Yoho National Park
The park is located in the Rocky Mountains, adjacent to Banff National Park, on the British Columbia side of the Continental Divide.
Established in 1886, Yoho is a place of rock walls, spectacular waterfalls, and high peaks. It portrays evidence of ancient ocean life, the forces of ice and water, and unique plant and animal communities. It is named for a Cree word expressing awe.
Its area is 1,310 sq km (507 sq mi).
The park has many waterfalls, including Takakkaw Falls, one of Canada’s highest at 254 m (833 ft).
Silt carried by streams from melting glaciers cause the deep, rich turquoise colour of Emerald Lake and Lake O’Hara.
The high peaks of the Continental Divide causes precipitation from clouds moving eastward from the Pacific Ocean to fall in the park. This creates pockets of wet belt forest where coastal species thrive.
One of the world’s most important fossil finds, the Burgess Shale, is located in Yoho and was designated a World Heritage Site in 1981. It is now incorporated into the larger Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site with the other parks.
Also located in the part, just east of the town of Field, are the spiral tunnels, an engineering feat of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
See map of the park.
We would like to thank the staff at Yoho National Park and Parks Canada for providing information for this page.
See also: National Parks of Canada.
(This page was updated in November 2012.)
