A fine day out!
We spent two nights at the Laughing Falls back country campsite in the heart of Yoho national park. The trail to the campsite starts from the Takakkaw Falls car park. Before starting off, the falls are well worth a visit. The 254m falls are a 'magnificent' explosion of tumbling white water and spray and only a 15 minute walk across a bridge from the car park.
It is a 5km hike along a well maintained forest trail to the campsite. The camp facilities include 8 tent pads, 4 picnic tables, 1 outhouse with a long drop toilet and no toilet roll, 1 bear pole, a fast running mountain stream for water, an icy cold waterfall for showers and foot baths, cheeky, chattering squirrels and serenity. Since there are bears in the park all food smelling items need to be packed into bags and hung on the bear pole and you should pack bear spray.
From the campsite there are a number of hiking options.
Twin falls chalet: is just over an hours walk one way from laughing falls campsite. The chalet offers lovely views of twin falls from the upper storey, but was closed when we arrived. The chalet was also constructed by the Canadian Pacific Railway to lure tourists to the Canadian Rockies. Interestingly the railway company felt the symmetry of the twin channels were not sufficiently aesthetically pleasing and dynamited one of the channels in order to even them up.
Iceline trail: this is in the top ten day hikes in the Rockies and deserves this reputation. The route described differs from the normal route due to laughing falls being the start and endpoint. Leave the campsite following signs to the Stanley Spencer hut. The trail climbs up above laughing falls through towering, straight-limbed Engelmann spruce. The trail levels out as you proceed along Little Yoho Valley and you get your first views of the President Range and Whaleback mountain.
After around 5km the valley opens out and you arrive at the Stanley Spencer hut and Little Yoho campground. It was here that we had our first encounter with the antics of the golden mantled ground squirrels. This point is the start of the Iceline trail which is largely above the tree line and zig-zags amongst the erratics, moraine and lakes left behind as the glaciers retreat. When you reach the 2230m Iceline summit you are treated to 360 degree views of ice fields, glaciers, waterfalls, rivers and mountains. From here continue along the trail beneath the Emerald Glacier until you reach a vantage point from which you can see the Waputnik Icefield and the Daly Glacier that feed the mighty Takakkaw falls. To return to laughing falls we followed the trail which passes beside Lake Celeste. On a hot day a dip in the lake is possible however the lake is fed by glaciers and the insects are carnivorous.
In good weather this a fine day out!
