View source for Yoho National Park

{{short description|National park in British Columbia, Canada}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Yoho National Park
| alt_name = {{lang|fr|Parc national Yoho}}
| iucn_category = II
| iucn_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Protected Planet {{!}} Yoho National Park Of Canada|url=https://www.protectedplanet.net/623|access-date=2020-10-13|website=Protected Planet}}</ref>
| photo = Takakkaw Falls - panoramio (1).jpg
| photo_caption = [[Takakkaw Falls]]
| photo_width = 250
| map = Canada##British Columbia
| map_caption = Location in [[Canada]]##Location in [[British Columbia]]
| map_width = 250
| relief = yes
| location = [[British Columbia]], Canada
| nearest_city = [[Field, British Columbia|Field]]
| coordinates = {{coord|51|23|43|N|116|29|12|W|display=inline, title}}
| area_km2 = 1313
| established = October 10, 1886
| visitation_num = 663,878
| visitation_year = 2022–23<ref>{{Cite web |last=Canada |first=Parks |title=Parks Canada attendance 2022_23 - Parks Canada attendance 2022_23 - Open Government Portal |url=https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/57c69cfc-fc85-495b-9eef-555a08404034/resource/020bfd16-2079-4fa7-839f-f4cc8c19851c |access-date=2024-05-07 |website=open.canada.ca}}</ref>
| governing_body = [[Parks Canada]]
| website = {{Official URL}}
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 7
| mapframe-wikidata = yes
| embedded = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| child         = yes
| part_of       = [[Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site|Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks]]
| criteria      = {{UNESCO WHS type|(vii), (viii)}}(vii), (viii)
| ID            = 304
| year          = 1984
}}
}}

'''Yoho National Park''' ({{IPAc-en|'|j|oʊ|h|oʊ}} {{respell|YOH|hoh}})<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/gkPzJaDTXL0 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20190610081718/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkPzJaDTXL0 Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite AV media |author=Parks Canada |author-link=Parks Canada |date=2017-07-26 |title=Parks Can Can Canada 2017|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkPzJaDTXL0 |access-date=2019-05-19}}{{cbignore}}</ref> is a [[National Parks of Canada|national park]] of [[Canada]]. It is located within the [[Canadian Rockies|Rocky Mountains]] along the western slope of the [[Continental Divide of the Americas]] in southeastern [[British Columbia]], bordered by [[Kootenay National Park]] to the south and [[Banff National Park]] to the east in [[Alberta]]. The park features a spectacular landscape of massive ice fields and mountain peaks, which rank among the highest in the Canadian Rockies.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2017 |title=Kicking Horse River |url=http://chrs.ca/the-rivers/kicking-horse/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812032907/http://chrs.ca/the-rivers/kicking-horse |archive-date=2019-08-12 |access-date=2019-06-18 |website=Canadian Heritage Rivers System |publisher=}}</ref>

Yoho covers an area of {{convert|1,313|km2}}, the smallest of the region's four contiguous national parks, which also include [[Jasper National Park|Jasper]], Kootenay, and Banff National Parks, as well as three British Columbia provincial parks&mdash;[[Hamber Provincial Park]], [[Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park]], and [[Mount Robson Provincial Park]]. Together, these parks form the [[Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site]]. Yoho's administrative and visitor centre is in Field, British Columbia, beside the [[Trans-Canada Highway]].

== Etymology ==
The name "Yoho" comes from ''yo-ho!'' (also rendered ''yôhô!''), an expression of surprise in the [[Cree language]].<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Lacombe |first=Albert |url= |title=Dictionnaire de la langue des Cris |date=1874 |publisher=CO Beauchemin & Valois |others= |publication-place=Montreal |page=662 |chapter=Yo-ho! |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/dictionnairedela01laco/page/662/mode/1up?q=Yo-ho%21 |via=[[Archive.org]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019 |title=yôhô |url=https://itwewina.altlab.app/ |access-date=2025-09-28 |website=itwêwina: the online Cree dictionary |publisher=Alberta Language Technology Laboratory, University of Alberta |language=en}}</ref> In spite of the name's Cree origin, the Cree did not historically inhabit this region and it is not actually an [[Indigenous language|indigenous]] name, but was chosen in 1901 by [[Édouard-Gaston Deville]], the then [[Surveyor General]] of Canada.<ref name=":3" />

