Yoho National Park is located in British Columbia just west of the Alberta border (operates on the Alberta time zone, MST). The park encompasses 1,313 km² of wilderness. It is most often visited along with stops in Banff or Glacier National Park. I’ve been fortunate to experience the park not once, but twice, on delightful day trips that left me longing for more.
Takakkaw Falls
0.7km – easy – out and back
The most famous part of the park is Takakkaw Falls. It is the second tallest waterfall in Canada and is SO accessible. It is 373 metres (1,224 ft), second to Della Falls (440m, 1443 ft) which is located on Vancouver Island.
The falls is located a short drive away from other popular locations (~30 minutes from Lake Louise, ~1 hour away from Golden BC). Accessing the falls begins with a drive up some steep switch backs. The switch backs are steep and narrow but neither of my tiny hatchback carshare cars had any issue. Larger vehicles such as RV’s with wide turning radiuses may have difficulty making it up. On my first trip up to the falls we saw some hoary marmots on our drive up!
Once you ascend the switchbacks the falls quickly come into view and after parking in the lot it is only a 15-20 minute walk to the base of the falls (but the length really depends how many times you stop to take photos).The walk is easy along a well established path. It is kid, wheelchair, pet, and stroller friendly!
If you want to get extra close to the falls you can do a bit of a scramble over the rocky outcrop at the base of the falls. You will get wet so bring a raincoat!
Emerald Lake
Emerald Lake also makes a good stop. The beautiful green turquoise waters against mountain backdrops rival those of Lake Louise and Moraine lake. We visited on a foggy day and didn’t spend too much time there but there are plenty of ways to spend the day. You can rent a canoe or bring a canoe and paddle the lake. If you’re feeling brave you can swim in the chilly water.
The low clouds ended up making for some of my favourite photos of the trip
You could also do one of the hikes in the area that start at the Emerald Lake Parking lot:
- Emerald Lake – 5.2 km, easy 2 hour – loop
- Hamilton Falls – 1.2 km, easy 30 minute – out and back
- Emerald Basin – 9.2 km, moderate 3.5 hours, 225m elevation – out and back
- Hamilton Lake – 11 km, moderate 5 hours, 850m elevation – out and back
- Yoho Pass – 12.8 km, moderate 5 hours, 530m elevation – out and back
- Emerald Triangle – 19.7 km, difficult 8 hours, 880m elevation – loop
- Yoho Glacier Moraine – 16.8 km, difficult 7 hours, 250m elevation – out and back
Reading about them now I definitely want to return and hike some of these trails!
You can watch both of my visits to Yoho on my youtube channel or below!
Land Acknowledgement
I would like to acknowledge that Yoho National Park is located on the traditional territory of the Ktunaxa, Blackfoot, and Cree First Nations. I travel with respect in the National Parks knowing that these lands were stolen from those to whom they first and rightfully belonged.
