Parking
Use the Kimpton Creek parking pullout on Highway 93 South, about 9 km east of Radium Hot Springs. Walk about 100 m southwest alongside the highway to the small footbridge and trail entrance.
Overview
About Kimpton Creek
Why go
- A cool, shaded forest-and-creek setting
Heads up
- Narrow brush, roots and blowdown can make the tread slow
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Kootenay map
Full mapElevation1,291–1,520 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Kootenay Tour Guide
Your drive to Kimpton Creek, 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.
See the Kootenay audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Kimpton Creek: A Shaded Forest Walk0:00 / 0:25
“The Kimpton Creek trailhead is coming up, for a shaded forest walk beside the creek. Allow two to three hours for the roughly six-and-a-half-kilometre return walk shown in the app, which stops short of the full trail.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Kootenay Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- How a Cliff Becomes a Rock Pile
- Who Moves Into a Woodpecker Hole?
- Kindersley–Sinclair: Plan the Shuttle
- Olive Lake: Both Boardwalk Lookouts
- 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Kimpton Creek
The mapped walkKimpton Creek is an out-and-back through a cool, forested creek valley.
Kimpton Creek is an out-and-back through a cool, forested creek valley. Parks Canada lists the full trail at 4.6 km one way (about 9.2 km return) and estimates three hours; route descriptions put the end at a trail sign. The line that can be mapped with confidence covers about 3.2 km each way from the footbridge. The route shown here turns back at that mapped endpoint for about 4.0 miles total, roughly two to three hours. It ends about 1.4 km short of the full trail's reported end because there is no reliable line for that last stretch. Use Parks Canada's directions if you plan to continue beyond the mapped route.
Start at the pulloutPark at the Kimpton Creek pullout on Highway 93 South, about 9 km east of Radium Hot Springs.
Park at the Kimpton Creek pullout on Highway 93 South, about 9 km east of Radium Hot Springs. Walk about 100 m southwest alongside the highway, then cross the small footbridge to reach the trail. Follow the creek into shaded forest and return by the same tread; there is no loop. Intermittent views of nearby peaks break through the trees, but this is mainly a forest-and-creek walk.
Expect a rough forest treadRoute descriptions and visitor reports mention narrow brush, exposed roots and fallen trees…
Route descriptions and visitor reports mention narrow brush, exposed roots and fallen trees that can mean stepping over or ducking under obstacles. That can slow the pace and make footing uneven. Dogs are permitted on leash; stay on designated trails and follow Parks Canada's bear-safety guidance. Cell service is unavailable on most park trails, so carry a way to reach help and check the current trail report before setting out.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Kootenay
41 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
31 sightingsGray WolfMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
22 sightingsMooseMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
84 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
522 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
65 sightingsElkMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Kootenay. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
