Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Taktsang Lhakhang, also known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Bhutan • 11 days, 10 nights
Festivals & Temples of Bhutan
from
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
View all trips
Loading...
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Omni Parker House Hotel
The Omni Parker House: Inside the History of Boston’s Most Iconic Hotel
The cute capybara.
Animal Takeover: Brace Yourself for Adorable Hordes
The Codex Gigas (the Devil’s Bible) open to the portrait of the devil.
Codex Gigas: Who Drew the Devil in This Massive Medieval Bible?
USDA and Washington State agriculture officials tagged this Asian giant hornet. Sept. 10, 2021.
What Ever Happened to the Murder Hornets?

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Canada British Columbia Field Yoho National Park

Yoho National Park

Fossils, railroads, and waterfalls!

Field, British Columbia

Added By
Rebekah Otto
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Yoho National Park   Graham Lewis / CC BY 2.0
Emerald Lake within Yoho National Park   Jan Mosimann / CC BY-ND 2.0
Emerald Lake   Jan Mosimann / CC BY-ND 2.0
Takakkaw Falls   daveynin / CC BY 2.0
Natural Bridge   Jan Mosimann / CC BY-ND 2.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Almost onomatopoetic, “Yoho” comes from the Cree word for “amazement.” Featuring the Canadian Rocky Mountains, Yoho National Park offers incredible scenic views and stunning waterfalls, as well as unusual mixture of prehistoric fossils and modern development.

At 4,900 feet above sea level, the Burgess Shale was a boon for paleontologists when Charles Walcott discovered it in 1909. This sedimentary rock contains fossils from the Cambrian Era, more than 500 million years ago. These fossils, some of the oldest on earth, depict the first multicellular creatures on the planet. In particular, the Burgess Shale helps scientists because the fossils capture the soft parts of the bodies with remarkable clarity, an important factor when studying invertebrates. The fossils influenced the development of taxonomies and our understanding of early life on earth. (UNESCO declared the Shale a World Heritage Site in 1981.)

Yoho also features one of the engineering marvels of the railroad era. To bridge the divide between Eastern and Western Canada, the government built a railroad in the late 1800s. And laying tracks across the Rocky Mountains is even harder than it sounds. The Chief Engineer on the project designed a tunnels to spiral in and out of the mountains. Rather than a direct climb, the train followed a switchback of sorts, emerging ever higher as it twisted out of the mountains. The Spiral Tunnels are on view as a historical site of Canada in Yoho.

Part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, Yoho is connected to Banff, Jasper, and Kootenay National Parks. Grizzly bears live throughout these parks. There are 60 bears or so in total, including 16 reproductive females. They mostly live in the Northern portions of Banff National Park. The Canadian National Parks strive to protect the habitat of the endangered bear, while also protecting park visitors.

Finally, the park has an unusual geological formation: a natural bridge. Eventually, water will wear away the rock.

Related Tags

Natural Wonders Memento Mori Ruins Railroads Nature

Community Contributors

Added By

Rebekah Otto

Edited By

SamM, Michelle Cassidy

  • SamM
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

June 21, 2010

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/bc/yoho/index.aspx
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoho_National_Park
Yoho National Park
Field, British Columbia, V0A 1G0
Canada
51.395609, -116.486525
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Spiral Tunnels at the Big Hill

Field, British Columbia

miles away

Lake Agnes Teahouse

Lake Louise, Alberta

miles away

The World's Largest Paddle

Parson, British Columbia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Field

Field

British Columbia

Places 2

Nearby Places

Spiral Tunnels at the Big Hill

Field, British Columbia

miles away

Lake Agnes Teahouse

Lake Louise, Alberta

miles away

The World's Largest Paddle

Parson, British Columbia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Field

Field

British Columbia

Places 2

Related Stories and Lists

Found: A Spaceship-Shaped, 500-Million-Year-Old Sea Creature

fossils

By Isaac Schultz

A Geeky Guide to the Scientific Wonders of North America

List

By Science Friday

Related Places

  • Entrance to Bolón-Chohol

    Mexico

    Cuzamá Cenotes

    Three sinkholes filled with warm, crystal-clear water reached by a horse-driven cart on an old train track through the jungle.

  • Wadi Qelt Canyon.

    Almon, Israel

    Wadi Qelt

    A serene desert oasis speckled with ancient artifacts.

  • Human Skeletons in Skeleton Lake in Roopkund

    Chamoli, India

    Skeletons of Roopkund Lake

    A lake with hundreds of ancient skeletons surrounding it. The surprise is what killed them.

  • Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes.

    Guadalupe, California

    Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes

    Coastal dunes, site of buried Egyptian movie set and former utopian colony.

  • Divers explore Heracleion

    Alexandria, Egypt

    The Lost City of Heracleion

    An ancient city exhumed from the depths of the ocean.

  • Valle dei Mulini

    Sorrento, Italy

    Valle dei Mulini (Valley of the Mills)

    An Italian crevasse filled with abandoned buildings gives visitors a look at the world without humans.

  • South tower

    Dobbs Ferry, New York

    St. Cabrini Novitiate

    This dilapidated castle-like structure overlooks the Hudson River at one of its widest points and was once home to nuns.

  • Abandoned track leading to Dunaskin

    East Ayrshire, Scotland

    Dunaskin Ironworks

    Wonderfully preserved Victorian factory, complete with a preserved steam powered engine house.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.