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Helmet / Ochre Junction Campground in Kootenay National Park

Campground · Kootenay National Park

Helmet / Ochre Junction Campground

A creekside backcountry camp at the Rockwall trail junction.

Type
Campground
Nearest trail
Right here
  • Restrooms
DirectionsMap
Parkwolf audio tour49 stories across Kootenay’s roads

Overview

About Helmet / Ochre Junction Campground

A small backcountry campground at the Helmet / Ochre junction on the Rockwall approach, beside Ochre Creek. It’s a useful overnight stop for hikers heading onto the Rockwall, not a quick visit from the highway. The walk from Paint Pots is roughly 5.8 km.

Why stop

  • A practical overnight stop beside Ochre Creek.

Heads up

  • Reaching it takes a hike, a permit, and water treatment.

Map

Where it is

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CampgroundHelmet / Ochre Junction Campground51.19271, -116.21314
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Plan your stop

Before you go

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 / Ochre Junction Campground, narrated.

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More stories near here in the app

  • Paint Pots: Colour in the Earth
  • Flowers Climbing a Stem
  • Marble Canyon: Beyond the First Bridge
  • The Shrimp That Was a Claw
  • 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
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Guide

More about Helmet / Ochre Junction Campground

Plan the approachAn overnight backcountry permit and a park entry pass are required.

An overnight backcountry permit and a park entry pass are required. The main hiking season runs June through October; higher trails may stay snowy into late June, and summer snow is possible. Bring water treatment: no potable tap is documented here. Advance reservations are needed at most campgrounds in July, August, and September, so check the booking requirements for this site before you go.

Camp at the creekThe campground has six tent pads, pit toilets, bear lockers, and shared tables and benches.

The campground has six tent pads, pit toilets, bear lockers, and shared tables and benches. It’s a simple walk-in camp, so arrive with the food and gear you need for the night.

The climb beyondThe junction is an early pause before the Rockwall route climbs above Ochre Creek.

The junction is an early pause before the Rockwall route climbs above Ochre Creek. The next section includes a steep run of switchbacks, so account for that climb when you plan the following day.

backcountrycampgroundrockwallhiking

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 / Ochre Junction Campground

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

ChallengingOttertail Pass Trail15.4 km · 6 hr · At the trailheadA faint backcountry route to open meadows below the pass.EasyPaint Pots Trail2 km · 45 min · 5.2 km awayCross the Vermilion River to three iron-rich springs.ChallengingTumbling-Floe Traverse37.7 km · 2.5 days · 5.2 km awayA two-to-three-day traverse from Paint Pots to Floe Lake.ChallengingHelmet Creek Trail28.4 km · 10 hr · 5.2 km awayA long hike from ochre springs to a 300 m waterfall.ChallengingTumbling Creek Trail20.4 km · 6 hr · 5.2 km awayA hard climb to Tumbling Falls and a gateway to the Rockwall.ModerateOchre Creek Trail12.4 km · 4 hr · 5.2 km awayA forested creek walk to the northern Rockwall campground.ChallengingRockwall Trail54.1 km · 4 days · 5.3 km awayThree passes, the Rockwall, and Floe Lake anchor an alpine traverse.ChallengingTumbling - Helmet - Ochre Loop36.9 km · 2.5 days · 5.3 km awayTwo or three days among alpine meadows, Helmet Falls and the Rockwall.

More stops nearby

Sight · 4.5 km awayPaint PotsThree iron-rich springs stain the ground a vivid ochre.Campground · 6.1 km awayTumbling Creek CampgroundA useful northern camp for a full Rockwall backpacking traverse.Sight · 6.3 km awayMarble CanyonSeven bridges, blue water, and a waterfall on a short gorge walk.Campground · 6.4 km awayHelmet Falls CampgroundA remote tent camp with Helmet Falls in view.Campground · 6.6 km awayMarble Canyon CampgroundA basic campground in a spruce forest with no cell signal.Sight · 7.8 km awayHelmet FallsA 300 m waterfall at the end of a 14.2 km hike.

Parkwolf’s Kootenay ranking

Top sights in Kootenay

All 29 places
  1. 1Radium Hot SpringsSight
  2. 2Marble CanyonSight
  3. 3Paint PotsSight
  4. 4Floe LakeSight
  5. 5Numa FallsSight
  6. 6Kootenay Valley ViewpointSight

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