Yoho National Park

Yoho National Park was, by far, MY  favorite of all the parks in the Canadian Rockies. There were beautiful lakes, fossils, and historic scenery all around us.......

Yoho is located on the historic Trans-Canada highway, between Lake Louise and Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks. We spent a day in this park, enjoying the natural beauty and wishing we had more hours than the day provided.

One of the first sites we noticed and longed to visit was the famous Burgess Shale. These fossils were discovered in 1909 by Charles Walcott, an American scientist, paleontologist and Secretary to the Smithsonian Institution.Paleontologists and geologists come from all over the world to study these beds. 500 million years ago, the remains of long-extinct creatures were captured in these layers of sedimentary rock. Access is only by guided hike and entering or collecting fossils is against the law, but many are on display at the visitors' center.

We were also amazed at the Spiral Tunnels. These tunnels, which are the entry and exit portals for trains, were completed in 1909. They reduced the original railway grade of 4.5% (the steepest of any in North America) to a much safer 2.2%.

 

Another place that we really, really, really LOVED was Takakkaw Falls. Takakkaw means"magnificent" in Cree. When you stand at the base of these falls, you will see where they get their name. The highest in Canada, Takakkaw, provided a beautiful setting for photography and we even witnessed a movie set while we were there!

 

Kicking Horse River actually disappears before re-emerging through the natural span at Natural Bridge. However, the span kind of seems more like rocks being wedged together depending on the vantage point. We were able to hear the roar of the disappearing water churning and ejecting beneath the bridge. Here, the force of water has crreated an eroded rock archway over the Kicking Horse River......

This was a really fun spot and, as you can tell, we had a blast ............

Finally, Emerald Lake lives up to its name as the "Jewell of the Canadian Rockies".  This is the place where I plan to stay the next time I visit Yoho. Who wants to come with????

Columbia Icefield

There are several icefields in Canada. The Athabasca Glacier and the Columbia Icefield once formed part of an enormous ice sheet that ground and carved all the landforms that are evident along the road from Banff to Jasper and the Canadian Rockies. One of the many glaciers that is fed by the Columbia Icefield is Athabasca Glacier. This glacier is gradually flowing downhill from the Columbia Icefield, flowing so slowly that you cannot see it move.

The Athabasca is the most-visited glacier on the North American continent. Situated across from the Icefield Centre, its ice is in continuous motion, creeping forward at the rate of several centimeters per day. Spilling from the Columbia Icefield over three giant bedrock steps, the glacier flows down the valley like a frozen, slow-moving river. Because of a warming climate, the Athabasca Glacier has been receding or melting for the last 125 years. Losing half its volume and retreating more than 1.5 kms, the shrinking glacier has left a moonscape of rocky moraines in its wake.

We decided to take the tour, of course, and loaded onto the icefield explorer. These giant buses, of sorts, are only found in certain parts of the world. The park provides hourly excursions from the visitor center and the guide provides a weath of information about the icefield, buses, wildlife, and points of interest. This little side trip was the highlight of our whole vaction experience to the Canadian Rockies. We highly recommend the bus tour as it allows you to walk on the glacier and view scenes that you would otherwise not get to experience.

As we walked off the explorer, the temperature dipped dramatically. Fortunately we had worn our jackets and gloves, in preparation for the excursion. We were allowed 20 minutes to explore the glacier, get a drink out of the flowing glacial stream, and pose for photographs. WHAT AN AWESOME SIGHT!!!!

Norma and I took turns getting drinks and Greg made sure to lie down on the ice so he could remember the cool temperatures (since it was 110 degrees in Oklahoma when we left) of the icefield. This glacial icefield reminds us that man's accelerating use of fossil fuels, destruction of the planet's forests and release of industrial gases, are causing a global warming trend, called the Greenhouse Effect. This phenomenon is hastening rates of the glacier's retreat and the icefield's loss of volume.

We hope you enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed being there......We cannot wait to go back!