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Sir George Simpson Monument in Kootenay National Park

Historic marker · Kootenay National Park

Sir George Simpson Monument

A quick river-view break with a Hudson’s Bay Company story.

Type
Historic marker
Nearest trail
0.7 km
Audio stories
3 nearby
  • Pullout
  • Parking
  • Scenic viewpoint
DirectionsMap

Hear the audio tour

Sir George Simpson Monument: A Fur-trade Marker

Overview

About Sir George Simpson Monument

Why stop

  • Open river and mountain views make a quick pause worthwhile.

Heads up

  • A brief roadside stop, not a longer outing.

Map

Where it is

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Full map
Historic markerSir George Simpson Monument50.97213, -115.94737
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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 Sir George Simpson Monument, 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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Recorded for this place

Sir George Simpson Monument: A Fur-trade Marker
0:00 / 0:18
“Up ahead is the Sir George Simpson Monument, a roadside boulder with views toward the Kootenay River. Simpson was a Hudson's Bay Company governor who travelled through these mountains in eighteen forty-one.”

Plays as you drive up to Sir George Simpson Monument in the Parkwolf Kootenay Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • Simpson River: Choose the Short Walk
  • Rock Dust in the Water
  • A River in Several Strands
  • The Pine That Needs a Bird
  • 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
★★★★★
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
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4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Guide

More about Sir George Simpson Monument

A short stop on Highway 93Sir George Simpson Monument is a roadside historic marker built around a large ochre boulder at…

Sir George Simpson Monument is a roadside historic marker built around a large ochre boulder at a pullout, with views toward the Kootenay River and surrounding mountains. It’s an easy place to stretch and look around; think a few minutes, not a destination walk.

The person behind the nameSimpson was appointed governor-in-chief of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s North American trade in…

Simpson was appointed governor-in-chief of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s North American trade in 1820. By 1826 he governed both the company’s Northern and Southern departments. His long tenure puts this marker in the story of the fur trade and the company’s reach across western Canada.

Take in the settingThe open river-and-mountain view is part of the stop’s appeal.

The open river-and-mountain view is part of the stop’s appeal. For a photo, step back enough to include the boulder and landscape together; a close shot of the plaque leaves out what makes this pullout distinctive. Treat it as a brief pause on your drive rather than an outing in its own right.

historymonumentrivermountainsroadside

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 Sir George Simpson Monument

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

ModerateSimpson River Trail17.6 km · 5.5 hr · 0.7 km awayWildfire recovery on two rivers, with an easy 1.6 km turnaround.

More stops nearby

Picnic area · 6.5 km awayVermilion Crossing Day-use AreaA picnic break beside the Vermilion River

Parkwolf’s Kootenay ranking

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