep. For the first 7km or so you’ll be walking on mostly flat terrain as you head towards the giant rock straight ahead of you.
Soon you’ll be able to see a waterfall and you’ll head just to the right where the path becomes harder to follow due to avalanche damage.
There’s some flagging here which guides you across the rocks and debris. Once you’ve reached the other side of this, you’ll start the real climb!
This final climb is hard with a series of steep switchbacks. Luckily you’re in the trees so you’ll get shade if hiking in the summer.
As the trail flattens out it’s just a few hundred metres until you reach the lake!
Walk past a few camp spots (or bag the first one on your left if you’re camping as it’s the only one with a lake view!), and down to the lake to enjoy lunch and perhaps an alpine swim.
To return, follow the trail back the way you came.
Hiking Numa Pass Trail
If you’re not hiking the whole Rockwall Trail, I’d highly recommend setting up camp at Floe Lake and then taking your 10 essentials and hiking up to Numa Pass. The trail to Numa Pass is where things get seriously beautiful, especially in fall with the golden larch trees.
To get to Numa Pass, walk towards the end of the campground and follow the signs as they point to your right, uphill.
You’ll be glad to hear the trail isn’t as steep as the switchbacks you’ve just conquered!
The trail is easy to follow. Begin by walking through the trees and soon you’ll come out into the open. Look behind every now and again for views of the lake and the Rockwall!
The views ahead of you open up and you’ll be able to see the pass.
Keep on hiking to it as it’s 100% worth it; the views are stunning.
Once you reach the pass, sit down for a while and enjoy the views. You’ll know you’ve reached it as the trail descends if you continue.
The mountains stretch far into the distance. When I visited at the beginning of October the larches were still gold.
Floe Lake trail map
Here’s a map of the Floe Lake Trail, click to go through the route on AllTrails and download and save it to your phone!
You can also use this as a Rockwall trail map since it shows all the trails in the area.
Alternatively, you can use this in combination with the Parks Canada website to make your own Rockwall trail guide.
Floe Lake camping reservations
Despite being quieter than many of the Banff hikes, you’ll still need to make a Floe Lake campground reservation to camp at Floe Lake.
You’ll need to make your Rockwall trail reservations 2024 online in advance.
Since Floe Lake is in a National Park, you’ll need to book through Parks Canada which can be done online. Visit the Parks Canada Reservations site, and select ‘backcountry camping’ as your reservation type.
Pick ‘Banff, Kootenay, and Yoho’ as the parks, fill in the dates and numbers of people, and then select Floe Lake Campground to reserve your spot.
It costs $21.52 to stay one night at Floe Lake campground PLUS your entrance fee to the National Park.
You can buy your National Park ticket online here. It’s $10 a day to visit.
Or, you can buy an annual pass if you’re going to spend a week in Canadian National Parks or plan to revisit throughout the year.
What to know before hiking to Floe Lake BC
- Always practice Leave No Trace. Not sure what that is? Here’s a reminder.
- Dogs are allowed on the trail on a leash but are not recommended due to the presence of grizzly bears.
- No campfires are permitted anywhere on the trail
- If planning to visit the area in winter, check the avalanche reports beforehand.
- Rockwall Trail Wildlife: Always carry bear spray
- There isn’t much water along the trail, so pack appropriately and take a water filter to filter from the lake.
- Floe Lake trail conditions: The Parks Canada website usually publishes trail conditions and reports for this area. Otherwise, check recent AllTrails reviews.
What to pack for the Floe Lake Trail
If you’re camping, check out my packing list for the Berg Lake trail, as it’s pretty similar to what you’ll need for this hike.
Otherwise, I have a complete packing list for day hikes too where I share the exact gear I use on all my hikes at the moment if you’re doing a Floe Lake day hike.
Below I’ve included the top 5 things you need to remember to take before going hiking on the rock wall trail and Floe Lake Canada.
FAQs on Floe Lake Kootenay National Park
Can you swim in Floe Lake?
How do I get to Floe Lake?
How long is Floe Lake hike?
Final thoughts on the Rockwall Trail in Kootenay National Park
The Rock Wall hike is one of the best hikes in Kootenay National Park and the gem of the whole multi-day backpacking trail is Floe Lake.
Whether you decide to stay at the Floe Lake backcountry campground or do the hike as a day hike, the Rockwall trail BC is a bucket list hike for many people.
Be sure to get your Floe Lake reservations months in advance of your trip, and if you weren’t able to, then be sure to keep an eye out in case of cancellations. Or, check out these backpacking trips in Alberta and BC that might have availability.
Last Updated on September 20, 2023 by Hannah
Hannah started That Adventurer after graduating back in 2013 and has documented all of her adventures since then. From backpacking South America to city breaks in Europe, a 3 month road trip across the USA in a self-converted van and 6 years living in Canada, you’ll find posts on all of this.
Hannah specialises in active travel and on That Adventurer you’ll find hiking, walking, biking, skiing and all sorts of active travel guides to allow you to see a destination in an adventurous way.
Now back in Europe, you’ll find new guides as Hannah and her husband spend the next year ‘digital nomading’ from Norway to Portugal, Switzerland to Scotland and places in between.
