YOHO NATIONAL PARK AND VICINITY - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 287

surroundings. M Emerald Lake Lodge (250/343-6321 or 800/663-6336, www.crmr.com )
is the grandest of Yoho's accommodations, offering a restaurant, café, lounge, and recre-
ation facilities for both guests and nonguests.
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 during the 20th-century by lu-
minaries such as Lawrence Grassi. Trails radiate from the lake in all directions; the longest
is just 7.5 kilometers (4.7 miles), making Lake O'Hara an especially fine hub for day hik-
ing. What makes this destination all the more special is that a quota system limits the num-
ber of visitors.
Book the Bus
It's possible to walk to Lake O'Hara, but most visitors take the shuttle bus along a road
closed to the public. The departure point is a signed parking lot 15 kilometers (9.3 miles)
east of Field and three kilometers (1.9 miles) west of the Continental Divide. Buses for
day visitors depart between mid-June and early October at 8:30am and 10:30am, returning
at 2:30pm, 4:30pm, and 6:30pm To book a seat, call the dedicated reservations line (250/
343-6433). Reservations are taken up to three months in advance, but as numbers are lim-
ited, you will need to call exactly three months prior to be assured of a seat; even then, you
should call as early in the day as possible. Phone lines are open 8am-4pm Monday-Friday
April-May and 8am-4pm daily June-September. The reservation fee is $12 per booking,
and the bus fare is $15 per person round-trip. The procedure is simple enough, but to be
assured a seat, it's important you get it right: For example, to visit on September 25 (when
the larch are at their colorful peak), start dialing at 8am on June 25 (with a credit card
ready). Reservations are only required for the inbound shuttle; outgoing buses fill on de-
mand.
All times—bus departures and reservation center hours—are mountain standard time
(the same time zone as Banff).
Other Considerations
After the 20-minute bus trip to the lake, day hikers are dropped off at Le Relais, a homely
log shelter where topics and maps are sold, including the recommended Lake Louise and