Yoho National Park

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Yoho, which means "magnificent" in the Cree language, is a national park in Canada, on the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia. The park has an area of 1,130 square kilometres. It is bordered by Banff National Park to the east and Kootenay National Park to the south, and is part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site, one of the largest continuous protected areas on earth.

Outdoor activities at Yoho include hiking, mountain biking (on designated trails), mountain climbing, ice climbing, fishing, boating, horseback riding, kayaking, canoeing, and cross country skiing. The park has over 400 kilometres of hiking trails and 40 kilometres of groomed cross-county skiing trails.

Yoho's natural highlights include:
- Kicking Horse River
- Emerald Lake
- Lake O'Hara
- Wapta Icefield
- Waputik Icefield
- Emerald Glacier
- Takakkaw Falls
- Wapta Falls
- Mt. Stephen
- Natural Bridge
- Burgess Shale fossil beds
- hoodoo rock formations.

The town of Field, on the Trans Canada Highway, is the service centre of the Park. For official park information, download the Yoho Backcountry Guide.

Mountain Biking at Yoho

Mountain biking trails include the fire roads of Ice River (65 kilometres, moderate/novice), Kicking Horse (30 kilometres, novice), Moose Creek (22 kilometres, novice), Otterhead (21 kilometres, moderate/novice) and Ottertail (57.6, difficult/intermediate). Most mountain biking trails are rideable from late May to mid-October, and are located near the town of Field.

According to the government site: “Mountain bikes are allowed only on designated trails in Yoho. Designated trails includes these fire roads: Kicking Horse, Amiskwi, Otterhead, Ottertail, Ice River. Off trail bicycling and cycling on the O'Hara fire road is prohibited.”

Where to sleep at Yoho

There are 4 frontcountry campgrounds, 7 backcountry campgrounds, and 3 random camping areas. Campsite reservations can be made in advance, although some sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Field Visitor Centre. Backcountry camping requires a Wilderness Pass, and rules are stringent: fires are not permitted, food must be properly hung to avoid bear problems, waterside and trailside areas must be avoided, and no-trace camping must be practiced. Registration for backcountry use is voluntary, but if you register, you must check in with park authorities when you return. All regulations are included in the Backcountry Guide to Yoho National Park.

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Waterfalls of Yoho National Park

Takakkaw Falls - At the headwaters of the Kicking Horse River, this long, narrow, horsetail-shaped slice of glacial meltwater makes its spectacular, much-photographed plunge from a narrow channel fed by the Daly Glacier. Officially, Takakkaw Falls has a vertical drop of 254 metres, making it the 2nd highest waterfall in Canada after Della Falls at Della Lake, British Columbia. (Della Falls has a vertical drop of 440 metres. In comparison, the Horseshoe Falls of Niagara Falls drops 57 metres, but has a much greater volume of water flow.) Takakkaw Falls can be seen from the road (13 kilometres north of the Trans Canada Highway, near Field, at the end of Yoho Valley Road (open mid-June) but for the best view, hike the short, 1 kilometre trail to the base of the falls. The path is flat and paved, and is suitable for wheelchairs and strollers.

Laughing Falls and Twin Falls - See 4 distinctly different waterfalls on a half-day hike beyond Takakkaw Falls. The final climb to Twin Falls, on the Little Yoho Valley Trail, is a steep one, but on the way you can take short side trips to view the Angel's Staircase, a 300 metre cascading creek, and Point Lace Falls, a 13.5 metre curtain waterfall covering a cliff face below Duchesnay Lake. Just about halfway to Twin Falls, you will reach Laughing Falls, a 30 metre high burst of spray exploding from a narrow gorge of the Little Yoho River. After about 5 kilometres, you will get your first glimpse of Twin Falls, and will reach its base after passing the intersection with the Yoho Glacier Trail, about 8 kilometres from your starting point. The Twin Falls are 177 metres in height. They pour down in two spectacular streams from Twin Falls Creek. In earlier times, when the left channel of the creek became obstructed, Canadian Pacific Railway crews were sent in to open the passage with dynamite! For overnight hikers, there are 2 small backcountry campgrounds at Laughing Falls and Twin Falls; campsites should be reserved in advance.

Wapta Falls - About 24 kilometres southwest of Field, near the town of Golden, the Kicking Horse River drops 30 metres at its full width. Wapta Falls has the largest volume of water of all waterfalls in Yoho National Park; they also have the distinction of being close to the spot where Kicking Horse Pass explorer James Hector was knocked unconscious by his horse. You can hike to the thundering water from a road just off the Trans Canada Highway, on an easy-going 7-kilometre round-trip trail.

The Iceline Trail

Yoho National Park's Iceline Trail is a stand-out hiking route. The trail begins near Takakkaw Falls, at the end of Yoho Valley Road, just east of the town of Field on the Trans Canada Highway. It skirts the edge of the Emerald Glacier, meeting it in 4 places, and winds through alpine heaths lined with heather, mosses and Douglas Fir.
Several lookouts along the trail provide views of the area's outstanding landmarks, including Takakkaw Falls, Mount Ogden, Wapta Mountain, the President and Vice-President Peaks, Cathedral Mountain, Mount Stephen, Mount Burges, Daly Glacier and the Waputik Icefield. Just past the 10-kilometre point, the Iceline meets the Little Yoho Valley Trail, following the Little Yoho River to a junction with the Celeste Lake and Whaleback Trail junctions. Hikers can choose to take an extended hike on the steep switchbacks of the Whaleback Trail to Twin Falls, or return to Takakkaw Falls via the Celeste Lake Connector and the Iceline Trail.
The Iceline Trail, with a loop back to Takakkaw Falls via the Celeste Connector, is a 20.7 kilometre hike of moderate difficulty. The elevation gain is 725 metres, reaching a maximum elevation of 2,200 metres. Backpackers can expect to complete the Trail in 2 days, with an overnight stop at the Stanley Mitchell Alpine Hut (operated by the Alpine Club of Canada) or the Little Yoho Valley Campground operated by Yoho National Park. Hikers should be prepared to encounter changeable weather, fog, mud and snow at higher elevations, even in July and August. Check at the Field Visitors Centre for daily weather forecasts before setting out.

Peaks at Yoho

Yoho's most impressive peaks are part of the Eastern Main Ranges of the Rockies, located near its eastern boundary, adjacent to the Continental Divide.

Wildlife at Yoho

Wildlife in the park is both abundant and observable. Elk, moose, deer, wolf, and the more elusive Canadian lynx make their home in the park. The Eastern Slope Grizzly Bear Project exists to protect the bears. Commonly known as Silvertips, the Rocky Mountain variety of Grizzly has long hairs along the shoulders and back that are frosted with white, thus giving a grizzled appearance. Although they are often seen eating berries and roots, they are quite carnivorous in the park region, hunting moose, elk, mountain sheep and goats, or feeding on the vulnerable populations of breeding salmon in the summer.
The real danger of attack from this animal is often exaggerated. In general, they attempt to avoid human contact unless startled at close quarters with young or engrossed in a search for food. Certain parts of the Lake O'Hara area trails are subject to seasonal closures in order to protect grizzly bear habitat and reduce human/bear encounters.

Controlled fishing is allowed in the park.

Wolverines live in the park, and are a threatened species. If you see any animals or tracks, help the conservation effort by reporting them to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC)