Parking
At the north end, use the Park Gate access; at the town end, use the Linnet Lake Day Use Area parking lot. There is no loop, so arrange a pickup at the far end or plan the return walk.
Overview
About Kootenai Brown Trail
Why go
- Paved, low-grade path with views across prairie, lakes and peaks.
- Keeps walkers and cyclists off the Entrance Parkway motor lane.
Heads up
- The full walk is 13.8 km if you need to return to your starting end.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Waterton Lakes map
Full mapElevation1,281–1,332 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
7 active Waterton Lakes alerts
- ClosureBelly River Campground closedBelly River Campground is closed to all traffic and travel because a carcass is in the area. - Violators may be charged under the Canada National Parks Act, with a maximum penalty of $25,000.Official details
- ClosureBlakiston Fan closed to protect rutting elkThe Blakiston Fan area is closed to traffic and travel to prevent disturbance of elk rutting there.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Waterton Lakes Tour Guide
Your drive to Kootenai Brown Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Waterton Lakes 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 Waterton Lakes audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Linnet Lake and Middle Waterton Shore0:00 / 0:29
“Linnet Lake is ahead, a good stop if you want a picnic and an easy walk. The paved loop circles the small lake in about twenty minutes, with very little climbing, benches and interpretive panels along the way.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Waterton Lakes Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Knight’s Lake Day Use Area
- Maskinonge Day Use Area
- Maskinonge Overlook
- What a Bison’s Dust Bath Leaves Behind
- 51 audio storiesacross Waterton Lakes’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bison, Black Bear, Elk, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 47 trails, 70 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 Kootenai Brown Trail
An easy walk with a long returnThe Kootenai Brown Trail is a paved multi-use path along the Entrance Parkway, between Park…
The Kootenai Brown Trail is a paved multi-use path along the Entrance Parkway, between Park Gate and Linnet Lake Day Use Area. It is 6.9 km (4.3 mi) one way, or 13.8 km (8.6 mi) if you walk back. The grade is easy with minimal climbing. Allow about three to four hours for the full return walk; this is a linear route, so arrange a ride at the far end or retrace your steps.
Across the entrance valleyThe path follows the road corridor but keeps walkers and cyclists off the motor lane.
The path follows the road corridor but keeps walkers and cyclists off the motor lane. Open stretches look across prairie to the lakes and surrounding peaks. Near the Blakiston fan, the grassy slope is known for colorful wildflowers in spring and early summer. A longer 16 km outing is also described with a Knights Hill climb. Its exact route is unclear, so this entry sticks to the Park Gate–Linnet Lake corridor and does not mix that mileage in.
Why the path was builtThe path opened in 2010 as a legacy project for the 125th anniversary of Canada's national…
The path opened in 2010 as a legacy project for the 125th anniversary of Canada's national parks. It gives people on foot and bikes a safer link between Waterton's community and Townsite Campground and visitor facilities in the valley. Think of it as a gentle valley walk, not a backcountry climb.
Using the two endsYou can start at Park Gate or Linnet Lake Day Use Area; there is no loop.
You can start at Park Gate or Linnet Lake Day Use Area; there is no loop. Linnet Lake has flush toilets and picnic tables. No food stop or drinking-water tap along the path was confirmed. Dogs are allowed but must stay leashed and under control, and cyclists share the paved route.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Waterton Lakes
83 sightingsBisonMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
563 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
146 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
113 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
55 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
53 sightingsTrumpeter SwanMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Waterton Lakes. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
