Emerald Lake, Yoho National Park

Emerald Lake

An emerald-colored lake in Yoho National Park. The 5 km lakeside trail is flat and easy, with lakeside log cabins and canoes, and along the way you can see a natural bridge and Takakkaw Falls, Canada's second-highest waterfall.

Emerald Lake lies in Yoho National Park in British Columbia (Yoho is from the Cree word for “awe”). It is 40 km west of Lake Louise Village along Highway 1, about 35 minutes' drive, and it is the largest and most beautiful lake in Yoho. The water shows a bright emerald green due to limestone rock flour, unlike Banff's glacial blue. It is surrounded by Burgess Mountain, where the Burgess Shale Cambrian fossil beds were discovered in 1909 (a core part of the World Heritage site), the President Range, and the Wapta Mountains.

On the shore stands the Emerald Lake Lodge, a wooden hotel built in 1902 by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The canoe dock by the bridge is the most classic photo spot (red canoes about CA$90/hour). The lakeside trail is 5.2 km long, almost flat, and takes about 1.5 hours. The east shore is paved and suitable for strollers, while the west shore passes through fir forest and an alluvial fan. The area gets more rain than Banff, so the forest is wetter and denser.

On the way to Emerald Lake, stop at two places. The first is the Natural Bridge, a natural stone bridge carved through limestone by the Kicking Horse River, visible right from the parking lot. The second is Takakkaw Falls, at the end of the 13-km Yoho Valley Road, which branches off Highway 1. The road has hairpin bends, RVs are prohibited, and it is open from late June to early October. Takakkaw Falls drops 373 m and is Canada's second-highest waterfall. From the parking lot, it is a 10-minute walk to the base of the falls, where mist sprays over you.

Other highlights in Yoho: the Spiral Tunnels viewpoint (watch trains loop through the mountains), the Wapta Falls hike (4.6 km round trip), and the town of Field, where the visitor center can book guided hikes to the Burgess Shale fossil sites.

Admission is free (a park pass is required). There is no public bus, so drive or join a tour. It can be combined with Lake Louise on the same day: Lake Louise in the morning, Yoho in the afternoon.

Notes: The Emerald Lake parking lot often fills at midday in summer. The water is icy cold, so swimming is prohibited. The Yoho Valley Road is closed in winter. British Columbia and Alberta are one hour apart. Field uses Mountain Time, the same as Banff.

Emerald Lake, Yoho National Park

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Places to eat nearby