==History==
Yoho National Park is in the traditional territories of the [[Secwepemc]] and [[Ktunaxa]] [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2020-02-13 |title=What we heard - Yoho National Park |url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/yoho/gestion-mgmt/consultation/entendu-heard |access-date=2022-04-09 |website=www.pc.gc.ca}}</ref> Before the establishment of the park, the Ktunaxa primarily used the area—specifically, [[Kicking Horse Pass]]—to cross the Rockies in order to access bison hunting grounds on the eastern side of the mountains.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yoho National Park {{!}} The Canadian Encyclopedia |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/yoho-national-park#IndigenousPeoples |access-date=2022-04-09 |website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author=Loy, Thomas H. |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/59738737 |title=Archaeological survey of Yoho National Park, 1971 |date=1972 |publisher=National Historic Parks and Sites Service, Dept. of Indian Affairs and Northern Development |oclc=59738737}}</ref>

The park was created following a trip by Prime Minister [[John A. Macdonald]] and his wife [[Agnes Macdonald, 1st Baroness Macdonald of Earnscliffe|Agnes]] through the Rockies on the newly completed [[Canadian Pacific Railway]], Canada's first transcontinental.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}} On October 10, 1886, two new national parks (then simply referred to as "reserves") were created, the second and third in Canada ([[Banff Reserve]] being the first). The new parks were Glacier Reserve, the predecessor to [[Glacier National Park (Canada)|Glacier National Park of Canada]], and Mount Stephen Reserve, the predecessor of Yoho National Park.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Lothian |first=William F |url=https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.837448/publication.html |title=A Brief History of Canada's National Parks |date=1987 |website= |publisher=Environment Canada, Parks [Publication no. R62-237/1987E] |isbn=978-0-662-15217-0 |publication-place=Ottawa |access-date= |via=Government of Canada, Publications}} pp. 27-28.</ref>

The area of the new reserve was {{convert|256|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}} in the area around [[Mount Stephen]], and was considerably smaller than the later park. The centerpiece of the park was the [[Mount Stephen House]] in [[Field, British Columbia]], a popular stopover on the newly constructed Canadian Pacific Railway.<ref name=":0" />

At this time, many of the mountain areas beyond the Canadian Pacific corridor were completely unexplored by non-native peoples, [[Emerald Lake (British Columbia)|Emerald Lake]] having only been discovered by non-natives in 1882.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sandford |first=Robert W. |title=Ecology & Wonder in the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site |date=2014 |publisher=Athabasca University Press |isbn=978-1-897425-58-9 |location=Edmonton}}</ref> In 1896, German explorer and mountaineer [[Jean Habel (explorer)|Jean Habel]] would lead an expedition up the valley of the North Fork of the [[Wapta River]] (later renamed the [[Yoho River]]) and was awestruck by the sight of [[Takakkaw Falls]] and other natural wonders of the valley. Habel presented his findings to the [[Appalachian Mountain Club]] in 1898<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Habel |first=Jean |date=1898 |title=The North Fork of the Wapta |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/aeu.ark:/13960/t2q533w8g?urlappend=%3Bseq=7 |journal=Appalachia |volume=8 |issue=4 |pages=327-336}}</ref> and news about the beauty of the area spread rapidly. By 1901, the Canadian Pacific Railway was running magazine advertisements for the recently rechristened Yoho Valley, billing the area as "greater than [[Yosemite National Park|Yosemite]]" and  offering visitors day trips from Mount Stephen House into the valley, led by experienced Swiss [[Mountain guide|mountain guides]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Canadian Pacific Railway |date=1901-05-30 |title=Greater than Yosemite |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.32101045356845?urlappend=%3Bseq=485%3Bownerid=27021597765978963-585 |magazine=Life |page=467 |via=[[HathiTrust]] |volume=37 |issue=969}}</ref> 

In 1902, the Canadian government decided to expand the area of the reserve to include the Yoho Valley, as well as rename the park for this feature, changing its name to Yoho Park.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Lothian |first=William F |url=https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.837448/publication.html |title=A Brief History of Canada's National Parks |date=1987 |website= |publisher=Environment Canada, Parks [Publication no. R62-237/1987E] |isbn=978-0-662-15217-0 |publication-place=Ottawa |access-date= |via=Government of Canada, Publications}} pp. 38-42.</ref> The expansion also included areas beyond Mount Stephen and the Yoho Valley, and grew the area of the park considerably, to {{convert|828.5|sqmi|km2|abbr=on|0}}, however, this area was reduced to {{convert|560|sqmi|km2|abbr=on|0}} in 1911 and further reduced to {{convert|476|sqmi|km2|abbr=on|0}} in 1922. With the passage of the [[Canada National Parks Act|National Park Act of 1930]] that the park would get its current name, Yoho National Park, and also a boundary adjustment that adjusted the area of the park to its current size of {{convert|507|sqmi|km2|abbr=on|0}}.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lothian |first=William F |url= |title=A History of Canada's National Parks |date=1976 |publisher=Parks Canada |volume=I |publication-place=Ottawa |chapter=Chapter 2: Expansion in the West (1900 to 1972) |access-date= |chapter-url=http://parkscanadahistory.com/publications/history/lothian/eng/vol1/chap2.htm}}</ref>

