MARBLE CANYON and PAINT POTS: Kootenay National Park, British Columbia, Canada

Continuing 7 km south on the Highway 93 you'll reach beautiful Marble Canyon.

There is a short but very beautiful trail here, a 1,6 km (return) interpretive trail crosses the narrow gorge over footbridges and ends at a waterfall where Tokumm Creek plummets into the canyon. The trail tells the geological story of Marble Canyon and Prospectors Valley. Blue glacial meltwater, grey limestone walls, and green cliff-dwelling plants make Marble Canyon one of the most colourful canyons in the mountain parks. More 3 km to the south on the Highway 93 from Marble Canyon is Paint Pots. The Paint Pots are pools of water formed by gradual deposition of iron salts around the rim. A 1.5 km trail leads to this point of unique geological and historical interest. About 100 years ago, the colorful earth out of these ochre pools, were collected by the Kootenay people and later by European settlers to use as a coloring agent. Cold, iron-rich mineral springs bubble up through small pools and stain the earth a deep ochre colour.