Yoho National Park Hikes: 8 Best Trails From Locals

Yoho National Park is smaller than neighbouring Banff, but it has some of the most rewarding hiking in the Canadian Rockies. As Canmore locals, we’ve spent plenty of time exploring Yoho National Park hikes, from easy walks around Emerald Lake to long alpine days on the Iceline Trail and guided hikes into the Burgess Shale.

What we like most about hiking in Yoho is the variety. You can walk to a powerful waterfall, follow the shoreline of a turquoise lake, climb into the alpine for glacier views, or spend an entire day on one of the park’s more challenging trails. Some of the best hikes in Yoho National Park are also noticeably quieter than comparable trails in Banff, especially once you move beyond the very popular Emerald Lake and Takakkaw Falls areas.

In this guide, we’re sharing the Yoho hikes we think are most worth your time based on our own experience. We’ve included easy and family-friendly trails, moderate lake and waterfall hikes, and several longer options for experienced hikers. We’ll also point out which trails are best for scenery, which work well when you’re short on time, and where access or seasonal restrictions require more planning.

Our goal is to help you quickly narrow down the best options for your trip to Yoho National Park and choose the hike that fits your time, ability and the kind of scenery you most want to see.

This post contains compensated links.

The 8 Best Hikes in Yoho National Park

Iceline Trail

If you’re looking for an outstanding, challenging hike in Yoho National Park, we recommend the Iceline Trail. This spectacular loop starts near Takakkaw Falls and climbs high above the Yoho Valley, with constantly changing views of waterfalls, glaciers and some of the most impressive mountain scenery in the park.

There is plenty of debate about which direction to hike the Iceline. We did it clockwise from the Takakkaw Falls campground, which gets almost all of the elevation gain out of the way early. For what it’s worth, we really enjoyed this direction. As we climbed, the views back toward Takakkaw Falls kept getting better, eventually revealing the massive Daly Glacier above the falls.

Our favourite part of the Iceline trail is the long alpine section on the western side of the loop. You spend hours above the trees surrounded by mountains, glaciers, glacial moraines and small alpine lakes, with Takakkaw Falls visible across the valley for much of the way. The scenery here is exceptional and, despite the distance and elevation gain, this section made the hike feel well worth the effort.

After reaching the Stanley Mitchell Hut, the character of the hike changes considerably. Much of the return to Takakkaw Falls is through the forest, although you’ll pass Laughing Falls along the way.

Wapta Falls

Wapta Falls is one of the easiest hikes in Yoho National Park. The trail starts with a mostly flat walk through the forest before reaching an upper viewpoint over Wapta Falls, a powerful waterfall on the Kicking Horse River. At roughly 150 m / 490 feet wide during peak flow, the scale of the falls is especially impressive once you see them from above.

If you have a little more energy, continue beyond the fenced viewpoint and descend the steep switchbacks toward the river. We think the lower viewpoints are what really make this hike worthwhile. As you work your way down, the perspective keeps changing until you eventually reach the Kicking Horse River and can look back up at the falls from below.

The final descent is much steeper than the first part of the hike, and you’ll need to climb it again on the way back. It’s short, though, so the overall hike is still quite manageable. We recently completed the full hike in just over an hour, making Wapta Falls especially easy to fit into a day that also includes Emerald Lake or Takakkaw Falls.

Emerald Lakeshore Trail

The Emerald Lakeshore Trail is one of the best easy hikes in Yoho National Park, as it features beautiful scenery without a significant climb. We’ve walked this lakeside trail many times, and one of the things we like most is how often the views change as you make your way around the lake.

The western side of the loop is the easiest section. It starts on pavement before changing to a well-groomed crushed gravel trail that stays relatively flat and close to the shoreline. Along the way you’ll find benches, Burgess Shale interpretive signs and several excellent viewpoints across Emerald Lake. Large-wheeled strollers should manage much of this section, although wheelchair users may need assistance in places.

The trail becomes noticeably rougher after crossing the bridge over the Emerald River near the back of the lake. From here, expect muddier and more uneven sections, wooden planks, tree roots and fewer lake views.

Thankfully Parks Canada has recently added some beautiful new boardwalk sections over the wettest areas, and by about the 3 km / 1.9 mile mark the trail returns closer to the shoreline with better views again.

One of the nicest things about completing the entire loop is seeing Emerald Lake from so many different angles. You’ll pass the alluvial fan at the back of the lake, catch glimpses of glaciers high above the valley and finish back at the famous bridge near Emerald Lake Lodge. The busiest area is around the lodge and parking lot, so walking the loop is also an easy way to leave much of that crowd behind.

