Emerald Lake and Emerald Basin Hike, Yoho National Park
A turquoise lake, crystal streams and milky white falls
Emerald Lake in Yoho might not be one of the first places you think of when you hear “Canadian Rockies”, but it really should be. Easily accessible, stunningly beautiful, and with maybe half the tourists of Lake Louise, Emerald Lake deserves a spot alongside the A-listers. A flat trail circles the lake, while a variety of day and overnight hikes branch out from the loop.
Banff and Jasper may get most of the attention (and visitors), but we made a point of staying a few nights in Yoho to experience the full variety that the Rockies have to offer. Yoho is home to lofty Takakkaw Falls, legendary and famously inaccessible Lake O’Hara (which we hope to visit next time!), day hikes galore, and of course, vibrant Emerald Lake.
We arrived mid-morning to a full parking lot and were lucky to find a spot. Two minutes later, we stood on the shore, enjoying the red canoes floating on the serene turquoise waters, a tradition in the Canadian Rockies. If I recall correctly, rentals run about $100 / hour—it’s no coincidence we didn’t do any paddling on our trip! That, and the bone-chilling water that may or may not give you hypothermia if you happen to fall in.
Regardless, I think Emerald Lake may be more beautiful than even Lake Louise: whereas the latter has a light, creamy hue, the former is more vibrant and transluscent.
We followed a paved road past the Cilantro Cafe, a charming little house at the end of a wooden bridge, and a series of hotels. The pavement faded into dirt and mud and we were soon deep in the forest following the lakeshore.
Suddenly, in the distance, we saw a large, dark shape—it was a moose cow! Moose were always a delight to see in our home province of Ontario, and this time was no exception. However, seeing one on foot (rather than from the car or a canoe) was also a little scary: the moose was approaching us, directly on the trail. We and a couple other hikers moved off to the side and hoped it would pass by peacefully. It got closer, but eventually detoured into the water before returning to the trail and then staring back at us. Relieved, we took a few quick shots and quickly continued on.
The forested trail afforded occasional clear views of Emerald Lake. The following photo is what turned out to be one of the most beautiful ones.
We soon arrived at one of the best parts of the day, and what I thought at the time was the best thing I had ever seen: a grassy clearing, with a bridge across a sparkling clear stream. A gentle, warm breeze enhanced the peaceful atmosphere as we sat down on a log bench and enjoyed some snacks. The views opened up considerably here, with the surrounding mountains appearing within arms reach.
After a short break, we headed into said mountains on the Emerald Basin trail. We climbed into a forested valley, from where we could see down a small canyon.
As we gained elevation, the trees turned to small shrubs and the valley opened up into a magnificent glacial bowl.
In the distance, twin waterfalls thundered from farwaway glaciers. We saw some hikers who had gone all the way up there, and decided to do the same. There’s no official end to the trail: you can go as far as you want, and, as we found out, the basin is well worth exploring.
After an exhausting, occasionally sketchy climb on loose scree, we arrived at the base of the two waterfalls. Surprisingly, they were different colors! The left one was clear, while the right one was a milky brown.
This was about the highest we could go, and the view looking back towards the valley was nothing short of spectacular. The lack of vegetation in the basin is apparently due to avalanches, which makes sense because we saw trees in the distance high above us.
As we had only seen one river coming into the basin, with the color of the right waterfall, we wondered where the left one had gone. After following it (and dipping our toes in its frigid waters), we found that it actually disappeared underground.
The other river meanwhile provided a scenic resting spot on our descent.
We hiked back the way we came through the valley.
The blue skies that had we had enjoyed all day gradually disappeared behind clouds. Returning to the shores of Emerald Lake, it was noticeably less brilliant with the lack of sunlight—but still beautiful, of course.
A final highlight was seeing a black bear on an avalanche-cleared slope (visible in the first photo) near the end of the loop. It was very far away, but the large crowd on the trail alerted us to its presence. My dad got some nice shots with his superzoom—me, not so much. Bears are a rare treat to see, though; I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen a wild bear. No grizzlies yet!
All in all, we had a wonderful, memorable day. The hike wasn’t particularly challenging but the views were varied and consistently spectacular.
Practical tips
- At the very least, make sure to do the full loop around Emerald Lake! The spot I mentioned with the stream and the grassy clearing is about halfway through, at the “back” end of the lake. It’s unexpectedly delightful, and is an incredible place to take a break, eat a granola bar, contemplate life, etc.
-
Resources: