YoHo! The BETTER Banff...

Yoho is better! Everything about it is better. The mountains are higher. The lakes are bluer. The glaciers are whiter. And best of all...people are scarce! Yoho hides Canada's highest waterfall (Takkakaw), it's second longest glacier (Yoho), and a handful of lakes that put Lake Louise to shame, Emerald Lake and the fabled Lake O'Hara, to name just two.

Quick Tips:

Many of Yoho's wonders are at high-elevations that do not thaw until late summer, August and September, so plan your stay accordingly. However, if you just want to witness the sights in the Yoho Valley, late spring (May and June) is better as the waterfalls are running harder due to the spring thaw. Camping is plentiful, but if you're a luxury traveller, try the Emerald Lake Lodge, the Lake O'Hara Lodge, or the rustic backcountry Twin Falls Chalet.

Best Way To Get Around:

You simply have to have a car to see Yoho, even more so than in Banff. There is no scheduled transportation to any of the major sights (with the exception of the Lake O'Hara bus, but there is no scheduled transportation to the bus terminal!) Keep your car filled with gas. The ONLY gas available is at the north boundary of the park at Lake Louise summit at the top of the pass.

The gracious old Emerald Lake Lodge was built in 1902 by the Canadian Pacific Railroad, and it was expanded in 1928. Soon after, the Canadian government passed a law forbidding further development, and the rooms (which undergo continual rennovation and upgrade) project a luxuriant atmosphere in the midst of rugged and historic surroundings.

The Lodge rests on the shores of magnificent Emerald Lake, which many say (like her finer sister Lake O'Hara) puts Lake Louise to shame.

Definitely you'll find more gracious and secluded surroundings and more personal service here than at the Chateau Lake Louise, all with a smaller price tag!

The Lodge offers 4 room categories.

SUPERIOR
These large rooms have 1 queen bed (or 2 doubles) with feather duvets and pillows, full bath, and a living area with a wood burning fireplace. Off season rates start at $165 ($100US) for a double, but can skyrocket to $360 ($220US) in the peak of summer.

DELUXE ROOMS
Slightly larger than the superior rooms, the only principle difference is a lake view.

EXECUTIVE ROOMS
These suites offer expanded living areas with a fold-out double couch, as well as a wrap-around balcony with views of the lake.

POINT CABIN
This single unit is the Lodge's most coveted suite. In the master bedroom there is a king-size canopy bed, large living area with fold-out double couch, one and a half bathrooms, kitchenette, and a wrap-around balcony. It is a separate unit right on the lakeshore with tremendous views.

Unlike most of the Rocky's lakeside lodges, the Emerald does not have set-price inventory. They adjust their rates by supply and demand, so I have just given you an example. To get the best rate, visit in late September or early October when no one is there and the weather is still lovely.

Dining in their lakeview dining room offers delightful culinary experiences based on local traditional cuisine. The menu is heavily weighted with wild game prepared with gourmet flare and served alongside their extensive wine list.

If I had to choose one lakeside lodge in the Rockies, it would be Lake O'Hara. If I had to choose the next, it would undoubtedly be Emerald Lake.

The Lake O'Hara Lodge consists of a gracious main lodge along with tiny rustic but comfortable cabins sprinkled along the lakeshore. It was built in 1928 and has been consistenly upgraded and renovated to its current luxury status.

All meals, taxes, and transfers on the school bus are included in their rates, which for 2002 are listed below.

SUMMER
Room in lodge with shared bath - $240 US
Lakeshore cabin with private bath - $320 US
Deluxe cabin - $360 US

WINTER
$130 US, main lodge with shared bath only

Is this expensive? YES. It is worth it? YES. During the winter you'll be one of only 16 guests. During the summer, you'll be one of 50. The staff-to-guest ratio is often 2 to 1, greater in the winter. They provide everything from personal guides and naturalists to fine cuisine and wine every night. They pack sumptuous picnic lunches for you to take on your hikes.

Staying at this charming and rustic backcountry lodge is the PINNACLE of a Canadian Rockies luxury experience. Forget the Chateau Lake Louise, the Banff Springs, or the Jasper Park Lodge, Lake O'Hara makes fools of them all!

