Yoho National Park

Yoho National Park
	The Takakkaw Falls
Location:	British Columbia , Canada
Next city:	Golden
Surface:	1310 km²
Founding:	1886
Visitors:	688,157 (2016/2017)
Address:	Yoho National Park of Canada ; P.O. Box 99 ; Field, BC ; Canada ; V0A 1G0
	The Wapta Falls
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The Yoho National Park ( English Yoho National Park of Canada , French Parc national du Canada Yoho ) is a 1310 km² Canadian national park in the province of British Columbia on the main ridge of the Rocky Mountains . He joined in 1984 along with the Banff National Park , the Jasper National Park and Kootenay National Park and since 1990 in addition to the Provincial Parks Mount Assiniboine , Mount Robson and Hamber the world heritage site . The park is an IUCN Category II ( National Park ) protected area .

geography

The park is located in the high mountains of the Rocky Mountains and borders Banff National Park to the east and Kootenay National Park to the south. A railway line of the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Trans-Canada Highway , which runs from Golden over the Kicking Horse Pass to Lake Louise , run right through the park . The only community in the park is Field with around 230 residents. The highest mountain in the park is the 3567 m high Mount Goodsir , alongside 27 other mountains with a height of over 3000 meters in the park area. Numerous mountains are glaciated, the largest glaciers are the Waputik Icefield and the Wapta Icefield in the north of the park. There are several mountain lakes in the park, the best known are Lake O'Hara and Emerald Lake , as well as numerous waterfalls. The Takakkaw Falls are the third highest waterfalls in Canada with a height of 254 meters.

geology

The mountains in the park belong to the western of the three main ranges of the Rocky Mountains. During ore formation, the mountains were not so much unfolded , but rather raised in blocks . Due to the enclosed quartzite , the limestone and sandstone mountains are more resistant to erosion from glaciation and have acquired a rugged appearance. To the northeast of Field, between the Mount Field and Mount Wapta mountains, lies the Burgess Shale Formation , one of the most important fossil deposits from the Middle Cambrian . Fossils of over 120 different marine animals from 515 million years ago have been found in the Burgess Shale. This fossil site of international importance contributed significantly to the fact that the Yoho National Park is counted as a World Heritage Site.

climate

The park has a harsh local mountain climate. The park is located on the western side of the continental divide and receives more rainfall than the more eastern areas of the Rocky Mountains. In Field, an average of 314 millimeters of precipitation is measured as rain and 332 centimeters of snowfall. The average temperature in summer is 12.5 ° C, the maximum temperature is 20 ° C, but from an altitude of 1500 meters, frost and snowfall in summer are not uncommon. The lowest temperatures in winter are -15 ° C.

Flora and fauna

The flora and fauna in Yoho National Park are not that different from those in Banff or Jasper. In the deepest parts of the park, as in Mount Revelstoke or Glacier National Park , the rainforest of the temperate latitudes still grows in places with West American hemlocks , giant arborvitae and Igelkraftwurzen , but otherwise the forests in the valleys and lower mountain slopes in the park consist of Engelmann spruce and rock fir trees . At Lake O'Hara and other places, the forest turns into subalpine mountain meadows with clusters of rock mountain larches . Often the coniferous forests have only grown bush-shaped due to avalanches, then they are interspersed with berry bushes and wild flowers. Of the large mammals, mountain goats are the most common in the park. There are also bighorn sheep , elk , mule deer and elk in the park area. Most of the grizzly bears in the park live in the woods on Lake O'Hara . Hiking trails are often closed in summer due to excessive bear activity. Black bears are common at Hoodoo Campground, and there are large beaver dams in the nearby moor at the Deerlodge Cabin .

