Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" About Yoho National Park

For the past 47 days I've been writing about the amazing National Parks in Canada - I have greatly enjoyed learning about these Parks and look forward to the opportunity to visit some of them! Today I'm writing about the last one on my list - Yoho National Park on the western slopes of the Continental Divide in British Columbia. It is considered an "alpine wonderland in the Canadian Rockies" and is a park your entire family can enjoy together!

• Yoho National Park is known for its steep mountains, turquoise lakes, and ancient fossils; it offers Banff's beauty, but with far fewer crowds.
• In Yoho National Park you will find lakes, rivers, and waterfalls - it is most certainly a beautiful place.
• The Burgess Shale: Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, these ancient fossil beds are 515 million years old and contain preserved soft parts of hundreds of marine animal species.
• Over 500 million years ago—long before dinosaurs—this land was submerged by a shallow sea. Today, fossils from this ancient marine world are found high in the mountains, pressed into layers of shale. They are famous for their exceptional preservation and reveal fine details like eyes, brains, and internal organs—rare features in the fossil record.
• At the Walcott Quarry you will be able to visit one of the most important paleontological sites in the world! Delicate soft-bodied fossils show surprising connections to modern sea life. Views and fossils: this hike has it all at Yoho National Park.
• Yoho National Park is part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site and adjacent to the Banff and Kootenay National Parks.
• Yoho is a hiker’s paradise, with trails ranging from easy self-guided interpretive trails to difficult all-day guided hikes.
• Prior to the arrival of Europeans, Ktunaxa (k-too-nah-ha), and Secwépemc peoples used the area for hunting, fishing and gathering. The valleys of the Kicking Horse and Amiskwi rivers have been used for many generations as important travel corridors between the Columbia Valley, the Bow Valley, and adjacent plains east of the Canadian Rockies.
• From river valleys and glaciers to alpine meadows and mountain peaks, Yoho National Park supports diverse ecosystems. Yoho’s alpine provides important habitat for mountain goats, grizzly bears, pikas, and white bark pine. The park is home to at least 224 species of birds, 58 species of mammals, four species of native fish, and one species of reptile. 

You will find more information about Yoho National Park at this link.