Yoho National Park
Canada
Yoho National Park is a must if you are planning to visit Canada! We were unable to backpack/camp in these areas due to some restrictions. But we still did some epic routes and day hikes that made it an awesome adventure! If you can, I definitely reccomend reserving a campsite at Yoho. We wished we could have spent more time there but no dogs are allowed unfortunately. Remember, you're in grizzly territory so pack your bear mace and store food properly! This is an all day adventure so for us it needed just as much planning as any backpacking trip we've done!
Route
Yoho National Park
Lake Ohara, Lake Oesa, Lake McArthur and Schaffer Lake
-
Moderate/Hard
-
NO dogs allowed in campgrounds, shuttle buses or lodges
-
Park at the Lake Ohara lot
-
Start at Lake Ohara
-
Shuttle fee $
-
When to go : May - October
-
Backcountry permit required to camp. Only in designated campsites or lodges. Must take lake Ohara Shuttle Bus to access park. No public access. The road is closed to private vehicles and bicycles. If you don't secure a shuttle reservation, you can walk the 11km fire road to the lake. There are multiple departure times through out the day for your return trip so plan accordingly.
NOTE
Reservations for the Lake O'Hara shuttle bus & backcountry campsites/lodge stays are highly competitive. It's recommended to book as far in advance as possible. Reservations for day visitors are typically available three months in advance of the desired date. We were unable to reserve backcountry camp sites due to us having dogs. So we decided to plan a day adventure instead and boarded the dogs at a local facility called Cooper's Dog Cabin! Reservations are mandatory for the shuttle, both for day trips and camping, and are available through a lottery system
AllTrails, Yoho Info page & Parking Lot Links
Lake McArthur & Schaffer Lake
It's about a 4.5 mile loop that takes 2.5 hours to complete. There was a rocky section through a boulder field with some more challenging terrain, but it was short lived. There were some nasty fires this summer in Banff so our view was a bit smokey. The lake was beautiful and found a good spot to jump in!
Lake Ohara to Lake Oesa
I recommend starting your trek to Toxaway Lake early. The pass has steep switchbacks with no shade. It gets hot quickly, especially for the doggos! Once at the top there is a rock ledge with an amazing views of the Sawtooth Mountains and Twin Lakes below. A big tree sits at the top of the pass with some rewarding shade. Perfect spot for a break. We camped the night at Toxaway Lake, took a quick cold plunge and watched the sun set (while getting eaten alive by bugs).
