Parking
Start at Paint Pots parking lot on Highway 93, 84 km east of Radium Hot Springs; it is the trailhead and return point.
Overview
About Ochre Creek Trail
Why go
- A direct day-hike approach to the Rockwall’s northern campground.
- Shaded creekside walking with a clear destination.
Heads up
- The return retraces the same forest corridor.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Kootenay map
Full mapElevation1,421–1,550 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 Ochre Creek Trail, 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
Paint Pots: Colour in the Earth0:00 / 0:30
“Up ahead is the Paint Pots trailhead, for a gentle walk to three springs whose iron-rich water stains the earth orange.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Kootenay Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Flowers Climbing a Stem
- Marble Canyon: Beyond the First Bridge
- Numa Falls: The Sculpted Gorge
- 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
- 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 Ochre Creek Trail
The walkOchre Creek is a 7.
Ochre Creek is a 7.7-mile round-trip walk from Paint Pots to the Helmet/Ochre Junction campground, mostly through forest. Parks Canada estimates about four hours for the return trip. It is a moderate creekside approach into the northern end of the Rockwall network, with the campground as a clear turnaround rather than an alpine summit.
Along the creekStart at Paint Pots parking lot and follow the trail corridor north through forest toward the…
Start at Paint Pots parking lot and follow the trail corridor north through forest toward the junction. Parks Canada describes the route as a shaded creekside walk that connects with Helmet Creek and Tumbling Creek trails. The day-hike listing gives about 250 metres of ascent and 185 metres of descent on the way in; expect to retrace the same corridor on the way back.
At Helmet/Ochre JunctionThe campground is the northernmost access point for the Rockwall multi-day route.
The campground is the northernmost access point for the Rockwall multi-day route. Helmet Creek and Tumbling Creek continue from the junction, but this hike ends there; going farther changes the trip and may add substantial distance. For a day outing, turn around at the junction and allow the full four-hour return estimate.
Distance and planningParks Canada lists 6.
Parks Canada lists 6.2 kilometres one way for Ochre Creek on its day-hike page, while the backcountry page lists 5.8 kilometres to the same campground. The mapped path measures about 6.1 kilometres one way, close to the day-hike figure, so this guide uses 12.4 kilometres total, or 7.7 miles round trip. Dogs are allowed on leash. An overnight stay at the campground requires a backcountry permit and campsite reservation.
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.