There are tons of campgrounds in Yoho park but my favorite is at the end of the Yoho Valley Road, just past the turnoff for Takkakaw Falls.

This well maintained campground is much smaller than the "sardine campgrounds" near Banff or Lake Louise. Tent sites are spread out underneath the trees so no one feels crowded. There are nice restrooms, large bear-proof bins to deposit trash, and several large "cabin" enclosures to store your food to protect it from bears and other noctural critters. There is even a large "banquet cabin" with fireplace and grill for group parties. Wood for your fire is also provided from the community pile in the center of the campground.

Don't get me wrong... This is a WELL-DEVELOPED campground, but it's in the middle of the wilderness, and the people who camp here are WILDERNESS people. We're not talking U.S. State Park-type camping.

Water can be secured from a pump (it should be treated) or from the waterfall that plunges over the cliff that backs the campground.

Registration is on the honor system, just find a site you like and fill out the envelope at the registry board in the center of the campground.

The best thing about this campground is that many sights have a view of thundering Takkakaw falls, 1km down the valley from it. At night the sound of the distant crashing water lulls you to sleep.

If you happen to choose a more secluded site up near the cliff, a small stream dances over it, providing you with your own tiny waterfall vista.

The only negative to this campsite is that you can't drive into it. Well, that's actually a positive, as there aren't any noisy smelly vehicles to contend with. But you'll have to make the 1km hike (just over 1/2 a mile) several times to bring all your gear in. The campground hosts thoughtfully provide little wheelbarrow carts to assist you with this.

Wild strawberries grow alongside the trail into the campsite (usually ripe in August), and I always enjoy strawberries in my granola for breakfast.

This is an idyllic campsite, and for $10 a night ($6US) you simply can't beat it.

In 1921, trail workers hired by the Canadian Pacific Railway constructed a rustic lodge at the foot of Twin Falls, the spectacular double cascade at the head of the Yoho Valley.

Instead of following in the footsteps of the now-luxury lodges on many Rockies lakes, the Twin Falls Chalet still operates as a more rustic, budget-oriented hostelry.

Owner Fran Drummond serves up legendary hospitality and meals to the hikers that stay in this 14-bed lodge.

The experience here is just about one step above camping out. Though a few rooms have private bath, and though the place is very homey and comfy, you're still "roughing" it, which means NO electricity or hot water!

Fran prepares excellent meals which are normally included in the cost of the room.

The chalet has been under enormous demand recently, and with increased restrictions and pressure by the park service, I believe they will be adjusting their rates for this coming season.

Last I heard, beds were $65 ($40US) including dinner. But call Fran to make sure.

The tough hike to Hamilton Lake is one of my favorites in all of the Canadian Rockies. While it does not posses much of the spectacular and dramatic scenery of the hikes around Lake O'Hara or along the Icefields Parkway, it leads to a high glacial cirque containing an impossibly blue lake in the midst of surroundings that I can only describe as "magical."

The 2.5 mile trail gains almost 3,000 feet in elevation, which means that while this hike is neither long nor technically dangerous, it's STEEP and exhausting!

To locate the trailhead, drive the Emerald Lake Road all the way to the end. Find a parking spot, then stroll to the restrooms at the end of the lot. (You can fill your water bottles here if you need to.)

Turn to face the road at the beginning of the lot. Walk along the extreme right hand side of the parking lot (opposite the lodge) scanning the treeline for a trail sign. If you reach the sign for the stables, you've gone too far, but the staff at the stables can point you in the right direction.

Several trails split from this one during the first half mile. Just keep following the arrows for Hamilton Lake.

The first scenic spot you come to is Hamilton Falls, a lovely and delicately tiered falls. After Hamilton Falls, the trail becomes gruelingly steep, and you'll be ready to cut your legs off by the time you burst out of the forest into open country.

At this point, the views off in the distance to the mountains around Lake Louise are stunning enough to distract you for awhile, and after about half a mile the trail suddenly pops up into the cirque at the edge of the lake.

Best views of the lake are aquired by climbing the hill near the lake outlet, or by following the trail along the lefthand shore of the lake to it's far shore.

Experienced scramblers may continue past the trails end and ascend to the right-most high saddle visible high above the lake. Here you are treated to airy views of the glaciers and waterfalls pouring off The President mountain. A careful ascent from the lakeshore will take an hour.

Takkakaw Falls is the highest waterfall in the Canadian Rockies, with a vertical drop of 1,016 feet. The name "Takkakaw" is a Cree Indian word meaning "It is wonderful."

And indeed it is! Takkakaw Falls is breathtaking (literally!) every season of the year.

In summer, the waterfall is frozen solid into massive draperies of blue ice which tempt ice climbers from around the world.

In late spring, as the warming temperatures melt snowfall on the high peaks above the Yoho Valley, the icicles break off and crash to the valley floor, unleashing a torrent of water that has waited months to be set free.

As summer wears on, climbing temperatures and the blazing sun melt the top layers of the Wapta Icefield's glaciers which directly feed the falls, and the flow of water rages even more madly, filling the valley with a roar that can be heard for miles.

Deep into the fall, as dropping temperatures prevent the ice from melting, the waterfall slows to a mere whisper of it's late-summer self, and during the below-freezing nights, large columns of ice form on the cliffs. But subjected to the warmth of the autumn sun, these columns break off the cliffs and thunder down to the rocks at the base of the falls, providing a spectacular daily show for fall visitors.

Reaching the falls is fairly simple, but can require a bit of tricky driving. Head out of Lake Louise on Hwy 1 (the TransCanada) but DO NOT take the exit for the Icefields Parkway. In a few miles you will cross the British Columbia border and enter Yoho National Park. When you pass the gas station on you right, fill up if you have less than half a tank!

Several miles further when you reach the valley floor there will be a sign for Takkakaw Falls/Yoho Valley where you turn RIGHT. This road is about 10 miles long through ultra-scenic canyon bottom along the Kicking Horse River.

Eventually you will come to some VERY NARROW switchbacks on the road. Regular cars will have little problem (though the curves are so sharp you may have to 3-point turn). Larger trucks or campers will have to drive BACKWARDS up the center switchback! Don't believe me? Park at the bottom and wait a few minutes for a large tour bus to come down.

It will terrify you.

Once past this challenging bit, views open to Takkakaw Falls ahead. There is a nice parking/picnic area, and a short paved trail to a viewpoint beneath the falls (where you will get VERY wet from the spray!)

In the autumn when the flow is reduced, you can scramble up the rockpile beneath the falls to get a closer view, but BE CAREFUL! These rocks are unstable, and the icy spray can blow out of it's normal path and drench you in seconds, not to mention you could be hit but a chunk of ice weighing many tons! Be careful.

Lake O'Hara is a hiker's wet-dream-come-true. But visiting it isn't easy. Due to its sensitivity as a major wildlife corridor, visitors are restricted to a certain number each day, and the only way in is via an 8 mile trail or to book a seat on the school bus which drives the access road a few times a day.

It's such a special place that it has it's own journal, entitled:

"The Most Beautiful Lake on Earth"

Please check out that journal for more specific information.

The Yoho Valley Trail takes you through spectacular scenery past several major waterfalls to the Yoho Glacier, providing options for extended backpacking to other spectacular destinations.

The trail starts at the parking lot for the Takkakaw Falls Campground. The trail is paved for the first kilometre to the campground, where the official trailhead and information board is located. Be sure you read the board for important information about grizzly sightings, etc.

The trail climbs steadily up the valley towards the Yoho Glacier, passing the lovely Laughing Falls, and reaches Twin Falls after 4.5 miles (2 hours). Twin Falls (appropriately named for its double chutes) is spectacular! Nearby is a campground, as well as a backcountry lodge, the Twin Falls Chalet. There is a separate journal entry for it.

You can stop here for the night (if you're lazy), return back to the trailhead (for a lovely day hike), or have a bit of tea at the chalet and continue up the trail, as there is more to see! Another hour brings you to the toe of the Yoho Glacier.

Continuing on, you reach the high alpine scenery of The Whaleback, where you can link your hike with the hikes up the Little Yoho Valley and then back to Takkakaw Falls via the Iceline Trail. This makes for an excellent 2-3 day backpack, but I heartily recommend acquiring the CANADIAN ROCKIES TRAIL GUIDE, for anything beyond the Yoho Glacier.