Family Fun in Glacier of the North (Canada’s Glacier National Park)

As you drive in to Loop Brook Campground (one of three campgrounds in Glacier with 20 first come-first serve campsites), you are greeted by stone pillars that supported railway tracks in days gone by, and towering hemlocks and cedars. Take in the cool, moist air; the music of rushing water; and golden, dappled sunlight filtering through the trees. It is easy to find a perfect campsite at Loop Brook: all are shaded and level, and washrooms and firewood are close by. Although there are no showers at Loop Brook, there are flush toilets, a dish washing sink, beautiful cook shelter, and firewood (available with purchase of a Fire Permit). We expected a lot of road noise at night being close to the highway, but the creek drowned it out, so everyone had a pleasant sleep.

If you stay at Loop Brook, the self-guided Loop Brook Trail, departing from the campground, is a must! As you climb up and away from the brook, you pass by tall stone pillars – some of the oldest manmade structures in western Canada – and can read the interpretive signs. Where the trail flattens out, you tread on the old railway surface. The wooden ties are still there peeking through the dirt! Typically, the trail is a 1.6 km loop, but as of July 2014, when we were there, the last section of the trail was covered by a mudslide and closed, so we had to go back the way we came. Although Parks Canada describes the trail as having “short, steep sections”, our 3 year old and 5 year old had no trouble completing the hike on foot.

These stone pillars supported railway tracks long ago. At Loop Brook Campground.

The next day we headed to Hemlock Grove Boardwalk Trail for a “hike”. I had been to Hemlock Grove before, but the huge trees – up to 350 years old – never fail to amaze me. This trail is barrier-free and suitable for strollers and wheelchairs, but if your kids are like mine, they’ll run the whole 400 metres. Since they were done in minutes, we went through a second time to take some photos, then had a little snack near the parking lot and watched the ground squirrels. Some people must feed them, for the cheeky little critters were so bold as to dash under our table for crumbs!

Balu Pass Trail, Glacier National Park of Canada

BC’s Glacier National Park offers beautiful scenery, well appointed campgrounds, and a variety of trails to suit different ages and abilities, but without the crowds of other areas in the Rockies. The glaciers against blue skies are stunning! It’s a great destination on its own, or stopping spot en route to the Okanagan or Vancouver.