Wonder and Awe – Yoho National Park in BC’s Kootenay Rockies
If you are looking for stunning steep mountains, spectacular waterfalls and turquoise glacial waters, Yoho National Park is the place to visit!
After travelling from the village of Radium through Kootenay National Park along scenic Highway 93, we ventured into a camping area we had not visited in the past, beautiful Yoho National Park.
From the Marble Canyon Trail in Kootenay National Park, we continued north on Highway 93 for 18 kilometres to the intersection of Highway 1 (also referred to as Castle Junction). Curious as I am, I had to find out why it is known as Castle Junction. It is named after Castle Mountain, so-called for its castle-like appearance which is a few kilometres away with a popular hiking trail. This area is in Banff National Park, so by the end of the day we had travelled through three national parks: Kootenay, Banff and Yoho. From Castle Junction, we travelled west along Highway 1 for a half hour until we entered Yoho National Park.
Our first stop was the Yoho National Park Visitors Centre to pick up a visitor’s guide and a park pass. The visitor centre is located at the entrance to the town of Field, less than 10 kilometres from the eastern park entrance.
After getting our very-affordable pass, we visited the small town of Field, with a population of less than 200, and which is the only community in the park. Field was established in the 1880s as a settlement for the Canadian Pacific Railway (C.P.R.) workers and is home to various historic buildings from this era. There are also a couple of places to eat and a few shops. I loved wandering around the pottery shop, Velvet Antler Pottery & Gallery, the Siding Cafe where we picked up some supplies, and we made plans to come back for dinner at the very popular Truffle Pigs Bistro.
Nearby, we had a choice of two campgrounds: Monarch and Kicking Horse. Both were located close to each other and off the same highway exit, which made it easier to check them both out. Monarch was smaller with 44 sites but located close to the highway, so we opted for Kicking Horse which was just up the road with 88 sites. Kicking Horse was a great campground, central to most of the day trips we made, it had a nice new shower house, and we found the campsite to be very quiet. Even though there were quite a few campers set up, it seemed deserted during the day because most people were off on day-trips.
Just up the road from our campsite was Takakkaw Falls; we planned this well as we checked in and left our trailer at the campsite and then drove to the falls. There are no long vehicles/trailers allowed on the road because of the switchbacks and there are warnings that vehicles over 23 feet need to reverse to get around the corners. Apparently, the day before, the road was closed as a longer bus got stuck on one of the switchbacks. The falls were a short 20–30-minute walk, busy with visitors, and absolutely beautiful! After the falls we followed the trail in the opposite direction towards the hike-in, backcountry campgrounds: Laughing Falls (6.5 kilometres) and Twin Falls (8.6 kilometres).
Another trip was to the learn more about the C.P.R. Spiral Tunnels. Just a short drive on the highway east from our campsite was the lookout. Built in the early 1900s, the tunnels are a pair of rail loops (inside the mountain!) designed to help trains navigate the steep incline which was more than twice the allowed grade.
Another short trip took us to the Natural Bridge, located on the road to Emerald Lake. It is a limestone rock formation created by the erosion of the stunning glacial water of the Kicking Horse River.
Our last visit in Yoho National Park was the iconic Emerald Lake, surrounded by beautiful turquoise, glacial water and the President Mountain range. We intentionally arrived by 9:00 am to beat the crowds. Keep in mind, it was September so earlier in the summer might be a better time. We easily found a parking spot but by the time we left, the cars were lined up over a kilometre down the road. We hiked around the lake (5.3 kilometres) which took about an hour; the first half (if heading left from the parking lot) was a wide-open trail alongside the lake; after reaching the end of the lake and crossing the bridge, the trail becomes less developed with lots of slippery spots and roots to climb over. But it is still an easy hike.
After the trail, we grabbed a coffee and snack and found a nice spot beside the lake to enjoy the magnificent view! We didn’t see any swimmers (swimming is not for the faint-of-heart, it is so cold even in the summer), but there were lots of people who had rented canoes. We were also excited to see a couple who had just got married and were having their wedding photos taken on the bridge.
To finish off our September camping trip, we stopped at Canyon Hotsprings before heading home to the Okanagan. We had a long leisurely dip in their natural hot spring pool. We timed this well because it was the last day they were open before closing for the season. They have two pools, with warm water piped in from a source 3 kilometres away. A great, relaxing way to finish up our late summer/early fall camping season. We are looking forward to our next trip!
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Camping in Yoho National Park
As we set off in early September, we knew that our camping trip would be filled with adventures, and Yoho National Park certainly did not disappoint. After getting advice at the fantastic park visitor centre in Field, we were headed to the Takakkaw Falls Walk-In Campground.
The first step was to unload all the camping supplies from our car, and reload them into the cart provided by Parks Canada. Even our dog, Alpine, wanted a ride!
After a short hike in, we set up our camp along the beautiful Yoho River. From our campsite, we could hear the roar of nearby Takakkaw Falls, a spectacular 254 metre freefall of water. Once we had established our camp, we spent some time wandering the banks of the Yoho River and enjoying the sunshine – a welcome change from the earlier days of pouring rain.
That night we fell asleep under crystal clear skies full of sparkling stars.
The next morning, we awoke to a layer of frost on everything. Temperatures had decreased significantly overnight, and even Alpine’s water dish was frozen solid! Before long, it began to warm up and we were headed off on our day hike – an 8.5 kilometre (one way) trip to the Twin Falls Tea House National Historic Site along a beautiful forested trail.
The Twin Falls Tea House, built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in the early 1900s, was, unfortunately, closed for the season by the time we arrived in Yoho National Park. However, that didn’t stop us from taking in the view from the porch steps as we ate our lunch, much to the curiosity of the local wildlife!
After leaving the Tea House, we headed back towards our campsite by following a different trail, this time passing Marpole Lake and hiking through a much more exposed boulder field strewn with black and orange streaked rocks and cliffs.
Late that afternoon we arrived back at our campsite. We were weary, but satisfied in knowing that we had experienced a piece of British Columbia history and had an adventure we would not soon forget.
TIP: If you find this blog interesting why not subscribe to the enewsletter and never miss another story!
For campgrounds in the area or elsewhere in British Columbia go to the Camping Map.
Share your BC travel and camping photos using hashtag #campinbc #explorebc
It’s always a great day to #campinbc.
Published: August 31st, 2015
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