Yoho National Park day-hikes(The Iceline Trail and Lake O'Hara Circuit) |
Getting There |
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Whiskey Jack Wilderness Hostel |
A whiskeyjack at Whiskey Jack |
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The Iceline Trail (21km - 910m ascent – 910m descent) |
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The magnificent Takkakaw Falls |
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Silver thread of Takkakaw Falls (255m) below the face of the Daley Glacier |
On the climb up to the Iceline |
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A glacier-polished section of the trail |
Looking up to the hanging glaciers |
The pattern of up and down the old lateral moraines continued, sometimes passing small glacial lakes, mirrors of the mountains when the air was still or bright turquoise when the wind disturbed the surface. |
The clear waters of a glacial pond |
Reflections of Mt McArthur, Glacier des Poilus and Isolated Peak |
The Iceline = glistening white glaciers and turquoise lakes |
Ridgeline of The Vice President |
View over the Yoho Valley |
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Looking back to the silhouette of Cathedral Mountain |
Face of a hanging glacier |
Sharp-edged moraine and the distant Daley Glacier |
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An orphaned lateral moraine piercing the forest |
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Heading back into the forest of Little Yoho Valley |
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Looking up the Little Yoho River to Kiwetinok Pass |
Qui-est-ce? |
Stanley Mitchell Hut |
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View over the forest of Little Yoho |
Following the Little Yoho River Trail .... |
... beneath the tall trees ... |
... and beside a small ravine |
The fungi of Yoho |
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Little Yoho River rushing down |
Bridge over the ravine |
A fallen forest giant |
Laughing Falls |
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A section of cascades in the Yoho River |
Wide path down the Yoho Valley |
A pretty bend in the river |
Home again - Takkakaw Falls re-appear |
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Lake O'Hara Circuit (13km - 480m ascent – 480m descent) |
Lake O'Hara is arguably the most scenic part of the Canadian Rockies. It is also the most difficult part to visit and this is because it has a quota system on the number of people who can stay there. There are three places to stay at Lake O'Hara; the luxurious Lake O'Hara Lodge for which there is a one year waiting period, the Canada Alpine Club Lodge, which conducts a lottery each year for places, and the campground, which is open for bookings three months in advance and whose places fill within an hour of that time. Failing all of the above, you can walk the 11 km down a dusty road to get there, but you cannot stay. Thus three months ago to the date, I sat up until 1am to telephone the Yoho National Park Service on the dot of office opening hour and locked in our place. Our luck has held – at 10.30am on a perfect blue sky autumn day, we found ourselves heading down the road in the old yellow school bus to Lake O'Hara. We were dropped off at the well-appointed campsite and quickly set up our tent, eager to explore and discover for ourselves what this region has to offer. |
Path from the campground to the lake |
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The pond on Cataract Brook |
The Opabin Plateau and Schaeffer Ridge |
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Arrival at Lake O'Hara - wow!!! |
Odaray Mountain (3159m) reflected in the still blue water of Lake O'Hara |
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Opabin Plateau fringed with golden larch |
Looking across Lake O'Hara to Mt Schaeffer (2692m) |
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The rugged slopes of Mt Huber (3368m) |
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Close-up of the sculpted ramparts of Mt Huber |
View past the Yukness Ledges towards Odaray Mountain |
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Yukness Mountain reflected in the clear green water of Victoria Lake |
The beautiful shoreline of Victoria Lake |
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Lake Oesa backed by Mt Lefroy (3423m), Glacier Peak(3283m) and Ringrose Peak (3281m) |
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View back over mountain goat country .... |
.... et voila!! |
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Profile of the Wiwaxy Peaks and Mt Huber |
Nello takes in the panorama from the Yukness Ledges |
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On the Yukness Ledges high above Opabin .... |
... and the view back towards Lake O'Hara |
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The green waters of Mary Lake |
Heading towards Mt Biddle (3319m) |
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Opabin Plateau landscape |
Hungabee Lake - luminous green in its basin |
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Opabin Lake backed by a fragmented glacier, Hungabee Mountain (3493m) and Mt Biddle (3319m) |
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View down Opabin towards Odaray and Cathedral Mountains |
The beautiful but increasingly shady setting of Hungabee Lake |
Cathedral Mountain and the Wiwaxy Peaks reflected in Lake Hungabee |
On golden pond |
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The Wiwaxy Peaks and Mt Huber behind Cascade Lake |
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Golden larch lighting up the shaded path |
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The glorious panorama from Opabin Prospect |
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Steep drop-off to Mary Lake |
The route down from Opabin Plateau |
Back into the spruce and fir |
Moss lined outlet from Mary Lake |
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Late afternoon at Lake O'Hara |
A photographer plies his trade at The Lodge |
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Leaving the Rockies |
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