Rockwall Trail Campgrounds: Five Camps, Floe Lake's Late Start and Numa Creek

Access points and the Numa Creek closure

From north to south the trailheads are Paint Pots (84 km from Radium Hot Springs, for the Helmet Creek and Tumbling Creek trails), Numa Falls (80 km) and Floe Lake (72 km), all on Highway 93 South. You can walk the route in either direction, and you need a shuttle between trailheads.

On its October 22, 2026 trail report Parks Canada lists the Numa Creek trail as closed until further notice because of a bridge washout and debris on the trail. Check the Kootenay trail report before you plan an entry or exit at Numa Falls.

Shorter versions exist. The Tumbling, Helmet and Ochre loop is 36.9 km (22.9 mi) from Paint Pots and back with no shuttle. Tumbling to Floe is 37.7 km (23.4 mi) and needs a shuttle.

When to go, and Floe Lake's late start

Parks Canada recommends mid-July to early October. The higher sections are snowbound until early to mid-July, and autumn snow can make hiking hard in late September and October. Parks Canada does not book sites at the Floe Lake campground until July 10. Demand is highest in July and August.

Campground rules in Kootenay

Every campground has tent pads, dry toilets, shared picnic tables and food storage cables or lockers. All food, garbage, toiletries and cooking gear go in the lockers or on the poles. No campground allows fires, and campfires are not allowed anywhere in Kootenay's backcountry, so bring a stove. Random camping is not allowed in the park from May to October. Stay 100 m from bears, which is a park regulation, and always carry bear spray.

The longest stay at one campground is three consecutive nights. Pets are allowed on a leash. Overnights that are not entirely at designated campgrounds, such as a bivouac, are booked through a Parks Canada visitor centre, not online.

In Banff, Kootenay, Yoho and Jasper you do not register in person: your confirmation letter is your permit. Carry it, on paper or as a screenshot, and show it to Parks Canada staff when asked. A backcountry permit is valid in all four parks, and you also need a national park entry pass.

Fees and cancelling

The backcountry fee is CA$15.00 per person per night, and the reservation fee is CA$11.50 online or CA$13.50 by phone, once per stay and not refundable. Parks Canada's reservation terms: cancel at least 3 days before arrival and you get a full refund less the non-refundable reservation fee and a cancellation fee (CA$11.50 online, CA$13.50 by phone). Cancel later than that, but before 2 pm on arrival day, and you also lose the first night's camping fee. Changes can be made until 2 pm on arrival day for a CA$11.50 online fee, and delaying your arrival inside those 3 days costs the first night too.

What PermitSnag does here

Each permit page says whether you can set a PermitSnag alert for it, and links to the agency that sells it.

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