Yoho National Park

Yoho National Park
IUCN category II (national park)

Takakkaw Falls
Yoho National Park

Location of Yoho National Park

Location British Columbia, Canada
Nearest city Golden
Coordinates 51°23′43″N 116°29′12″W / 51.39528°N 116.48667°W / 51.39528; -116.48667Coordinates: 51°23′43″N 116°29′12″W / 51.39528°N 116.48667°W / 51.39528; -116.48667
Area 1,313 km²
Established October 10, 1886
Governing body Parks Canada
World Heritage Site 304

Yoho National Park is located in the Canadian Rocky Mountains along the western slope of the Continental Divide in southeastern British Columbia. Yoho NP is bordered by Kootenay National Park on the southern side and Banff National Park on the eastern side in Alberta. The name Yoho comes from the Cree word for awe and wonder.

Yoho covers 1,313 km2 (507 mi2) and it is the smallest of the four contiguous national parks. Yoho, together with Jasper, Kootenay and Banff National Parks, along with three British Columbia provincial parks—Hamber Provincial Park, Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, and Mount Robson Provincial Park—form the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site. The park's administrative and visitor centre are located in the town of Field, British Columbia, beside the Trans-Canada Highway.

History

The park was created following a trip by Prime Minister John A. Macdonald and his wife Agnes through the Rockies on the newly-completed Trancontinental Railroad. Inspired on his return to Ottawa, Yoho National Park was created on October 10, 1886. Glacier National Park was created on the same day, becoming the second and third national parks in the country, after Banff.

The contiguous national parks of Banff, Jasper, Kootenay and Yoho, as well as the Mount Robson, Mount Assiniboine and Hamber provincial parks were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.[1]

Fauna

The common animals that roam in this national park are badgers, moose, elk, mountain goats, golden-mantled ground squirrels, rufous hummingbirds, hoary marmots, wolverines, pikas, lynxes, Grizzly bears, and black bears.

Climate

The weather in the park is localized and changeable.[2] Being located on the west side of the continental divide, it receives more precipitation than areas east of the divide.[2] Precipitation in the park increases with elevation.[2] In winter, average temperatures are between 5 to −15 °C (41.0 to 5.0 °F) from the months November to April although temperatures can range between 10 to −35 °C (50.0 to −31.0 °F).[2] The coldest weather usually occurs in the months December to February.[2] In summer, mean temperatures average 12.5 °C (54.5 °F) with an average high of 20 °C (68.0 °F) and an average low of 5 °C (41.0 °F).[2] Snowfall and freezing temperatures can occur during the summertime at altitudes above 1,500 m (4,900 ft).[2]

Geology

Chancellor Peak and Kicking Horse River
Emerald Lake
J. E. H. MacDonald's Lake McArthur, Yoho Park
Yoho National Park - Natural Bridge

The Kicking Horse River, a Canadian Heritage river, originates in the Wapta and Waputik icefields in the park. This river has created a natural bridge through solid rock. This formation is located 3 km west of Field, accessible from the road to Emerald Lake.

The Canadian Rockies consist of sedimentary rock, with numerous fossil deposits. In particular, the Burgess Shale, located in Yoho National Park, has among the world's richest deposits of rare fossils. The Burgess Shale was discovered in 1909 by Charles Doolittle Walcott. In the southeastern corner of the park is an igneous intrusion known as the Ice River Complex containing deposits of sodalite, an ornamental stone.

Mountains

Waterfalls

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yoho National Park.

References

  1. ↑ "Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks". World Heritage list. UNESCO. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Yoho National Park Weather". Parks Canada. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  3. ↑ Peakfinder - Mount Balfour

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Yoho National Park.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, January 25, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.