CANADIAN ROCKIES - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 485

Today paleontologists continue to uncover perfectly preserved fossils—albeit in far
fewer numbers than in Walcott's day. They've also uncovered additional fossil beds,
similar in makeup and age, across the valley on the north face of Mount Stephen.
Protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, the two research areas are open
only to those accompanied by a licensed guide. The Burgess Shale Geoscience
Foundation (250/343-6006 or 800/343-3006, www.burgess-shale.bc.ca ,
10am-3:30pm Mon.-Fri.) guides trips to both sites between July and mid-September.
The access to Burgess Shale (Walcott Quarry) is along a strenuous 10-kilometer
(6.2-mile) trail each way that gains 760 meters (2,500 feet) in elevation. Trips leave
Friday-Monday at 8am from the Yoho Trading Post at the Field intersection, return-
ing around 6:30pm; adult $120, child under 12 $25. Trips to the Mount Stephen
Fossil Beds depart Saturday and Sunday at 8:30am from the Yoho Trading Post, re-
turning at around 4:30pm; adult $90, child $25. The trail to the Mount Stephen beds
also gains 780 meters (2,560 feet) of elevation in three kilometers (1.9 miles). Trails
to both sites are unrelenting in their elevation gain—you must be fit to hike them.
Reservations are a must.
Yoho Valley Road ends 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) from the main highway at Takakkaw
Falls, the most impressive waterfall in the Canadian Rockies. The falls are fed by the Daly
and Des Poilus Glaciers of the Waputik Icefield, which straddles the Continental Divide.
Its name meaning “wonderful” in the language of the Cree, Takakkaw tumbles 254 meters
(830 feet) over a sheer rock wall at the lip of the Yoho Valley, creating a spray bedecked by
rainbows. It can be seen from the parking lot, but it's well worth the easy 10-minute stroll
over the Yoho River to appreciate the sight in all its glory.
HIKING
Yoho Valley provides many fine opportunities for serious day hikers to get off the beaten
track. The following day hikes begin from different trailheads near the end of the road up
Yoho Valley. In each case, leave your vehicle in the Takakkaw Falls parking lot.
One of the most spectacular day hikes in the Canadian Rockies is the Iceline Trail.
Gaining 690 meters (2,260 feet) of elevation over 6.4 kilometers (four miles), it's a re-
latively strenuous hike, one that you should dedicate a full day to. The length given is
from the hostel (across from the Takakkaw parking lot) to the highest point along the trail,
2,250 meters (7,380 feet). From the hostel, the trail begins a steep and steady one-kilometer
(0.6-mile) climb to a point where two options present themselves: the Iceline Trail is to the