A Day In Yoho National Park

How to Reach

It takes around 1 hour by road from Banff town through Trans Canada Highway 1 and approximately 26 minutes from Lake Louise.

Entrance Fees

If you already have Discovery Pass, you can go ahead and explore the park. You can buy a day pass from the visitor center situated at Field and explore the area.

Daily Price

	Cost (In CAD)
Adult	9.80
Senior	8.30
Youth	Free
Family/Group	19.60
Commercial Group per person	8.30

Parks Canada Discovery Pass

	Cost (In CAD)
Adult	67.70
Senior	57.90
Family/Group	136.40

Places to Explore

Yoho National Park is at the border between the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. It is one of the smallest parks in the Canadian Rockies. You can explore the area in 3-4 hours or spend the entire day depending on your areas of interest.

(View on the while heading From Banff towards Yoho National Park)

If you are heading from Lake Louise, you can cover the park in the following order.

Lake O Hara

Time Required: 2-3 Hours

The first stop I recommend is Lake O Hara. It serves as a great divide between the two provinces on the eastern side. It’s a beautiful turquoise lake surrounded by snow peaked mountains. Unfortunately, the area was closed for maintenance when we visited, though, its open now. Please note that it’s an almost 1.30 hours detour from Hwy 1 and if you are already sick with the number of lakes in the region then you can skip this.

Lower Spiral Tunnel Viewpoint

Time Required: 15 Minutes

(Spiral Tunnels)

It’s a 20-minute drive from Lake Louise, if you skip Lake O Hara. The good thing is that the viewpoint is on the Hwy 1 itself, so no additional driving or hiking required. You can see the Yoho valley and the lower spiral tunnel. If you have good binoculars, this is the time to take them out. The site also has an interpretative display to show how the railways were built through the Rockies. Even though, I am not so much into these things, if you are traveling with someone like my husband, you may end up spending way more than 15 minutes I mentioned above.

Takakkaw Falls

Time Required: 1 Hour

It’s a 20-minute drive from Lower Spiral Tunnel Mountain. The drive to the falls was quite adventurous going up the mountains on a single paved lane.

It’s the biggest highlight of the Yoho National Park. At 833 feet, Takakkaw Falls is the second highest waterfall in Canada and definitely our favorite waterfall in the Rockies.  Parking could be a bit difficult, though, if you wait some time, you may end up getting a spot. Another trick is to reach early in the morning to secure a spot. It’s a bit of a trek to reach the fall though you would be walking along the river with picnic tables laid out for those who want to enjoy a nice lunch surrounded by beautiful scenery. We stopped there for few minutes to enjoy the beauty of the river and fill our self.

(View of the fall)

The sound of the water could be heard from distance, so we couldn’t stay away from the fall for long. Its an easy trail with alpine trees on the side and soon opens to a gorgeous view of the Takawwaw falls that lives up to its name translating to ‘wonderful’. The mist of water can be felt in the air as we approached closer, so it was time to protect our Cameras and enjoy the beauty of the falls. My better half almost went crazy at the sheer beauty of the falls and spent almost an hour sitting on a rock just enjoying the view and feeling the mist on his face. Be careful as rocks are wet and could be slippery. It may also be a bit cold near the fall so carrying an extra layer could be helpful.

(Relaxing and enjoying the beauty around)

If you want more than the short walk to the base of the falls there are longer day hikes and multi-day backpacking trails in the area.

The Natural Bridge

Time Required: 15 Minutes

(Mandatory picture at The Natural bridge)

 It is 25-minute drive from Takakkaw Falls on the route to Emerald lake. Park your car and head towards the bridge to experience the water flowing through canyons and forming into river. Sculpted by the erosive forces of rushing water over what had once been a waterfall, the Natural Bridge is a powerful reminder of how much influence water has in shaping the landscape. Head towards the interpretive displays which will take you to the history of the area how once a waterfall changed into a canyon with time.

Emerald Lake

Time Required: ½ hour to 3 hours

(Nothing can be more Magestical than the beauty of Emerald lake)

It is a 10-minute drive from Natural bridge. Parking spots are limited in the area making it difficult to find one. Often cars are parked on the left side of the road. The lake is named after its beautiful Emerald color. You can explore the lake either by canoe or by walking around the lake with beautiful views of the lake and mountains. It is a 5 km easy walk around the lake and even if you do not want to do the entire trail I would recommend to go little bit farther from the viewpoint to get a spot just for yourself. We spend almost an hour at the lake.

NOTE:
You do not have plenty of food options at Yoho National Park. You can either get some food at the Visitor Center or at Emerald Lake. It would be advisable to carry some water and food along with you before heading for Yoho National Park.