A Beginners Guide: Yoho National Park
This is your guide to all things Yoho National Park.
About Yoho National Park and its History
Embedded in the Rocky Mountains at the British Columbia/Alberta border lies Yoho National Park, named after the Cree word meaning “awe”. The park offers vast mountain ranges with rushing waters in between, rushing down from 28 mountain peaks. Yoho was initially discovered in 1858 by Prime Minister John A MacDonald after the Transcontinental Railway through Kicking Horse Pass was completed. It wasn’t until 1886 that Yoho National Park was established. Glacier National Park was established the same day, being the second and third National Parks in Canada, behind Banff. Among many other national and provincial parks, Yoho was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1964. Being much smaller than its neighboring Banff National Park, Yoho is 1289 square kilometers.
The historic hamlet of Field, nestled in the heart of Yoho National Park, is known for its past of being a mining town, and a town that Albertans would go to when there was a beer strike! This used to be a town for all the workers of the Pacific Railway back in the 1880’s, but now is home to a small community of 200 people and is a pinpoint for many main attractions of Yoho - Spiral Tunnels, Takakkaw Falls, Emerald Lake, Natural Bridge. I’ll touch on those later. To get to Field, from Calgary, hop on the Trans-Canada 1 west for about 200 km, and you’ll get there! Pretty easy! Being surrounded by mountains on both sides, you are able to see some of the remaining coal mines. They aren’t being used anymore and most of them are caged off, but some can be accessible by some hiking/rock climbing.
There are two icefields in Yoho National Park - Waputik and Wapta - which is where the Kicking Horse River originates from. The water is never more than 24 hours old. It’s super fresh and COLD glacier water! I wouldn’t dare jump in but that’s just me. On one of our trips in Summer 2018, we went White Water Rafting just outside of Golden, BC on the Kicking Horse River with Alpine Rafting, and one of the guys in our raft jumped in, but the weather was much too cold for anyone else to want to. My boyfriend had went previously with friends and it was much warmer and he jumped in, and he said it definitely takes your breath away! It was such an amazing experience, and I highly suggest if you ever get the chance to go white water rafting, take it, no matter how scared you may be! Kicking Horse River got its name after a horse kicked the explorer James Hector in the chest into the river in 1858.
There are endless amounts of sights to see and things to do in Yoho National park that include Emerald Lake, Takakkaw Falls, Wapta Falls, Spiral Tunnels, Natural Bridge, Burgess Shale, Hoodoos and Lake O’Hara. Among all that, there are more than 400 kms of hiking trails, which I will obviously share with you throughout the future!
The Pinpoints Of Yoho National Park
Natural Bridge
This is quite the cool little place to stop. To get to the Natural Bridge, turn on Emerald Lake Road about 1 km west of Field and go for about 2 kms or so, the bridge will be on your left! The rushing waters of the Kicking Horse River created a hole through the rock of what once was a waterfall, making the top part a ‘Natural Bridge’, although you can’t walk on it, as the name may be deceiving. And to the people that DO try to walk across, 1) thanks for getting in everyone’s photos 2) you could slip as its VERY slippery and if you do, adios. (And here’s a tip: Don’t do it with your children, you psychos!). There are some little side trails down below that can take you to some much nicer viewpoints and farther down the river that not many people get to. They make for some awesome photos! And just a reminder, this is the ‘slower moving’ water of the Kicking Horse!
Emerald Lake
Once you’ve finished up at the Natural Bridge, you can continue on Emerald Lake Road to the main attraction, Emerald Lake. I was in awe here. I can’t wait to be back to hike some trails and hopefully hop on a canoe, which I highly suggest doing if the chance is there! Parking is scarce, so be prepared to walk a little! This is the largest lake in Yoho National Park, and also the most beautiful. A 5.2 km trail circles the lake. Part of the path is paved and offers views of the lake and mountains. This portion is suitable for wheelchairs and strollers. Near the back of the lake the trail becomes a little more uneven and consists of a dirt trail and some boardwalks. Allow between 1 to 1.5 hours to do the entire loop. There are also some more intense trails for an experienced hiker. Bring bear spray! The Emerald Lake Lodge is the only accommodation at the lake, originally built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1902. Wifi Free, TV Free, no cell service, nothing but Natures Bliss surrounding you. There are 2 restaurants and an outdoor hot tub! During the winter this is a popular spot for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, with rentals available at the gift shop! Make sure you where proper footwear for hiking the trails!
