The Best Hiking Trails in Yoho National Park

If you’re looking for a short and sweet hike at Lake O’Hara, look no further than the shore of the lake itself. The Lakeshore Trail makes a circuit all the way around, finding every possible angle on the reflective water and mountains overhead....

At 373 metres tall, Takakkaw Falls is among the tallest in Canada. You can see it from your car on Yoho Valley Road, but you can also take a walk to stand in its torrential spray....

This loop provides a nice variety of scenery in its short distance, and with minimal elevation gain. Gazing over the blue-green water, you'll see jagged peaks crowned with glaciers and streaked with avalanche paths, and even streaming with waterfalls....

This hike begins at a rather unassuming trailhead beside the highway at Wapta Lake. Thus, it doesn’t get the crowds that it might, were it better signed. Sherbrooke Lake is a rather large alpine lake tucked into a particularly narrow and steep valley....

Hamilton Lake is an alpine tarn tucked in a narrow cirque of cliffs, above treeline and high above Emerald Lake. To get there, you’ll take the easy hike to Hamilton Falls, then proceed up many switchbacks hundreds of metres of elevation....

Emerald Lake is a popular destination in Yoho National Park. It’s a classically beautiful glacial lake surrounded by towering peaks, with many trails branching out from its shoreline. One of the more difficult but most rewarding hikes is the “Emerald Triangle” loop, which climbs all the way from the lake to alpine slopes, granting unobstructed views to glaciated peaks....

The hike begins from the parking area and viewpoint for Takakkaw Falls. A separate trail leads closer to this mighty waterfall, but for Laughing Falls and Twin Falls, go northward instead, toward the campground and along the Little Yoho River....

If you don’t have time for the full Lake O’Hara Alpine Circuit, or if you just want the quickest hike to an epic photo location, here it is. Opabin Prospect is a rock ledge jutting out to a jaw-dropping view over Lake O’Hara and its neighbor lakes....

With a vehicle shuttle you can hike one-way between Takakkaw Falls and Emerald Lake, surmounting Yoho Pass in between. Either direction is good, but starting from Takakkaw might be preferable, to have less elevation gain and to get almost all the uphill out of the way early....

This is one of the best trails in Yoho for reaching a mountain vista with a relatively quick hike. It does not go all the way to the top of Paget Peak, but to the site of a historic fire lookout on the side of the mountain....

Widely regarded as one of the best day hikes in the region, this challenging circuit is loaded with scenery every step of the way. With glacial lakes tucked in secluded valleys, commanding views from elevated ledges, and sky-high peaks all around, the experience is truly worth the work....

Mount Schaffer is the perfect peak to avoid the crowds that you will find elsewhere at Lake O'Hara. There are two routes to reach the summit, both require scrambling for the final climb to the top....