Lee and Karen Duquette,
The Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
at Rock Garden
in Canada's Glacier National Park
and climbed over very big boulders to see a glacier.
August 7, 2015


The trail had a boardwalk for a short distance. Then there was a sign with an arrow saying go to the right, which the two RV Gypsies did.

On the lower part of the Rockgarden Trail, the two RV Gypsies saw moss and lichen covered boulder fields that date back to the last Ice Age. The trail led through black and grizzly bear habitat, and up to a viewpoint overlooking glaciers and the mountain barrier of Rogers Pass. Lee and Karen Duquette did NOT meet bears, thank goodness. At times, they were not sure where the trail was.





If you look on the upper right side of the map above, it shows rocks with the symbol in the photos below, then the trail goes into the rock area. The two RV Gypsies did not have the map with them because the brochures in the parking lot were all gone. Karen Duquette did not like the looks of the trail going upwards, and she just was not sure of which way to continue, so they walked back to the parking lot to look at the map on the bulletin board again.

Below: Lee and Karen Duquette went back to where the sign with the arrow pointing right was located. But this time, instead of going to the right, they headed up the steep stone staircase towards the glacier. (This is the trail to the left on the map above).

The upper Rockgarden Trail offered a rustic and primitive experience. It is a single file trail with rock staircases, stepping stones, slippery and steep sections and sharp cliff faces. It is recommend that hikers wear footwear appropriate for backcountry-style hiking, and that hikers keep children under their strict control. The Rockgarden trail is not recommended for pets. Below, a bit of the glacier can be seen behind Karen Duquette, although the glacier is actually a bit washed out in the photo.

Below: Lee and Karen Duquette continued up the trail and climbed over big boulders. There was one area (shown in the photos below) with a railing that was a big help.

Below: A glimpse of the road below.

Below: Another symbol in a rock, about 1/3 of the way up the trail.

Below: Lee Duquette did very well climbing on the trail - (now that he has new knees).

Below: The Rock Garden trail wandered through an old rock avalanche area. Note in the pictures, nature hard at work eroding the rocks by growing trees on them.



Below: Karen Duquette is in the next four photos below. Very proud of herself for making the climb with a bad knee. The knee brace helped a lot.

Below: The trees are pretty tall here. Karen Duquette can barely be seen in the second photo below. Good thing she wore a white blouse instead of a green blouse.




SURPRISE! Lee Duquette's cell phone rang. It was John and Renee calling. The two RV Gypsies were in shock that they had cell service up on top of these rocks. After all, they did not get cell service most of the time in campgrounds.


Below: Lee and Karen Duquette made it to the top of the rocks. Then the trail went into the woods, so the two RV Gypsies decided not to go any further, because they knew that trail went along the top of the ridge for miles. Plus, this was the most photographic part of the hike.

Below: The two RV Gypsies enjoyed various views of the glacier as they climbed up and back down the big boulders.

This is not a linear website, so visitors always have options of where to navigate next. Below are three of those options.

Visit sites in the order they happened and continue on to Canyon Hot Springs Resort in Revelstoke.

OR

RETURN to the British Columbia main menu.

OR

Go to the main Canada menu for Alberta, Saskatchewan, The Yukon Territory, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, PEI, Nova Scotia, Campobello Island, and New Brunswick.

The trail had a boardwalk for a short distance. Then there was a sign with an arrow saying go to the right, which the two RV Gypsies did.

Below: Lee and Karen Duquette went back to where the sign with the arrow pointing right was located. But this time, instead of going to the right, they headed up the steep stone staircase towards the glacier. (This is the trail to the left on the map above).

Below: Lee and Karen Duquette continued up the trail and climbed over big boulders. There was one area (shown in the photos below) with a railing that was a big help.

Below: A glimpse of the road below.

Below: Another symbol in a rock, about 1/3 of the way up the trail.

Below: Lee Duquette did very well climbing on the trail - (now that he has new knees).

Below: The Rock Garden trail wandered through an old rock avalanche area. Note in the pictures, nature hard at work eroding the rocks by growing trees on them.

Below: Karen Duquette is in the next four photos below. Very proud of herself for making the climb with a bad knee. The knee brace helped a lot.

Below: The trees are pretty tall here. Karen Duquette can barely be seen in the second photo below. Good thing she wore a white blouse instead of a green blouse.

SURPRISE! Lee Duquette's cell phone rang. It was John and Renee calling. The two RV Gypsies were in shock that they had cell service up on top of these rocks. After all, they did not get cell service most of the time in campgrounds.

Below: Lee and Karen Duquette made it to the top of the rocks. Then the trail went into the woods, so the two RV Gypsies decided not to go any further, because they knew that trail went along the top of the ridge for miles. Plus, this was the most photographic part of the hike.

Below: The two RV Gypsies enjoyed various views of the glacier as they climbed up and back down the big boulders.

This is not a linear website, so visitors always have options of where to navigate next. Below are three of those options.

Visit sites in the order they happened and continue on to Canyon Hot Springs Resort in Revelstoke.

OR

RETURN to the British Columbia main menu.

OR

Go to the main Canada menu for Alberta, Saskatchewan, The Yukon Territory, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, PEI, Nova Scotia, Campobello Island, and New Brunswick.