Takakkaw Falls
Situated just west of the Continental Divide lies Takakkaw Falls; the 2nd largest Waterfall in all of Canada, and by far one of the most breathtaking. The Falls are one of the most prominent attractions in the park, with its roaring waters fed by snow and ice melt that originate in the Daly Glacier. Before the waters reach the actual Takakkaw Falls, dropping nearly 373 m, it rushes through a U-Shaped Valley that consist of 3 distinct, nearly vertical drops. To access the falls, head west on Transcanada Hwy 1 from Lake Louise. You will come to Spiral Tunnels Lookout Point on the right hand side, which if you catch at the right time, you can see the end of the train from the one tunnel, and the beginning of the train through the next. Continue down the highway and once you get to the bottom of the hill, you will turn right onto Little Yoho Valley Rd. The drive to the falls will take you about 15-20 minutes including lots of winds and switchbacks, including one hairpin turn — I highly suggest NOT taking a trailer, RV or Motor home down this road because you will NOT MAKE IT, as we even found it extremely tight in our truck. You will know you have arrived once you reach the parking lot, which usually can be very full. We just parked along the road. You will have to hike about 5-10 minutes along the well laid-out trail to get to the falls. Make sure you bring your raincoat and forget any electronics you don’t want to risk getting wet in the car. You are able to hear the roaring waters from the parking lot, getting louder and louder each step you make. The closer you get to the falls, the more wet you will get. You are able to crawl on rocks to get a better photo-op but many people choose to stay back. Some people chose to hike up to the left of the waterfall, but we decided against. Enjoy the serenity of the crashing waters.
Wapta Falls
Located just inside the west boundaries of Yoho National Park, standing 30 m tall and 150 m wide, is Wapta Falls — the biggest waterfall in the Kicking Horse River. Following TransCanada Hwy 1 West, you will find the Wapta Falls Trailhead turnoff, about 2 km before the end of the park. You can easily just put Wapta Falls Trail into your maps and it should take you to the turnoff! Once turned off, you will follow the road for just over a km until you reach the parking lot. The well defined trailhead is easy to spot, near the back. You gain some elevation along this trail, but overall an easy hike, which would be considered child friendly! The hike in is about 1.5 km, making it just over 3 km round trip. You are hidden by trees for a large portion of the hike, but as you get closer you can hear the roaring waters through the Kicking Horse River. You will eventually hit a fenced off area that descends quickly. You can enjoy the falls from here, but most choose to descend down a bit further to get up close and personal. Enjoy the beautiful colors of the pools below the waterfalls from this vantage point. Along the descent, you will head back a little farther into the trees but you will come back out to optimal views, right at the base of the waterfall. There is a hill blocking lots of the mist and “back splash” of the waterfall, but also slightly blocking the view, so we decided to climb up onto the hill. We got absolutely soaked, but it was so worth it to be able to see the strength of the water plummeting below you. Especially on a hot day, the mist is very revitalizing and gives you a boost for your hike back. On our way to the Falls we actually ended up going way past the turn off and on some back road in hopes we could access it from the other side of the kicking horse. We had some luck, finding some remote, free campsites with amazing views of the waterfall, but didn’t get us as close as we pleased. We are so glad we didn’t just give up there, and turned around to find the actual trailhead.
Yoho National Park Camping
Camping is available in all National Parks from Mid-May to Mid-October. There are 4 different front country camping options in Yoho National Park. All campgrounds run on a first come, first serve basis, so make sure you arrive early! Demand is highest on long weekends and all weekends in July and August
Here are the prices based per night
Kicking Horse (unserviced w/ toilet and showers, sani-dump, fire-pits ($8.80)) -$29.25
Monarch (unserviced w/ sani-dump) - $18.75
Takakkaw Falls (unserviced, walk-in, fire-pits ($9.50)) - $18.75
Hoodoo Creek (unserviced, fire-pit ($9.59)) - $16.75
There are also reservable backcountry camping options available. There are 4 campgrounds that are all accessible from the Takakkaw falls. All campgrounds are equipped with tent pads, dry toilets, communal picnic tables and food storage cables or lockers. There are also 3 hut options, provided by the Alpine Club of Canada. For more info about the trails, accessing and booking your backcountry campsite visit here!
Reserve your next campsite in Yoho National Park here!
2023 reservations open up March 22nd, 2023!
Park Pass
Unless you are just passing through Yoho and making no stops, you will need a park pass. There is the option of getting a day pass, or purchasing an annual pass.
Youth - Free
National Park Daily Entry
Adult $10.50
Senior $9.00
Youth - free
Family/Group $21.00
Commercial Group, per person $9.00
Discovery Pass
Adult $72.25
Senior $61.75
Family/Group $145.25
Passes can be purchased at the gate door
To order Day Passes online click here
To order Discovery Passes online click here
