CANADIAN ROCKIES - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 488

covered in ice most of the year but comes alive with activity for a few short months in sum-
mer. In addition to hiking, you can paddle across the lake by renting a canoe from Emer-
ald Lake Canoe Rentals (250/343-6000, 9am-8pm June-Sept., $30 per hour, $45 for two
hours, or $80 all day). Emerald Lake Lodge is the grandest of Yoho's accommodations,
offering a restaurant, café, lounge, and recreation facilities for both guests and nonguests.
HIKING
One of the easiest yet most enjoyable walks in Yoho is the Emerald Lake Loop, which, as
the name suggests, encircles Emerald Lake. The best views are from the western shoreline,
where a massive avalanche has cleared away the forest of Engelmann spruce. Across
the lake from this point, Mount Burgess can be seen rising an impressive 2,599 meters
(8,530 feet). Traveling in a clockwise direction beyond the avalanche slope, and at the
2.2-kilometer (1.4-mile) mark, a small bridge is crossed. Views from this point extend back
across the Emerald Lake Lodge to the Ottertail Range. Beyond the lake's inlet, the veget-
ation changes dramatically. A lush forest of towering western red cedar creates a canopy,
protecting moss-covered fallen trees, thimbleberry, and bunchberry extending to the wa-
ter's edge. Just over one kilometer (0.6 mile) from the bridge, the trail divides: The left fork
leads back to the parking lot via a small forest-encircled pond, while the path straight ahead
passes through the grounds of Emerald Lake Lodge. Allow 90 minutes for the 5.2-kilometer
(3.2-mile) circuit. From along the loop, a trail climbs steadily to Emerald Basin, which is
reached in 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles). The most impressive sight awaiting you there is the
south wall of the President Range, towering 800 vertical meters (2,630 feet) above. Allow
3-4 hours for the round-trip.
From the parking lot at Emerald Lake, it's just 800 meters (0.5 mile) to Hamilton Falls.
It's an easy walk through a forest of Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir to a viewpoint at
the base of the falls. A little farther along, the trail begins switchbacking steeply and of-
fers even better views of the cascade. The trail continues beyond the waterfall to Hamilton
Lake, which lies in a small glacial cirque a steep 880 vertical meters (2,890 feet) above
Emerald Lake. Total distance from Emerald Lake to Hamilton Lake is 5.5 kilometers (3.4
miles) one-way; allow 2-3 hours each way.
MM LAKE O'HARA
Nestled in a high bowl of lush alpine meadows, Lake O'Hara, 11 kilometers (6.8 miles)
from the nearest public road, is surrounded by dozens of smaller alpine lakes and framed by
spectacular peaks permanently mantled in snow. As if that weren't enough, the entire area
is webbed by a network of hiking trails established over the last 90 years by luminaries such