Blogs from Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Canada, North America

9th April & 27th May with http://www.heygo.com Yoho National Park lies on the western slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Vertical rock walls, waterfalls and dizzying peaks draw visitors from around the world. With exceptional hiking and sightseeing, the park offers a unique glimpse of Canada’s natural wonders, from the secrets of ancient ocean life to the power of ice and water.Field has developed into a tight-knit family community of fewer than 200 people from all corners of Canada, many of whom arrived in the area with skis in tow and couldn't bring themselves to leave. The village artisans, whether their medium is sound, clay, food, or film, have found Field to be the perfect place to hone their craft. An 1871 agreement to bring the province of British Columbia into the Confederation of Canada set ... read more

Um kurz nach fünf ging unser Wecker und wir machten uns auf den Weg zum Yoho-NP. Da wir leider keine Bestätigungsmail aus dem Visitor-Center erhalten hatten, waren wir etwas verunsichert, ob wir heute wirklich zum Lake O'Hara kommen würden. Um 8:30 fuhren die Busse, die uns zum Lake O'Hara brachten. Wir waren pünktlich da und konnten vorab alles klären. Es war alles gut, der Mann vor Ort hatte bereits unsere Daten und alles war geregelt. So ging es dann mit dem gelben Schoolbus zu unserem Ziel. Man könnte eigentlich auch zum See laufen, aber die Strecke ist sehr langweilig und dauert zu Fuß drei Stunden. Auf ca. 2.115 Meter Höhe angekommen, suchten wir uns einen schönen Platz für unser neues Zelt aus. Der Campingplatz war super schön, es gab ein Lagerfeuer und eine Feuerhütte mit einem ... read more

We were now leaving Alberta, Canada late in the evening and traveling as far as possible through the chain of three provincial parks along Route 1 in British Columbia towards Seattle Washington. The three parks were, in order, Yoho, Glacier and Revelstoke. Shortly after entering Yoho, we saw a sign with a graphic of a mountain goat on a cliff, then several cars pulled to the side. It indicated a rocky salt lick that extended to the road itself and astonishingly we then viewed a family of goats at eye level, gnawing at the rock face to obtain whatever trace minerals it offered. As it was very late in the evening, we basically had the scene to ourselves and a other few lucky observers and I was able to take quite a few photos. It was ... read more

After a quick overnight pit-stop in Lake Louise I was all set to spend the next few days hiking in Yoho National Park (Yoho being the native Cree word for 'awe') on the other side of the Great Divide in British Columbia. My initial intention had been to cycle the 30kms from Lake Louise to Field (in the centre of Yoho NP), first climbing over Kicking Horse Pass and then turning off onto the Yoho Valley Road to tackle the steep climb up to the HI wilderness hostel opposite Takakkaw Falls, where I had booked a dorm bed for two nights. This idea I had chosen to abandon when I saw the amount of construction being done along the Trans Canada Highway between Field and Lake Louise when I passed by on the Greyhound bus on ... read more

Lake O'Hara!! My uncle, who traveled much around the world and was an avid hiker, described it as the "most beautiful place on earth". I found some support for the notion. Lonely Planet's "Blue List, 2006-07" for example, lists the Canadian Rockies as #1 in the world in the "Most spectacular natural attraction" category. And, within the Canadian Rockies, one could easily choose the Lake O'Hara area as it's crown jewel. So, as a hiker, I'd long desired to go there and see for myself. For several years my brother Wes and I had chatted about it. This year we decided to do it. Now, that's not as easy as it sounds. Lake O'Hara is 11 km. from the Trans Canada Highway, just west of the Alta/BC border (the Great Divide). You can either hike in ... read more