July 3: from Banff to Hosmer via Kootenay National Park on Highways 93, 95 and 3
Kootenay National Park had a huge fire in 2003 that burned 12% of the park-- as evidenced along the road. We made three stops along the way: the Continental Divide, Marble Canyon and the Paint Pots.
As we descended down the west side of the Rockies, it got warmer and the landscape drier. Other than passing by the source of the Columbia River, this long stretch of road was uneventful-- until we turned east on Highway 3 and headed back up into the Rockies-- where, because of campgrounds being booked everywhere, settled on a low-scale RV spot for the night.