In 1909, while fossil hunting in the park, [[Charles Doolittle Walcott]] discovered the [[Burgess Shale]] deposit, a deposit of geologically very old rocks that were rich in [[Fossil|fossils]]. [[Paleontologists]] would find a fossil record in the Burgess Shale that would revolutionize the understanding of the [[Evolution of complex life|evolution of complex]] [[Multicellular organism|multicellular organisms]], particularly the early [[animal]] kingdom. This discovery would further raise the profile of the park and underscore its scientific value alongside its natural beauty.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=nd |title=Discoveries |url=https://burgess-shale.rom.on.ca/history/discoveries/ |access-date=2025-09-27 |website=The Burgess Shale |publisher=Royal Ontario Museum |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=nd |title=Timeline: The Burgess Shale protected by Parks Canada |url=https://burgess-shale.rom.on.ca/history/historical-context/context/the-burgess-shale-protected-by-parks-canada/ |access-date=2025-09-27 |website=The Burgess Shale |publisher=Royal Ontario Museum |language=en-CA}}</ref>

The contiguous national parks of Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, and Yoho, as well as the Mount Robson, Mount Assiniboine, and Hamber provincial parks, were declared a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] in 1984.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=304 | title = Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks | work = World Heritage list | publisher = [[UNESCO]] | access-date = August 26, 2010 }}</ref>

==Fauna==
Common species of animals that roam in this park are the [[Northwestern wolf|timber wolf]], [[Canis latrans|coyote]], [[American badger|badger]], [[western moose|moose]], [[Rocky Mountain elk|elk]], [[mule deer]], [[mountain goat]], [[golden-mantled ground squirrel]], [[rufous hummingbird]], [[hoary marmot]], [[wolverine]], [[North American cougar|cougar]], [[American pika|pika]], [[Canada lynx|lynx]], [[grizzly bear]], and [[American black bear|black bear]].

==Climate==
The weather in the park is localized and changeable.<ref name= "PCweather">{{cite web|url = http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/bc/yoho/visit/meteo-weather.aspx |title = Yoho National Park Weather |publisher = Parks Canada |access-date = August 22, 2015}}</ref> Located on the western side of the [[Continental Divide of the Americas|continental divide]], it receives more precipitation than areas east of the divide.<ref name=PCweather/> Precipitation in the park increases with elevation.<ref name=PCweather/> In winter, average temperatures are between {{convert|5|and|-15|C|1}} from the months November to April although temperatures can range between {{convert|10|and|-35|C|1}}.<ref name=PCweather/> The coldest weather usually occurs in the months December to February.<ref name=PCweather/> In summer, mean temperatures average {{convert|12.5|C|1}} with an average high of {{convert|20|C|1}} and an average low of {{convert|5|C|1}}.<ref name=PCweather/> Snowfall and freezing temperatures can occur during the summertime at altitudes above {{convert|1500|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name=PCweather/>

==Geology==
[[Image:Yoho National Park of Canada.jpg|thumb|right|180px|[[Chancellor Peak]] and Kicking Horse River]]
[[Image:YohoNP.EmeraldLake.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Emerald Lake]]
[[File:Lake McArthur, Yoho Park - James MacDonald.jpg|thumb|right|180px|[[Lake McArthur (British Columbia)|Lake McArthur]], 1924 painting by [[J. E. H. MacDonald]]]]
[[File:YohoNationalpark-NaturalBridge.ogv|thumb|300px|right|Natural Bridge in Yoho National Park]]
The [[Canadian Rockies]] consist of [[sedimentary rock]], with numerous [[fossil]] deposits.  In particular, the [[Burgess Shale]], in Yoho National Park, has among the world's richest deposits of rare fossils. The Burgess Shale was discovered in 1909 by [[Charles Doolittle Walcott]]. [[Mount Stephen]] has long been well known for its trilobite deposits, the discovery of which predates the Burgess Shale.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> 

In the southeastern corner of the park is an igneous intrusion known as the Ice River Complex containing deposits of [[sodalite]], an ornamental stone.

