Blerf Blog: Day trip to Yoho NP because YOLO

We could have easily spent another day or two in Canmore. There were lots of trails to explore. But, YOLO means Yoho. Yoho is one of the three adjoining Canadian National Parks in the area. Some quick research showed us we might be able to get in three hikes, so off we went up Trans Canadian Highway, past Banff and Lake Louise, up over Kicking Horse Pass, to the Yoho Visitor's Center.

Kicking Horse Pass. Nice First People name for the area, right? Nope. Canadian Pacific RR surveyor, looking for a route over the Rockies, got kicked in the chest by his horse. Hard. Was not pleased. Out of action for a couple of weeks. Named the pass after that event. It's the home to an amazing engineering feat - Double Spiral Tunnels. The railroad makes two loops inside the mountain to gain elevation with a tolerable grade (2.2%). They have a nice model in the Yoho Visitor's Center where you can see how it actually works.

Double Spiral Tunnels model diorama

There is an overlook of the one tunnel at a rest area along the Trans Canadian, but we couldn't see much and no trains wandered by.

However, at the Visitor's Center in Field's which is on the west side of the pass, we saw a train starting up the grade to the tunnels.

(You knew I'd sneak a train thing in here somewhere....)

The ranger at the visitor's center gave us good directions to our first hike: Wapata Fall. A short hike to some nice falls, they said.

At the trail head. Getting ready.

A well-trod, but nicely maintained trail

Remember that Randy Bachmann song....still true.

Nice Falls! Nice Falls! Nice falls are a trickle cascading down a hillside. These are thundering, guaranteed death, ain't nobody going over in a barrel, raft, kayak or anything else, falls.

The trail gave quite a few good overlooks. Here are too many pictures and a video.

Sue at the bottom of the falls

Falls Fools.

Next, onto Emerald Lake. Our first of many turquoise colored glacial lakes. The lakes get this color from the rock fines, "glacial flour" that are milled of the rock surfaces under glaciers and then run off into the streams of glacial melt water.

We hiked around the lake starting at the end where the park service runs a lodge and cabins.

There were quite a few people out in canoes.

Some flowers along the way

A marshy area on the far side of the lake

Trouble brewing...

More pictures!

...of these cool looking flowers.

It's getting cloudy...It's actually pouring back at the lodge end of the lake!

You can see the path of snow avalanches, where the trees have been scoured away.

Lakeside lodging

After the rain, back where we started!

We wanted to try to do Takakkaw Falls, but we were running out of time. So we decided to hit Banff on the way back.

Sue is underwhelmed by the Bow River falls in Banff. Hotel is background is one of the Fairmont hotels, build by the Canadian Pacific RR to spur tourism. Top-of-the-line place to this day - $900/night!