Next up was Yoho National Park. The day we moved from Kootenay NP to Yoho NP, we got an early start and we were fortunate to score a nice first-come first-serve campsite at Kicking Horse campground before it filled by midday. So we settled in for an extended stay. Sadly, the wildfire haze and smoke caught up with us in Yoho, but we’ve been making the best of it by trying to hike early. Our first hike was to Sherbrooke Lake, and then I did an extended option up to Paget Lookout. The next day we drove up the Yoho Valley and did an amazing hike up the Iceline Trail for views of the Emerald Glacier. Sue turned around at the Iceline Summit, while I kept going to the Little Yoho Valley and looped back via Laughing Falls. While Sue took a rest day, I did a great loop hike out of Emerald Lake, climbing up to Yoho Pass, with a quick side trip to Yoho Lake, then over to Burgess Pass before dropping back down to Emerald Lake. We headed back to Emerald Lake the next day and did a short hike up to Emerald Basin with Cato. The nice thing about the Canadian parks is that dogs are allowed on most trails – fortunately people are really good about keeping their dogs on leash. After nine nights of camper fare, we decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner out and had a great meal at the Truffle Pigs Bistro in Field.

Lake O’Hara is the crown jewel of Yoho NP. Part of its appeal is that access is very limited – the road in is closed to vehicles and only four bus loads of visitors are allowed in each day. We weren’t lucky enough to score bus tickets, but because I’m a nut, I decided to walk in the 6.8 miles to the lake (and thus walk back out). And I did it on a day where the forecast called for rain starting at 11 AM (because the next two days called for rain all day). By starting at 6:30, I made it to Lake O’Hara before the first bus arrived and I had the trail to Lake Oesa all to myself. After returning from Lake Oesa, I finished the loop around Lake O’Hara and climbed a short spur trail to view Seven Veils Falls. All told, I probably saw a dozen other people on the trails. After experiencing the hordes at Emerald Lake, it was amazing to have such a peaceful day, even if it did require walking 13+ miles on a road. And the good news is that the rain held off until 1 PM, so it didn’t impact my hike, just my walk out. The forecast was accurate after that though and it rained most of the next day, so we loafed in the camper and read all day. On our last day in Yoho, it cleared up a bit, so we got in a short hike to Ross Lake and the Great Divide with only one pesky rain shower.