Yoho National Park of Canada, British Columbia Fall of 2007

By Brad Sutton

One of the best river trips I have been on was on the Yoho River Canyon in British Columbia this past fall season. Established in 1886, Yoho National Park is one of 41 national parks in Canada. Our nation’s parks celebrate and help protect the diversity of Canada’s landscapes and the life within. Yoho represents the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains region, and is also a Cree expression of awe and wonder for this place of rock walls, spectacular waterfalls and soaring peaks. In the shadow of the Great Divide, Yoho holds the secrets of ancient ocean life, the power of ice and water, and unique plant and animal communities that continue to evolve today.

I was invited along with Chip and Will two Calgary, Alberta creek boaters that had a craving for really deep Canyons with class four and five.

After a three-hour drive we arrive to the put-in at a waterfall of 254 meters, Takakkaw Falls is one of the highest waterfalls in Canada. The last few miles of our drive are on this narrow, steep road beside the Yoho River until you see Takakkaw Falls. The road is snowbound from mid-October to mid-June; cross-country skiers use it in the winter.

Visitors can walk to base of the falls. Close Oct to June to motor vehicles. Takakkaw means "magnificent!" in Cree, and several popular hikes start here. This run is a bit hard to find information on and you want to run it at medium-to-medium low flow. It is best to put on earlier in the mornings than the afternoon because the Glacier run off can rise on you once inside the Canyon making it extremely difficult to negotiate.

Once we set out on our way, we had a great day of class IV to class V whitewater. Chip and Will showed me all the cool spots to boof off and ran everything with ease. The Rocker handles well in the tight squeezes through rock slots, and boulder gardens. I felt comfortable all day about being inside the deep Canyon while scouting each big rapid.

Here are a few photos from that amazing day in the Yoho Canyon National Park.

Cool beings,

Brad