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The Iceline Pass - Yoho National Park
Banff National Park is the most popular of the parks in the Candian Rockies, but it's little brother, Yoho National Park also provides some incredible hiking opportunities. Located just 1-hour drive away from Banff, Yoho has a great variety of challenging day hikes including the Iceline Pass. This is a tough hike with almost 3,000 feet of elevation gain. The trail starts up the trees then traces along glaciers and mountainsides.
Quick Stats:
Time Required: 7-8 Hours
Total Distance: 13.58 Miles
Total Elevation Gain: 2,930 ft
Minimum Elevation: 4,948 ft
Maximum Elevation: 7,238 ft
Iceline Pass Itinerary
The Iceline Pass can be done either in one day hike, or over 2 days if you can get backcountry campsites. See my article on reserving Canada Parks! It is not difficult to find the trailhead, and clear trail signs make this hike very easy to navigate. The greatest elevation gain happens in the first 2-3 miles. This difficult ascent brings you above the tree line to sections along Mt. President and the surrounding glaciers.
The hike eventually leads to the Stanley Mitchell Hut about 6.5 miles in. From there it is a steady downhill along the river until you reach the amazing Laughing Falls. Walking behind this incredible waterfall was a huge highlight of our entire Canada trip!
We finished the hike at the Takawa Falls Campground around 5PM, starting around 10AM. There is a parking lot about a quarter mile from the campground. If you parked near the trailhead, it is only about an hour to get back to where you parked the car.
Takakawa Falls is a fantastic hike for those that want to get out of the touristy Banff hiking area and see some incredible sights. We had some pretty hazy conditions which limited our views, but we could tell that the views on the hike would be nothing short of spectacular.
