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Helmet Falls in Kootenay National Park

Sight · Kootenay National Park

Helmet Falls

A 300 m waterfall at the end of a 14.2 km hike.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Type
Sight
Nearest trail
1.6 km
DirectionsMap
Parkwolf audio tour49 stories across Kootenay’s roads

Overview

About Helmet Falls

Why stop

  • The trail opens onto a striking waterfall and steep rock wall.

Heads up

  • The 14.2 km one-way approach takes two to three days round trip.

Map

Where it is

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SightHelmet Falls51.18700, -116.32396
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Plan your stop

Before you go

Best time to go

The main hiking season is June through October. Higher trails can remain snowbound into late June, and snow is possible at elevation in summer. Overnight backcountry trips require a permit; most campgrounds need advance reservations for July through September. Check current trail conditions before setting out: mountain weather changes quickly and cell coverage is unreliable.

5 active Kootenay alerts

  • ClosureWatercraft and angling prohibitedWatercraft and angling are prohibited on every waterbody in Kootenay National Park until March 31, 2027, to reduce the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS), including whirling disease.Official details
  • ClosureSinclair Canyon construction closures and delaysRepairs to the Sinclair Creek Rock Tunnel and rehabilitation of the retaining wall at Sinclair Canyon require construction closures; expect alternating single-lane traffic on Highway 93S and…Official details
See all 5 alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Kootenay Tour Guide

Your drive to Helmet Falls, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Kootenay National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

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  • 49 audio storiesacross Kootenay’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Gray Wolf, Moose, and 13 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 38 trails, 29 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
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Guide

More about Helmet Falls

A long backcountry approachHelmet Falls is a 300 m waterfall on Helmet Creek in Kootenay National Park.

Helmet Falls is a 300 m waterfall on Helmet Creek in Kootenay National Park. Parks Canada describes the trail as emerging near its base. Reaching it means a 14.2 km one-way hike from Paint Pots; allow two to three days round trip and treat it as a backcountry trip.

Across Helmet Creek countryStart at the Paint Pots parking lot, 84 km east of Radium Hot Springs.

Start at the Paint Pots parking lot, 84 km east of Radium Hot Springs. The trail shares its first stretch with Helmet-Ochre Junction, then passes through forest and lush ground cover before opening into exposed avalanche slopes. The one-way approach gains 795 m and loses 465 m. It reaches the separate Helmet Falls backcountry campground before continuing to the falls.

A full-scale viewNear the end, the route emerges close to the base of the falls.

Near the end, the route emerges close to the base of the falls. Water drops in several streams down a steep rock wall, with conifers below. A wide photo that keeps the cliff and forest in frame shows more of the waterfall's scale than a tight crop.

waterfallhikingbackcountryrockwall

Wildlife

Wildlife in Kootenay

All Kootenay wildlife maps
Grizzly Bear41 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapGray Wolf31 sightingsGray WolfMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapMoose22 sightingsMooseMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapMountain Goat84 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapBighorn Sheep522 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapElk65 sightingsElkMost seen around 6 AMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Kootenay. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Helmet Falls

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

ChallengingGoodsir Pass Side Trip9 km · 5 hr · 1.6 km awayA steep climb to a high pass beneath the jagged Goodsir peaks.ChallengingOttertail Pass Trail15.4 km · 6 hr · 7.8 km awayA faint backcountry route to open meadows below the pass.

More stops nearby

Campground · 1.6 km awayHelmet Falls CampgroundA remote tent camp with Helmet Falls in view.Campground · 7.8 km awayHelmet / Ochre Junction CampgroundA creekside backcountry camp at the Rockwall trail junction.

Parkwolf’s Kootenay ranking

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