Practicalities
Yoho's park information centre , marked by a distinctive blue roof about 1km east of Field (daily: mid-May to late June & Sept 9am-5pm; late June to Aug 8.30am- 7pm; Oct to mid-May 9am-4pm; tel 343-6783 or 343-6433, www.parkscanada.pch.gc.ca/yoho ), sells park permits, makes backcountry registrations, takes bookings for Lake O'Hara , has displays, lectures and slide shows (notably on the famous Burgess Shales), and advises on trail and climbing conditions. It also gives out a useful Backcountry Guide with full details of all trails and sells 1:50,000 maps of the park. Backcountry camping requires a permit, and if you intend to camp at Lake O'Hara , it's essential to make reservations at the information centre. The Park Administration Office in Field offers similar help and services in and out of season (Mon-Fri 8am-4.30pm; tel 343-6324). Enquire at the park centre for details of activities arranged by the "Friends of Yoho" (tel 343-6393) and the two free guided walks: "Emerald Lakeshore Stroll" (July to late Aug Sat 10am; 2hr 30min/5km; meet at Emerald Lake Trailhead) and "Walk into the Past" (July & Aug Mon & Thurs 7pm; 1hr 30min; meet at the Old Bake oven at Kicking Horse Campground ). Other park-run activites include Kicking Horse Campground Theatre (July & Aug Sat, Sun & Tues at 9pm, 8pm last ten days of Aug) and wildlife and other talks at the Hoodoo Creek Campfire Circle (July & Aug Mon & Fri 9pm, 8pm last ten days of Aug). Whatever other literature may say, there are now no VIA Rail passenger trains to Field. The village is, however, a flag stop for Greyhound buses (5 daily in each direction) - wave them down from the Petro-Canada just east of the turn-off from the highway to the village, though most stop anyway to drop packages. Yoho's popularity and accessibility mean huge pressure on accommodation in late July and August: if you're really stuck, you can always make for one of the motels in Golden . The only officially listed rooms in Field itself, a fine base if you have transport, are at the excellent Kicking Horse Lodge and Cafe , 100 Centre St (cafe open summer only; tel 343-6303 or 1-800/659-4944; $125-175), though you can also try one of the new so-called B&B "kitchens" - fully furnished suites in private homes - of which there were ten dotted around the village at last count: Alpenglow Guesthouse (tel 343-6356); Mount Burgess Bungalow (tel 343-6480); Bear's Den Guesthouse (tel 343-6439); Canadian Rockies Guesthouse (tel 343-6046); Lynx Lair (tel 343-6421); Mount Stephen Guesthouse (tel 343-6441); Otterhead Guesthouse (tel 343-6034); Sunset Guesthouse (tel 343-6333); Van Horne Guesthouse (tel 343-6380); and Yoho Accommodation (tel 343-6444 or 343-6445) - all $80-100. All are similarly and reasonably priced, and all are easily found in the tiny village - call for precise directions - most lying on the central 1st Avenue or parallel Kicking Horse Avenue. Away from the village, but on or just off the Trans-Canada (Hwy 1), the twenty units of Cathedral Mountain Chalets (tel 343-6442; off-season from Oct to mid-May tel or fax 403/762-0514, www.cathedralmountain.com ; $175-240; mid-May to mid-Oct), 4km east of Field and fifteen-minutes' drive from Lake Louise (leave the highway at the Takakkaw Falls turn-off), and the bigger and less expensive fifty-room West Louise Lodge (tel 343-6311; $100-125) just inside the park boundary, 11km west of Lake Louise (with cafe, restaurant and indoor pool). There's also the youth hostel in the Yoho Valley , perfectly situated for many superb walks, and an expensive lodge at Emerald Lake. The most central of the five park-run campsites , the 86-site Kicking Horse ($18; mid-May to early Oct), lies 5km east of Field just off the Trans-Canada (Hwy 1) near the junction with Yoho Valley Road for Takakkaw Falls. It's fully serviced (coin showers) and pleasingly forested, though it echoes somewhat with goods trains rumbling through day and night. In summer a separate overflow site is often opened (no showers), but even this fills up and you should aim to arrive extremely early. Remember: all park campsites are first-come, first-served. A short distance east up Yoho Valley Road is the second of the park's major campsites, the 46-site Monarch ($13; late June to early Sept): the third, the 35-site Takakkaw Falls ($13; late June to first snow) lies at the end of the same road by the eponymous falls and is the best-placed for local hikes . The remaining two sites are both close to the park's western border, lying just north and south of the Trans-Canada: the 106-site Hoodoo Creek (no showers; $14; late June to early Sept) and 64-site Chancellor Peak (no showers; $13; early May to late Sept). An additional fee of $4 is charged at all campsites for use of firewood. The six backcountry campsites are McArthur Creek (ten sites); Float Creek (four sites); Yoho Lake (eight sites); Laughing Falls (eight sites); Twin Falls (eight sites); and Little Yoho (ten sites): the only facilities are privies (except Float Creek ) and bear poles. All of these campsites are popular, but unlike the front country campsites (where it's first-come, first-served) between one and three sites at each campsite can be reserved up to 21 days in advance through the park centre at Field. Random camping is allowed in the Amiskwi, Otterhead, Lower Ice River and Porcupine valleys, but check current closures: you must be at least 3km from any road, 100m from water, 50m from a trail and purchase the usual $6 backcountry pass.
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