The [[Kicking Horse River]], a Canadian Heritage River, originates in the Wapta and Waputik icefields in the park. This river has created a natural bridge through solid rock. This formation is located {{cvt|3|km}} west of Field, accessible from the road to [[Emerald Lake (British Columbia)|Emerald Lake]].

===Mountains===

*[[Mount Goodsir]] {{cvt|3,567|m}}
*[[Mount Vaux]] {{cvt|3,310|m}}
*[[Mount Balfour]] {{cvt|3,272|m}}<ref>{{Cite crdb|id=79|title=Mount Balfour|access-date=2023-08-06}}</ref>
*[[Chancellor Peak]]  {{cvt|3,266|m}}
*[[Mount Stephen]] {{cvt|3,199|m}} is the tallest of the four mountains that surround the town of [[Field, British Columbia]]. A portion of the [[Burgess Shale]] fossils were discovered on Mount Stephen.
*[[Cathedral Mountain (Yoho)|Cathedral Mountain]] {{cvt|3,189|m}}
*[[The President (mountain)|The President]] {{cvt|3,138|m}}
*[[Odaray Mountain]] {{cvt|3,137|m}}
*[[The Vice President (mountain)|The Vice President]]	{{cvt|3,077|m}}
*[[Wapta Mountain]] {{cvt|2,778|m}}
*[[Mount Field (British Columbia)|Mount Field]] {{cvt|2,643|m}}
*[[Mount Burgess]] {{cvt|2,599|m}} is a frequently climbed mountain. For 17 years, it was featured on the [[Canadian ten-dollar bill]].
*[[Paget Peak]] {{convert|2,560.|m}}

===Waterfalls===

*[[Takakkaw Falls]] have a total height of {{convert|373|m|ft}},<ref name="eb" /> making it the 2nd tallest waterfall in Canada.<ref name="encyclopedia">{{cite encyclopedia |first=David |last=Evans |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/takakkaw-falls |title=Takakkaw Falls |encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] |access-date=25 February 2019}}</ref><ref name="field">{{cite web |title=Waterfalls in the Canadian Rockies: Field, British Columbia |url=http://www.field.ca/yohonationalpark/waterfalls |website=www.field.ca |access-date=13 August 2018 |language=EN}}</ref> The main drop of the waterfall has a height of {{convert|254|m|ft}}.<ref name="eb">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Takakkaw Falls |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=25 February 2019 |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Takakkaw-Falls}}</ref>
*[[Wapta Falls]] is the largest waterfall of the [[Kicking Horse River]], at about {{convert|30|m|ft}} high and {{convert|150|m|ft}} wide.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com/bc_waterfall.php?num=518&p=0|title=Northwest Waterfall Survey|website=www.waterfallsnorthwest.com}}</ref><ref>[http://geoimages.berkeley.edu/Waterfalls/BC/Wapta.html Wapta Falls at Berkeley]</ref> Its average flow can reach {{convert|254|m3/s|ft3/s}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.waterfallswest.com/waterfall.php?id=109|title=Waterfalls of British Columbia - Wapta Falls; Yoho Natl. Park|website=www.waterfallswest.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.northeastwaterfalls.com/waterfall.php?num=1352&p=0|title=Wapta Falls - Waterfalls of the Northeastern United States|website=www.northeastwaterfalls.com|access-date=2020-04-28|archive-date=2018-08-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826044041/http://www.northeastwaterfalls.com/waterfall.php?num=1352&p=0|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Geography|Canada}}
{{Commons category|Yoho National Park}}
*[[List of lakes of Yoho National Park]]
*[[List of national parks of Canada]]
*[[Emerald Lake (British Columbia)|Emerald Lake]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage}}
*{{Official website}}
*{{FadedPage|id=20150105|name=Yoho National Park: The Mountains, the Rocks, the Scenery}}
*[http://www.field.ca/ A travel guide for Yoho National Park and the village of Field, BC]
*[http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/yoho-national-park/ "Yoho National Park"]. ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''

{{National parks of Canada}}
{{Canadian Rockies}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Canada}}
{{British Columbia parks}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Yoho National Park| ]]
[[Category:Parks in British Columbia]]
[[Category:National parks in British Columbia]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1886]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]