Province: Alberta
Most known for:
towering rock walls, spectacular waterfalls and 28 peaks over 3,000 metres in height
Basic Info:
Yoho covers 507 sq miles, the smallest of the region’s four contiguous national parks. It is boarded by Kootnenary National Park to the south and the Banff National Park to the east. The word Yoho is a Cree expression of amazement or awe, and it is an apt description for the park's spectacular landscape of massive ice fields and mountain peaks, which rank among the highest in the Canadian Rockies.
The park was initially created in 1886, same day as Glacier National Park was created, making Yoho and Glacier the second and third national parks in the country, after Banff National Park.
Plan your visit:
Car and walking are the main ways of getting around. There is no public transport in the park but the park does offer a few shuttle buses to key locations. The highway is the only major road in the park. Some of the smaller side roads, such as The Little Yoho Valley Road to Takakkaw Falls, are closed due to snow in the winter and may not be open until around June.
Reference:
https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/bc/yoho
Wikipedia
Yoho National Park
Point of Interests:
Emerald Lake
Freshwater lake enclosed by mountains of the President Range. Other peaks are Mount Burgess and Wapta Mountain. 1,200 meters above sea level, the lake is frozen from November until late April or early May. The vivid green color of the water is caused by powdered rock from the glaciers, which reflects the blue-green spectrum of sunlight. The rock type and the amount of it in the water causes the color to vary from lake to lake, month to month, event week to week.
Lakeshore trail (5.2 km, easy): a gentle trail surrounded by mountains and glacier views. Includes a level, gravel path from the parking area to the bridge at the back of the lake.
Natural Bridge
Marvel at the force of the Kicking Horse River as it cascades under a naturally formed stone bridge. This rambunctious river takes its name from a near-fatal kick that stunned James Hector while exploring the area in 1858.
Kicking Horse River
Follow this Canadian Heritage River from its source at Wapta Lake down to the expansive, braided gravel flats near the Village of Field and beyond to the Natural Bridge and Wapta Falls where doctor James Hector was kicked by his packhorse while travelling with the famed Palliser Expedition.
Takakkaw Falls
Cool off in the mist as you stand at the base of the second highest waterfalls in Canada.
Wapta Falls
Wapta Falls Trail (4.6 km, moderate)
At 30 metres high and 150 metres wide, this is the largest waterfall on the Kicking Horse River.
Spiral Tunnels Viewpoint
Watch trains snake through the Spiral Tunnels from the viewpoints on the Trans-Canada Highway or Yoho Valley Road. Discover how Yoho’s towering peaks and steep hills inspired the stories of the Kicking Horse Pass National Historic Site.
Burgess Shale Fossil Guided Hikes
Meet your ancient ancestors and hold a piece of the earth’s history in your hands on a guided hike to Walcott Quarry or the Mount Stephen trilobite bed restricted fossil sites.
Marble Canyon
Hike along the rim on a canyon, admiring the smooth limestone rock on the cliffside. Want to extend your hike? Continue to Paint Pots Springs to observe three iron-rich mineral springs.
Twin Falls
16.4 km via Trans-Canada Highway and Yoho Valley Road, which is open mid-June through mid-October.
Lake O’Hara
The Lake O’Hara area is a true gem in Yoho National Park. To protect this sensitive alpine area and provide a wilderness experience, access to Lake O’Hara is managed through Parks Canada shuttle bus reservations, which runs typically June - October. Advanced reservations are required for the shuttle and campground.
Prime hiking season in the Lake O’Hara area runs July through late-September. Until late June, many higher routes are still snow-bound and may be subject to avalanche hazard.
https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/bc/yoho/activ/randonnee-hike/ohara/visit
https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/bc/yoho/activ/places
