The Yoho Valley is one of my favourite areas to backcountry camp. This summer I went for my third trip in the Yoho Valley area, this time completing the Iceline, Little Yoho Valley and Yoho Valley loop. We travelled almost 22 km over the weekend, traversing across rocky paths and forested trails.
The Iceline itself is a stunning hike that brings you alongside the Emerald Glacier with views of the Yoho Glacier and the Wapta and Waputik Icefields across the valley. While you can do the Iceline as a day hike, it is especially nice to stay in the valley so you can savour the trail and soak in the views.
Previously, I’ve done one easy trip to the valley, staying at Laughing Falls and hiking out to Twin Falls. On my second trip, I spent 3 nights in Yoho, hiking to Twin Falls and completing the Whaleback and Iceline trails. This was a great trip; however, we didn’t get the same incredible views I got this summer due to heavy wildfire smoke. So this second trip along the Iceline was certainly worthwhile.
Iceline to Yoho Valley Loop Hike Summary
- Difficulty: Difficult
- Distance: 21.6 km
- Elevation: 1,044 metres
- Trail type: Loop
- Time: 7-9 hours total (split over 2 days)
- Trailhead: Takakkaw Falls Day Use
The trailhead begins at the Takakkaw Falls parking lot. This area is always busy with other backpackers, hikers, and day visitors just stopping to see Takakkaw Falls. If you’re able, try to reach the parking lot early in the morning to get a parking space. There are some areas where you are permitted to park alongside the road as well.
You can hike the loop in either direction. We chose to complete the Iceline first for two reasons. First, the weather was beautiful when we arrived in Yoho, with clear, blue skies. We didn’t want to miss our chance to get great views, as the forecast had noted that smoke was likely to roll into the valley in the evening. Second, we wanted to get the harder section of the hike out of the way at the beginning.
If you’re interested in backpacking for the first time, I have two handy guides on backpacking for beginners and what to bring while backpacking to help you get started.
Day 1: The Iceline to Little Yoho Campground
- Difficulty: Difficult
- Distance: 11.4 km
- Elevation: 880 metres
- Trail type: Point to Point
- Time: 4-6 hours
- Trailhead: Takakkaw Falls Day Use
We parked at the trailhead and used the facilities at Takakkaw Falls before heading out on the trail. Note that there is no running water out here, only pit toilets. If you need to fill up water bottles or strongly prefer indoor plumbing, stop in Lake Louise Village (if coming from Alberta) or Field (if coming from BC) before arriving.
The trailhead for the Iceline is a little ways down Yoho Valley Road, or you can follow the trail past the red chairs near Takakkaw Falls. The trail starts beside the HI Yoho National Park, Whiskey Jack Wilderness Hostel, but the small parking lot here is just for hostel guests.
Detailed Trail Description
The trailhead sign notes 2.6 km to reach the Iceline. This refers to the start of the official Iceline trail, which branches off the initial ascent and follows the ridge. You do not summit this ridge, but hike below the glaciers and cliffs here. This 2.6 km is steep, and you gain elevation fast. You’ll also meet hikers travelling to Yoho Lake, Yoho Pass, and Hidden Lakes along this section of the trail.
Keep your eyes out for viewpoints of Takakkaw Falls as you ascend through the forest here. We also saw many wildflowers, even though it was mid-August.
Once you reach the Iceline, the trail continues up and to your right, heading northwest. Soon, you’ll pop above the treeline and gain an incredible view of the surrounding mountains and the Yoho Valley. We experienced some weather blowing in over the President Range as we hiked, but it passed overhead and rained on a section of the valley further south.
We stopped for lunch with a view of Takakkaw Falls before continuing along the Emerald Glacier. As we climbed higher, we also got views of the Waputik Icefield above Takakkaw Falls, along with sections of the waterfall that aren’t visible from below.
The trail brings you past views of glaciers, streams and small waterfalls, and brilliant blue ponds. You gain significant elevation until you reach the summit moraine, about 7.2 km from the trailhead. From here, the trail begins to descend, with some rolling sections before you reach the meadow.
Descending the Iceline
The descent from the Iceline happens fairly quickly. We passed a rocky section where I had previously encountered marmots and reached a small meadow inhabited by Pikas. From there, the trail heads into the forest and begins the descent to Little Yoho campground. The descent took us about an hour, more or less.
We arrived at the campsite after overshooting a little and backtracking. Once you reach Little Yoho River, you should not gain any more elevation. If you do, you’ve accidentally followed the trail for Kiwetinok Pass. In total, our hike took 6.5 hours including breaks, or about 4 hours and 45 minutes of moving time.
Setting Up Camp
We crossed over the river on a large log and went to find a campsite. Little Yoho campground does not have designated sites with tent pads and numbers; they simply have small clearings large enough for a tent that you can claim. The pit toilets are about 100 metres from camp in the direction of the Stanley Mitchell Hut, and the picnic tables and bear hang are on the west end of the camp.
Note: there are no bear lockers at Little Yoho campground. You will need a bag, preferably a dry bag, that can hold all your smelly items and a carabiner to clip the bag securely to the pulley system.
