Climbing & Mountaineering

  If you are mountaineering or climbing, it's more than a good idea to fill out a Voluntary Safety Registration Form. If you do, keep in mind that by law, it must be returned at the end of your trip. If you're on a multi-day route and your climb that takes you above 2300m, as it will with most of the park's peaks, you can bivouac but permits are required.

Sports Climbers are best be served by heading over to the excellent areas around Lake Louise. However, there are two small, largely undeveloped areas in the park:
the Quartzite Crags at Lake O'Hara and the
Takakkaw Falls area
Inquire with the park for further information.
 
An excellent resource for climbers can be found on the
Yoho Links Page - Personal Pages

( Yoho Trail Map )

Mountaineering

There are restricted areas in the park so check with the park office regarding your chosen route. Route descriptions can be had at the visitor's center. The main staging point for climbs, and the birth place of alpine climbing in Canada, is at Lake O'Hara. Other peaks in the park are listed separately. Lake O'Hara is 13km from the parking lot just off highway 1A in the eastern section of the park. You can backpack in or take the shuttle. If you choose the shuttle, reservations are required (there is a strict quota) and the number of bags of luggage is restricted. The shuttle bus runs several times a day. You'll find the Alpine Club of Canada hut at Lake O'Hara and another, high above it, at Abbot Pass. Reservations are required.

Wiwaxy Peak 2,703m
Mount Hungabee 3,492
Mount Biddle 3,319
Mount Schaffer 2,692
Odaray Mountian 3,159
Watch Tower 2,542
Mount Huber 3,368

Detailed description of these routes are available in "Selected Alpine Climbs in the Canadian Rockies" by Sean Dougherty, Rocky Mountain Books

Other Peaks

President 3,138 - Access from the south at Emerald Lake or from the north from the Stanley Mitchel Hut
Detailed description of this route is available in "Selected Alpine Climbs in the Canadian Rockies" by Sean Dougherty Rocky Mountain Books

Vice President 3066m - Access from the south at Emerald Lake or from the north from the Stanley Mitchel Hut
Detail description of this route is available in "Selected Alpine Climbs in the Canadian Rockies" by Sean Dougherty Rocky Mountain Books

Mount Stephan 3,199m - Access from the Trans-Canada highway
Detail description of this route is available in "Selected Alpine Climbs in the Canadian Rockies" by Sean Dougherty Rocky Mountain Books

The Goodsirs, which are in Kootenay National Park to the south of Yoho, are often accessed from Yoho through the Ottertail Trail.

Personal Pages