history

Although the terrain was very difficult for railway construction, the railway company decided to build the first transcontinental railway line over the Kicking Horse Pass. For time and cost reasons, the railway line was laid in as straight a line as possible in 1884, so the route from Field to the pass had an average gradient of 4.5%, four times as high as was recommended at the time. The operation of this steep route was costly, dangerous and led to many accidents due to additional locomotives. Therefore, at the beginning of the 20th century, the construction of two spiral tunnels, the so-called spiral tunnels , began, which were completed in 1909 and reduced the average gradient of the route to 2.2%. Although the mountains were a significant obstacle for the railway, the railway company recognized the tourist potential of the landscape. To protect the landscape and promote tourism, the park was established in 1886 at the same time as Glacier National Park to the west as Mount Stephen Dominion Reserve . In 1901 the park was renamed Yoho, a word from the Cree language that is considered to be an expression of wonder or admiration. At the beginning and in the first half of the 20th century, rail tourism boomed in the Canadian Rockies. The Canadian Pacific Railroad built paths to the attractions in the park and built several guest houses and facilities in the park, such as the Emerald Lodge in 1902 , the Deerlodge Cabin in 1904, the Twin Falls Tea House in 1908 or the Lake O'Hara Lodge in 1926 .

In 1962 the Trans-Canada Highway was opened, which also runs through the middle of the park and follows the old railway line as it climbs to the Kicking Horse Pass, which was abandoned after the opening of the Spiral Tunnels. The site is still owned by the Canadian Pacific Railroad, so the state has to pay royalties to the railroad company. However, these are to be used for the four-lane expansion of the highway.

Because of its historical importance in the construction of the transcontinental railroad, the Kicking Horse Pass including the Spiral Tunnels was declared a National Historic Site in 1971 . The Burgess slate was named a World Heritage Site in 1981. In 1984 the World Natural Heritage was expanded to include the Yoho, Kootenay, Banff and Jasper National Parks in the Canadian Rockies and in 1990 the adjacent Provincial Parks Mount Assiniboine, Mount Robson and Hamber.

Since 1985 the national park has been supported by a support association, the Friends of Yoho Society .

Tourist facilities

The park's visitor center is located in Field, within the park. There are two lodges in the park area, Lake O'Hara Lodge and Emerald Lake Lodge. The four campsites in the park have a total of 197 spaces for tents and some also for mobile homes. In addition, there are the so-called backcountry campsites that are scattered across the park and can only be reached by hikers. More than 400 kilometers of hiking trails run through the park. The main natural attractions in the park are

The Wapta Falls , a 30 meter high and 100 meter wide waterfall of the Kicking Horse River. Not far from the falls, the explorer James Hector was kicked from his horse in 1858 . After this incident the river and later the pass were named.
The Hoodoo Creek Campground is home to the most impressive hoodoos in the park. The hoodoos are earth pyramids made of glacial tuff, which are covered by flat stones and thus protected from erosion. A nature trail leads to the Deerlodge Cabin, which was built in 1904 as the first supervision hut in the park.
Natural Bridge is an arch that the Kicking Horse River has eaten through a layer of limestone, creating a natural bridge.
A 24 kilometer long forest path, which can also be used by mountain bike, leads through the Amiskwi Valley with its mountain meadows to the Amiskwi Pass.
The Emerald Lake is fed by glacier water, which has an unusual color due to the rock powder it contains and is a popular hiking destination. The historic Emerald Lake Lodge is located on the lake.
The Yoho Valley Road leads through a 13-kilometer-long, narrow valley to the Takakkaw Falls , which with a free fall of 254 meters is the third highest waterfalls in Canada. From Takakkaw Falls, an eight-kilometer footpath leads to the 30-meter-high Laughing Falls and on to the Twin Falls , two parallel, 180-meter-high waterfalls. At the foot of the Twin Falls, at 1,800 meters above sea level, is the Twin Falls Tea House , a rustic wooden house that was built as a mountain hut by the railway company in 1908 and expanded in 1924. The house has been a National Historic Site since 1992.
The Lower Spiral Tunnel Viewpoint is a lookout point of the famous Spiral Tunnels as well as the Yoho Valley and Yoho Glacier. Information boards explain the function of the tunnels.
The mountain lake Lake O'Hara is a popular excursion and hiking destination. The historic Lake O'Hara Lodge is located on its shore. A well-developed network of hiking trails begins at the lodge. The lake can be reached on foot or by shuttle bus.