I always set up camp in the same order:
- Set up the tent
- Set up sleeping bags and mats
- Remove all “smellies” (e.g., toiletries, food, garbage/food wrappers, sunscreen, bug spray, hand sanitizer, dishes and cooking supplies, etc.) from our backpacking bags and store in the tent
- Bring food and smellies to the eating area to make dinner
- Filter water for drinking and cooking
We had a delicious stir fry with instant noodles, and hot chocolate for dessert. We had a pack of cards and played a few rounds of Gin Rummy before the weather cooled off, and we headed back to the tent to get some rest before our hike out the following day.
Day 2: Little Yoho to Takakkaw Falls via Yoho Valley
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Distance: 10.2 km
- Elevation: 164 metres elevation gain, about 703 metres of elevation loss
- Trail type: Point to Point
- Time: 2-4 hours
- Trailhead: Little Yoho Campground
Packing Up Camp
In the morning, we followed my usual “take down” routine at the campground. I prefer to pack up the tent and all my non-breakfast-related gear before eating, as I find this method is smoother and usually helps me get on the trail faster. I have tried both methods and landed on this order, which works well for me:
- Wake up, get dressed, and pack up gear inside the tent (e.g., clothing, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, etc.)
- Take down and pack up the tent
- Bring all the gear to a table, gather items that were stored in a bear hang
- Filter water for breakfast and to refill water bottles or bladders for hiking
- Cook and eat breakfast
- Wash dishes and finish packing up to get on the trail
If you are travelling with another person, you can split these duties. On this trip, my friend and I packed up the tent while my fiancé filtered water and got breakfast ready. If you’re on your own or need two sets of hands to take down your tent, I recommend trying the order of operations listed above.
We brought instant oatmeal for breakfast, along with tea and coffee. Sometimes I like to bring chia seeds to add to our oatmeal for a little extra protein, but on this trip we just brought the packets. Dishes were simple, and we were able to eat, finish packing, and apply sunscreen in about 30 minutes. We started our hike out through the valleys around 9:15 am.
Detailed Trail Description
On day 2, our hike followed the trail through Little Yoho Valley (which follows Little Yoho River) to Laughing Falls, and from there we hiked south towards Takakkaw Falls.
The second day did not have the same spectacular, 360-degree views that the Iceline wowed us with, but it is filled with many waterfalls. The first section of the hike between the campsite and the Whaleback junction took us a little under an hour and was mostly flat, with a slight descent overall. Shortly after the signs for the Whaleback and the Iceline via Celeste Lake (where we continued straight through), the trail began to descend more significantly.
As it was August, there were many berries out in this section of the forest. While berries can be a sign that bears may be attracted to the area, we kept an eye out for any signs and didn’t see any disturbances.
As always, I recommend hiking with bear spray, talking, singing, or giving a periodic “Yo Bear” to alert wildlife to your presence, and keeping an eye out for bear scat, diggings along the trail, or recent claw marks on trees that could indicate a bear in the area. I’ve also got a guide filled with hiking safety tips that you can reference if you need a refresher.
Lunch at Laughing Falls
We reached Laughing Falls around 11:15, exactly 2 hours after leaving our campground. We had a small lunch here, as it was still early. After this stop, we would push on for the remaining 4 km to the trailhead.
At the waterfall, we encountered a very cute squirrel who was sadly quite habituated to humans. We were disappointed and angry to see he was getting food from a couple of hikers sitting a little further downstream from us. You should never feed wildlife, even harmless critters like squirrels and chipmunks, as your actions could actually cause the animals harm.
Whenever animals begin to associate humans with food, it can alter their natural food-gathering habits and teach them to seek out humans in place of other food sources. Because our food is higher in calories, it can become a preferred food source for wildlife.
Why does this matter? When animals begin to rely on humans for food, they become reliant on us. This can be detrimental, especially in areas where tourists are seasonal. When the humans stop visiting, these animals lose a major food source and may starve to death. They may also eat garbage that causes harm to their bodies. Additionally, feeding wildlife of any kind in any of Canada’s National Parks is illegal. So please, just don’t feed any animals while on the trail.
Yoho Valley Trail
The final 4 km between Laughing Falls and the associated campground and the trailhead are either flat or downhill. The first section immediately after the bridge by Laughing Falls campground is flat for a short while. Then, you’ll reach the last downhill section of the trail.
The descent is long but gradual, and connects with a junction at the bottom of the hill where you can follow the Point Lace Falls viewpoint trail. Point Lace Falls is small compared to other waterfalls on this trail, but has a unique look. The falls trickle down in small streams of white water that weave and part like a lace fabric, giving the falls its name.
A few steps from the Point Lace junction, there is another waterfall viewpoint. This viewpoint brings you to the edge of the trail overlooking the Yoho River and the Angels Staircase Falls across the valley. Both trails are very short and are the last notable viewpoints until you reach Takakkaw Falls once again.
The last section of the hike took us around an hour, making our whole trip about 3 hours of hiking time and 3 hours and 25 minutes overall. Once we dropped our bags back at the car, we made the short walk out to see Takakkaw Falls at the base. This trail was extremely busy, so be prepared if you want to also see the falls up close.