Parking
Start at the Olive Lake Day-use Area on Highway 93, about 12 km north of Radium Hot Springs; this is the listed trailhead.
Overview
About Olive Lake Trail
Why go
- Very little climbing for a close look at the bright lake.
- A forested picnic area is right at the trailhead.
Heads up
- The outing is over in minutes; there is little walking beyond the shoreline.
- Highway 93 is close enough that you may hear traffic at the lake.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Kootenay map
Full mapElevation1,477–1,496 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
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 Olive Lake 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
Olive Lake: Both Boardwalk Lookouts0:00 / 0:21
“Up ahead is Olive Lake, a green lake beside the highway at Sinclair Pass. Give it about fifteen minutes for a nearly level boardwalk walk of roughly half a kilometre return.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Kootenay Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Kindersley–Sinclair: Plan the Shuttle
- How a Cliff Becomes a Rock Pile
- Cobb Lake Trailhead: A Forest Lake Walk
- The Living Crust on a Rock
- 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 Olive Lake Trail
A tiny lakeshore walkOlive Lake Trail is a short out-and-back boardwalk walk from the Olive Lake Day-use Area at…
Olive Lake Trail is a short out-and-back boardwalk walk from the Olive Lake Day-use Area at Sinclair Pass. Allow about 15 minutes. Expect roughly 0.5–0.6 km round trip, depending on how much of the shoreline you explore; the full route with both branches is at the longer end. This is a leg-stretch beside Highway 93, not a hike to plan your day around.
Take both sides of the forkA shared path reaches the lakeshore, where two short branches end at separate viewpoints.
A shared path reaches the lakeshore, where two short branches end at separate viewpoints. Walk both if you want the fuller look, then return along the shared approach. The route is nearly level and easy to follow, with the boardwalk and bright water doing most of the work.
Make it a picnic stopThe lake sits beside a forested picnic day-use area on the summit of Sinclair Pass.
The lake sits beside a forested picnic day-use area on the summit of Sinclair Pass. It is an easy pairing with a drive break. At the shore, include a bit of boardwalk or the small viewing platform in a photo; the foreground gives the green water and forest some scale.
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.
