Yoho Valley

Fed by the Wapta Icefield in the far north of the park, the Yoho River flows through this spectacularly narrow valley, dropping more than 200 meters (660 feet) in the last kilometer (.6 mile) before its confluence with the Kicking Horse River. The road leading up the valley passes the park’s main campground, climbs a very tight series of switchbacks (watch for buses reversing through the middle section), and emerges at Upper Spiral Tunnel Viewpoint, which offers a different perspective on the aforementioned tunnel. A further 400 meters (.2 mile) along the road is a pullout for viewing the confluence of the Yoho and Kicking Horse Rivers—a particularly impressive sight as the former is glacier-fed and therefore silty, while the latter is lake-fed and clear.

Yoho Valley Road ends 14 km (8.7 miles) from the main highway at Takakkaw Falls, the most impressive waterfall in the Canadian Rockies. The falls are fed by the Daly and Des Poilus Glaciers of the Waputik Icefield, which straddles the Continental Divide. Meaning “wonderful” in the language of the Cree, Takakkaw tumbles 254 meters (830 feet) over a sheer rock wall at the lip of the Yoho Valley, creating a spray bedecked by rainbows. It can be seen from the parking lot, but it’s well worth the easy 10-minute stroll over the Yoho River to appreciate the sight in all its glory.