Yoho National Park, Canada

Hoping to escape the rainy weather or at least get a little warmer, we travelled Trans-Canada Highway 1 to the next park, Yoho National Park.  The word Yoho is a Cree Indian expression meaning "awe."  Yoho was the first of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks we visited and the Cree definitely got it right.  The terrain was not vastly different from the Columbia Mountains in Revelstoke and Glacier - but wider valleys with more open views of towering rock walls, those glorious Rockies.

Kicking Horse River near Kicking Horse Campground

 

We camped at Kicking Horse Campground near the Kicking Horse River and the town of Field.  Being used to American National Parks, it was a little strange to us for there to be towns, the railway, a major highway and some development inside the boundaries of the national parks.  However since the railroad came first and was responsible for the establishment of many of the parks, it made sense that there were a few towns along the way.  The vastness of the parks and lack of development except along the railway corridor insure that the visitor can still be very remote from civilization.

Daisies on shore of Emerald Lake - very rainy day

 

Alas, we did not escape the rain or the cold but we were able to get in several hikes and some sightseeing. We drove and explored the Yoho Valley Road and took a short hike to Takakaw Falls. The next day we hiked around Emerald Lake in the rain. Then we warmed up with a nice lunch of soup and fish at the Truffle Pig Bistro in Field (an advantage to having towns in National Parks).

Takakaw Falls in Yoho Valley