Lake O’Hara Hiking Trails

Lake O’Hara is really its own hiking destination within Yoho National Park. Rather than including several individual Lake O’Hara trails on this list, we think it makes more sense to treat the entire area as one recommendation. Once you get there, you’ll find a network of interconnected trails ranging from an easy walk around the lakeshore to challenging alpine routes high above the valley.

The catch is getting there. Parks Canada strictly limits access to protect the fragile alpine environment, and most day visitors need to secure one of the highly sought-after shuttle reservations. If you don’t get a shuttle seat, the alternative is hiking the 11 km / 6.8 mile access road (one-way) before you even reach Lake O’Hara.

Our complete guide to visiting Lake O’Hara in Yoho National Park explains the different ways to get there and how the shuttle reservation system works.

If you are fortunate enough to get in, the hiking is exceptional. Some of the best options include the Lake Oesa Trail, Lake McArthur, Opabin Plateau and the famous Lake O’Hara Alpine Circuit. The trail network is extensive enough that you can combine routes depending on how much time and energy you have.

We’ve hiked at Lake O’Hara several times, and we love how quickly the scenery changes from lakeshore trails to alpine meadows, larch forests, turquoise lakes and much more rugged mountain terrain.

For experienced hikers, the Alpine Circuit is the standout adventure, with sections including Wiwaxy Gap, Huber Ledges, Yukness Ledges and All Souls Prospect. For something easier, the hike to Lake Oesa has an excellent payoff, while Lake McArthur is one of our favourite destinations in the area.

We cover these trails, along with easier options and route-planning advice, in our guide to the best Lake O’Hara hiking trails.

Sherbrooke Lake Trail

Sherbrooke Lake is a quieter alternative to some of Yoho National Park’s busier lake hikes. The trail climbs steadily through the forest before reaching the long, narrow lake, where the scenery opens up considerably.

We last hiked Sherbrooke Lake with our kids in September and especially loved the views of Mount Ogden as we walked along the trail beside the lake. Once you reach the water, the trail follows the shoreline closely enough that you continue getting different views across the lake rather than arriving at a single viewpoint and turning around.

If you still have some energy, we recommend continuing beyond Sherbrooke Lake to the waterfall on Sherbrooke Creek. The final section is short but noticeably steeper, and we thought the waterfall was worth the extra effort.

Laughing Falls Trail

The Laughing Falls Trail follows the Yoho Valley from Takakkaw Falls to a pretty waterfall deep in the forest. We hiked this section as part of our Iceline loop, and while it doesn’t have the alpine scenery of the Iceline, it makes a much more manageable standalone hike.

The trail is mostly through the trees, following the valley floor toward Laughing Falls. Along the way, you can take short side trips to Point Lace Falls and the Angels Staircase Falls viewpoint before reaching Laughing Falls at 4.5 km / 2.8 miles.

Laughing Falls itself is well worth the stop, especially if you want a quieter hike from Takakkaw Falls and don’t feel up to the challenging Iceline Trail. The relatively gentle elevation gain also makes this a good choice for families or hikers looking for a moderate hike in Yoho National Park.

Yoho Lake Trail

The hike from Takakkaw Falls to Yoho Lake starts with a fairly steep climb, but the changing views back toward Takakkaw Falls make the effort much more enjoyable. We recently hiked this route as part of a Parks Canada guided Burgess Shale hike, and we also covered part of it on the Iceline Trail.

As you gain elevation, Takakkaw Falls keeps appearing from different angles, with the surrounding valley opening up below. Once you reach Yoho Lake, the atmosphere changes completely. The lake is quiet and peaceful, especially compared with the crowds around Takakkaw Falls. Take some time to relax in the Parks Canada red chairs near the lake.

We’d recommend Yoho Lake for anyone looking for a moderate half-day hike in Yoho National Park.

Burgess Shale Walcott Quarry Hike

As a kid, I was a big dinosaur nerd, so the Walcott Quarry hike had been on my bucket list for years. As a special treat, Celine booked a Parks Canada guided hike to the Burgess Shale for my birthday. It’s a long and difficult full-day hike, but the experience at the quarry makes it completely different from every other hike on this list.

The route starts at Takakkaw Falls and climbs toward Yoho Lake before continuing higher into the mountains. We especially loved the views down toward Emerald Lake along the way.

The real highlight was reaching the quarry and spending time looking at Burgess Shale fossils that are more than 500 million years old. Being able to see and gently hold the fossils where they were discovered is something I’ll never forget.

A Guided Hike is Required to Visit Walcott Quarry

Most importantly, you cannot visit the Walcott Quarry fossils on your own. The quarry is a restricted and protected site under the National Parks Act and may only be entered on an authorized guided hike or with a research permit. The area is actively protected, so you should not attempt to enter the quarry without an authorized guide.