Thursday 20 November 2008

Hiking Trails - Takakkaw Loop via Ice Line Trail - Day 1

33.5 km – 4 days – 19 hours – intermediate/difficult
Closest Town; Field, BC

This hike takes place in Yoho National Park in British Columbia in western Canada.
This loop goes from Takakkaw Falls to the Iceline Trail and stopping at the Little Yoho campground. The second day is a hike to Whaleback and on to the Twin Falls campground to stay overnight, and back to Takakkaw Falls on the third day. A fourth day has been added with a short hike to Point Lace Falls and the Angel’s Staircase.

The beginning of the Iceline / Yoho Pass trailhead is beside the Whiskey Jack Hostel. The trail starts to climb right off up steep switchbacks into thick forest.

[1-Takakkaw Falls from Whiskey Jack Hostel]





[2-View up Yoho Valley]




[3-View up Yoho Valley on climb to Iceline Trail]






[4 -View across Yoho Valley from Iceline Trail to Takakkaw Falls]






[5-From Iceline Trail view down Yoho Valley]








[6-Another view of Takakkaw Falls on climb up to Iceline Trail]





Continue along the Iceline trail, following the markers,

[7]





[8-Iceline Trail 700m above Yoho Valley floor]




[9-Iceline Trail near treeline]




[10- Glacier lily above treeline but below snow]




where after nearly 3km the hiker reaches the tree line. At this location, the hiker is higher than the start of the Takakkaw Falls which is directly across the valley.

Once the hiker is above the treeline the remainder of the trail goes over rocky terrain that includes never-ending rubble and moraines.


[11- Daly Glacier above Takakkaw Falls from Iceline Trail]






[12-Daly Glacier above Takakkaw Falls from Iceline Trail above the treeline]




Once the trail climbs out of the forest, the next 10km of trail is over rubble, rock, and moraines that appear to go on forever.

[13-part of Emerald Glacier]





[14- spider on Iceline Trail]



While on Emerald Glacier, the hiker is exposed to the elements with several locations for the hiker to hop over streams. Emerald Glacier parallels the Iceline Trail.




[15- waterfalls and a tarn below Emerald Glacier]





[16-Iceline Trail Summit]









[17-Hiking down to another tarn on Iceline Trail near Emerald Glacier]






[18-Tarn below Emerald Glacier]






[19-More of Emerald Glacier]





[20-Indian paintbrush on iceline trail]



[21- Looking down Little Yoho Valley]



[22-View up to Emerald Glacier from Little Yoho Valley]





When the hiker starts the descent into the forest it is only a few kilometers more before reaching the Little Yoho Campground which has 10 camp sites, privy and a food storage pole.




Research: ParksCanada
Photo Credits: [1][2][3][5][6][7][9][11][12][13][14][15][17][18][19][20][22]-brilang CC=nc-nd-flickr, [4][8][10]-ltdan CC=flickr, [16]-Feffef CC=nc-nd-flickr.

23 comments:

Mihai A. said...

Absolutely lovely pictures :) And that Takakkaw Falls looks amazing. Thank you for the post, Barbara :)

A said...

Hello.
This should be good to stop drinking something hot at Wiskey Jack and continue hiking.
Some of these photos are absolutely splendid.

Charles Gramlich said...

That waterfalls is beautiful. I love the spots of color, the yellow and red flowers along the way. And that spider must be a tough fellow.

debra said...

You sure live in a beautiful country, Barbara. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

BernardL said...

Stunning views.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Simply outstanding.

Terrie Farley Moran said...

Magnificent! Thanks, Barbara.

Terrie

Rune Eide said...

It was a magnificent trip you had - thank you for taking us along! Lots of good subjects for a photographer here.

Cloudia said...

Oh, Canada!! Aloha-

Barbara Martin said...

Dark Wolf, thank you. Waterfalls have always drawn me to see their grace. But the sad situation here is the glaciers are melting at an astonishing rate. Emerald Glacier's toe was at the treeline 50 years ago, and now there is very little of it left.

Marie, the Whiskey Jack hostel is one of many in the Canadian Rockies.

Charles, spring comes late here-- the road to Takakkaw Falls is accessible only in late June once most of the snow has been cleared away or melted. The growing season is very brief.

Barbara Martin said...

Debra, with the land mass involved there are a multitude of places to show others; it is my pleasure to do so.

Bernard, nature as it is meant to be.

Patti, a different setting for the eyes is good for creativity. This is why I post about nature and related activities.

Terrie, mountains have an ethereal quality to them.

Barbara Martin said...

RunE, this hiking country is often void of people and the camping sites have to be reserved in advance. ParksCanada puts a quota on the number of people at the campsites to avoid overuse of the trails and to keep bear-human encounters at a minimum.

Cloudia, bit chilly compared to Hawaii. Those tropical rainshowers are looking pretty good right now.

Unknown said...

Incredible Trail and the spectacular images show it beautifully. The spider shot was cool as well

Nadya said...

Georgeous photos! Thanks for sharing those bits of wilderness! You asked S. Suzie about use for a bag of ginger - it's one of Lalitha Thomas' favs. in '10 Essential Herbs,' & she suggests 2-6 Tbsp in bath water (2-3 Tbsp for guys!) to help clear colds etc! Cheers :)

J. L. Krueger said...

Great views!

I always love stopping by to read your bits on Canadian history and to see the beautiful wilderness.

I'm still playing "catch-up" though.

Suzie Ridler said...

You have taken me back to my move from Ontario to BC by writing and showing us this hiking trail. Absolutely breathtaking!

Barbara Martin said...

Thomas, once the moraine and rubble areas are reached the trail is tricky due to the melting of ice underneath. It doesn't take much to fall into a depression in ice cold muck.

Dia, welcome and thanks for the herbal tip.

Barbara Martin said...

J.L., good to hear from you. Enjoy your visits and I'll see what other kinds of wilderness I can present.

Suzie, welcome. BC has some outstanding scenery to foster good memories.

Leigh Russell said...

These photos are truly breathtaking. Thank you for sharing them.

Barbara Martin said...

Leigh, my pleasure.

Webradio said...

Very great panoramas... Beautiful photos !

Maria said...

Every time I see pictures of these great mountain trips I want to come immediately! am living in the wrong place of the world and have the wrong profession!
Sounds a little pathetic, I know, but for some moments I really feel like that! :)

Barbara Martin said...

Maria, you could take a trip to the French Alps which is a beautiful place. Ever since moving to eastern Canada the Rocky Mountains draw my senses like a magnet.