| Yoho National Park | |
|---|---|
| Parc national Yoho | |
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 Interactive map of Yoho National Park | |
| Location | British Columbia, Canada |
| Nearest city | Field |
| Coordinates | 51°23′43″N116°29′12″W / 51.39528°N 116.48667°W /51.39528; -116.48667 |
| Area | 1,313 km2 (507 sq mi) |
| Established | October 10, 1886 |
| Visitors | 663,878 (in 2022–23[2]) |
| Governing body | Parks Canada |
| Website | parks |
 Interactive map of Yoho National Park | |
| Part of | Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks |
| Criteria | Natural: (vii), (viii) |
| Reference | 304 |
| Inscription | 1984 (8thSession) |
Yoho National Park (/ˈjoʊhoʊ/YOH-hoh)[3] is anational park ofCanada. It is located within theRocky Mountains along the western slope of theContinental Divide of the Americas in southeasternBritish Columbia, bordered byKootenay National Park to the south andBanff National Park to the east inAlberta. The park features a spectacular landscape of massive ice fields and mountain peaks, which rank among the highest in the Canadian Rockies.[4]
Yoho covers an area of 1,313 square kilometres (507 sq mi), the smallest of the region's four contiguous national parks, which also includeJasper, Kootenay, and Banff National Parks, as well as three British Columbia provincial parks—Hamber Provincial Park,Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, andMount Robson Provincial Park. Together, these parks form theCanadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site. Yoho's administrative and visitor centre is in Field, British Columbia, beside theTrans-Canada Highway.
The name "Yoho" comes fromyo-ho! (also renderedyôhô!), an expression of surprise in theCree language.[4][5][6] In spite of the name's Cree origin, the Cree did not historically inhabit this region and it is not actually anindigenous name, but was chosen in 1901 byÉdouard-Gaston Deville, the thenSurveyor General of Canada.[7]
Yoho National Park is in the traditional territories of theSecwepemc andKtunaxaFirst Nations.[8] 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.[9][10]
The park was created following a trip by Prime MinisterJohn A. Macdonald and his wifeAgnes through the Rockies on the newly completedCanadian Pacific Railway, Canada's first transcontinental.[citation needed] 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 toGlacier National Park of Canada, and Mount Stephen Reserve, the predecessor of Yoho National Park.[11]
The area of the new reserve was 256 sq mi (660 km2) in the area aroundMount Stephen, and was considerably smaller than the later park. The centerpiece of the park was theMount Stephen House inField, British Columbia, a popular stopover on the newly constructed Canadian Pacific Railway.[11]
At this time, many of the mountain areas beyond the Canadian Pacific corridor were completely unexplored by non-native peoples,Emerald Lake having only been discovered by non-natives in 1882.[12] In 1896, German explorer and mountaineerJean Habel would lead an expedition up the valley of the North Fork of theWapta River (later renamed theYoho River) and was awestruck by the sight ofTakakkaw Falls and other natural wonders of the valley. Habel presented his findings to theAppalachian Mountain Club in 1898[7][13] 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 thanYosemite" and offering visitors day trips from Mount Stephen House into the valley, led by experienced Swissmountain guides.[14]
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.[7] The expansion also included areas beyond Mount Stephen and the Yoho Valley, and grew the area of the park considerably, to 828.5 sq mi (2,146 km2), however, this area was reduced to 560 sq mi (1,450 km2) in 1911 and further reduced to 476 sq mi (1,233 km2) in 1922. With the passage of theNational 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 507 sq mi (1,313 km2).[15]
In 1909, while fossil hunting in the park,Charles Doolittle Walcott discovered theBurgess Shale deposit, a deposit of geologically very old rocks that were rich infossils.Paleontologists would find a fossil record in the Burgess Shale that would revolutionize the understanding of theevolution of complexmulticellular organisms, particularly the earlyanimal kingdom. This discovery would further raise the profile of the park and underscore its scientific value alongside its natural beauty.[16][17]
The contiguous national parks of Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, and Yoho, as well as the Mount Robson, Mount Assiniboine, and Hamber provincial parks, were declared aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 1984.[18]
Common species of animals that roam in this park are thetimber wolf,coyote,badger,moose,elk,mule deer,mountain goat,golden-mantled ground squirrel,rufous hummingbird,hoary marmot,wolverine,cougar,pika,lynx,grizzly bear, andblack bear.
The weather in the park is localized and changeable.[19] Located on the western side of thecontinental divide, it receives more precipitation than areas east of the divide.[19] Precipitation in the park increases with elevation.[19] In winter, average temperatures are between 5 and −15 °C (41.0 and 5.0 °F) from the months November to April although temperatures can range between 10 and −35 °C (50.0 and −31.0 °F).[19] The coldest weather usually occurs in the months December to February.[19] In summer, mean temperatures average 12.5 °C (54.5 °F) with an average high of 20 °C (68.0 °F) and an average low of 5 °C (41.0 °F).[19] Snowfall and freezing temperatures can occur during the summertime at altitudes above 1,500 m (4,900 ft).[19]
TheCanadian Rockies consist ofsedimentary rock, with numerousfossil deposits. In particular, theBurgess Shale, in Yoho National Park, has among the world's richest deposits of rare fossils. The Burgess Shale was discovered in 1909 byCharles Doolittle Walcott.Mount Stephen has long been well known for its trilobite deposits, the discovery of which predates the Burgess Shale.[16][17]
In the southeastern corner of the park is an igneous intrusion known as the Ice River Complex containing deposits ofsodalite, an ornamental stone.
TheKicking 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 3 km (1.9 mi) west of Field, accessible from the road toEmerald Lake.
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