A wildlife photography road trip centred around Radium Hot Springs with the Sony A1 II
Introduction
There are few places in Canada where photographing wild Bighorn Sheep feels as natural as it does in the Columbia Valley.
Centred around Radium Hot Springs, this part of the Canadian Kootenays has become one of my favourite places to spend a few quiet days with a camera. The scenery alone is worth the drive—snow-capped peaks, winding rivers, deep canyons, and wide mountain valleys—but it's the Bighorn Sheep that keep bringing me back.
During this trip, I wasn't chasing a checklist or trying to visit as many locations as possible. Instead, I based myself around Radium and explored at a slower pace, following the sheep, watching the changing weather, and letting the landscape shape each day.
Armed with the Sony A1 II and the Sony FE 200–600mm, I set out to photograph one of Canada's most iconic mountain animals in one of its most beautiful settings.
The Route – Exploring Around Radium Hot Springs
One of the best things about staying in Radium is that you don't need to spend hours driving between photography locations. Within a relatively small area, you can experience dramatically different landscapes while regularly encountering Bighorn Sheep throughout the valley.
Radium Hot Springs
The town itself is one of the easiest places in Canada to observe Bighorn Sheep. Throughout the day, sheep wander through neighbourhoods, graze on hillsides, and move along the rocky slopes surrounding town.
Early mornings and late afternoons were my favourite times to photograph them, when softer light and quieter streets allowed for more natural images.
Sinclair Canyon
Just minutes from town, Sinclair Canyon provides towering red rock cliffs, winding roads, and dramatic mountain scenery.
Although many visitors simply drive through, it's well worth slowing down. The canyon creates incredible compositions, especially when fresh snow settles on the cliffs or low clouds drift through the valley.
It's also one of the first places where sheep often appear along the roadside.
Columbia Valley Viewpoints
The hills above Radium provide sweeping views across the Columbia Valley.
Watching the first light reach the Purcell Mountains while fog filled the valley below became one of the highlights of the trip. Even when wildlife wasn't nearby, these landscapes were reason enough to have the camera ready before sunrise.
The scenery constantly changed depending on the weather, making every morning feel different.
Kootenay National Park
Just beyond Radium lies Kootenay National Park, where mountain valleys, forests, rivers, and rocky cliffs create endless opportunities for both landscape and wildlife photography.
Driving slowly through the park often revealed deer, coyotes, birds, and occasionally sheep moving along the slopes.
The quieter pace inside the park made it easy to stop, observe, and simply enjoy the surroundings.
What I Saw
The Bighorn Sheep were naturally the stars of the trip.
Large mature rams with heavy curling horns wandered calmly across open hillsides while younger animals fed nearby. Watching them move effortlessly across steep terrain is always impressive, no matter how many times I've photographed them.
The weather seemed to change every few hours.
One morning brought soft snowfall that covered the landscape in fresh white. Later that afternoon, clouds lifted to reveal bright mountain peaks stretching across the valley. By sunset, warm light spilled across the Columbia Valley while fog settled below.
Beyond the sheep, I was fortunate to photograph a coyote moving quietly through the snow, along with several peaceful mountain landscapes that perfectly captured the mood of late autumn in the Kootenays.
What I Felt
There's something different about photographing mountain wildlife.
The landscape naturally slows you down.
Rather than constantly searching for the next subject, I found myself spending long periods simply watching. The sheep rarely seemed concerned by my presence, allowing me to observe their behaviour without feeling rushed.
The changing weather added to that feeling.
Snowfall softened the landscape. Low clouds drifted between mountain peaks. Every viewpoint looked different depending on the hour.
Some of my favourite moments happened when I wasn't photographing at all—just standing quietly, listening to the wind moving through the valley while waiting to see what the mountains would reveal next.
What I Photographed
While the trip centred around Bighorn Sheep, I wanted the photographs to tell a broader story about the landscape they call home.
Some images focused on intimate portraits, revealing the incredible texture of their thick winter coats and the intricate ridges worn into their massive horns.
Others placed the sheep within the landscape, showing just how small they appear against the sweeping valleys and towering mountain ranges surrounding Radium.
I also photographed snowfall drifting across the animals, dramatic mountain scenery above the clouds, Sinclair Canyon after fresh snow, and one memorable encounter with a curious coyote.
Together, the collection became less about individual wildlife portraits and more about documenting the feeling of spending time in the Canadian Rockies during the quieter months of the year.
The Most Memorable Photographs
Looking back through the images, a few stand out above the rest.
One was a close portrait of a mature ram during heavy snowfall, where large snowflakes drifted past his face while he looked directly into the camera. The conditions added a softness that perfectly matched the quiet atmosphere of the day.
Another favourite showed a ram standing proudly on an open hillside with the Columbia Valley stretching far into the distance behind him. Rather than isolating the subject completely, the landscape became just as important as the sheep itself.
The sunrise above a sea of clouds overlooking the valley was another unforgettable moment. Watching the mountains slowly emerge as the morning light reached the peaks reminded me that wildlife photography isn't always about wildlife alone.
Sometimes the landscape tells just as much of the story.
The Equipment I Used
Sony A1 II
The Sony A1 II handled every situation the mountains presented.
From quiet portrait opportunities to sheep walking across uneven hillsides, the autofocus remained incredibly reliable. Its high-resolution sensor also allowed me to crop tighter when animals stayed farther away than expected while still maintaining excellent image quality.
The constantly changing weather—from snowfall to bright mountain sunlight—never seemed to challenge the camera.
Sony FE 200–600mm f/5.6–6.3 G OSS
For this trip, the 200–600mm was the only wildlife lens I really needed.
The flexibility of the zoom range allowed me to move effortlessly between environmental compositions and detailed head portraits without changing lenses. Whether a ram was feeding fifty metres away or standing high on a distant hillside, I always had enough reach to compose the image I envisioned.
It's a lens that continues to earn a place on nearly every wildlife trip I take.
Conclusion
The area surrounding Radium Hot Springs is one of those places that rewards slowing down.
You don't need to rush between destinations or cover hundreds of kilometres each day. The wildlife, landscapes, and changing mountain weather provide more than enough to keep every day interesting.
The Bighorn Sheep are undoubtedly the main attraction, but they're only one part of what makes this region special. The valleys, forests, mountain peaks, canyons, and constantly changing light create an experience that's about far more than simply photographing wildlife.
I'll remember the quiet mornings watching clouds drift through the Columbia Valley just as much as the close encounters with the rams themselves.
Trips like this remind me that some of the best wildlife photography happens when you stop chasing photographs and simply spend time in the places where wild animals live.
– Jared VanderMeer