Banff's BC sister

A few hours west of Banff we stumbled upon a gem: Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park.

Neither of us had even heard of Yoho National Park (essentially the continuation of Banff National Park in BC rather than Alberta) before it was recommended to us by Carissa's step-dad Mel, who described it as even more beautiful than Banff. We had to go.

We drove up the Yoho River valley at twilight in search of a campsite to sleep at before hiking the Iceline trail the next morning, . We had been told there was a hike-in campgound near a waterfall at the end of the road, but were utterly unprepared for how massive Takakkaw Falls turned out to be. Absolutely stunning - a must see for anyone traveling to this area.

The next morning, August 26th, we set off to follow a route suggested to us by a store owner in Banff: the Iceline trail to the Celeste Lake Trail to Laughing Falls and back to our campground. It was another beautiful bluebird day and the hike was simply marvelous. We romped past glaciers and icefields, crossing several streams making their way from the glaciers to the valley over 2000 feet below us; descended through evergreen forests past many small glacial-green lakes. By the time we got to Laughing Falls we were feeling pooped and were glad to arrive at our campsite soon thereafter.

These pictures don't do it justice:

Takakkaw Falls from across the valley as we ascend the Iceline Trail.

Emerald Glacier.

The next day we stopped by Morraine Lake (another excellent recommendation from Mel) on our way towards Jasper National Park. Here are a couple pics: