Emerald Lake: Yoho’s Underrated Jewel

The largest lake in Yoho — and, to us, the most underrated.

Emerald Lake is the largest of Yoho National Park’s sixty-plus lakes, in British Columbia, about 40 minutes (roughly 39 km) west of Lake Louise, near the town of Field. It wasn’t in our original plan — we added it on the spot, on day three of our Winnipeg-to-Banff road trip, because it kept coming up in recommendations so insistently. And we didn’t regret it: it impressed us even more than Lake Louise, with noticeably fewer people.

The lake shares its history with Lake Louise — and even the same man. In 1882 it was “discovered” by that same Tom Wilson, while chasing runaway horses; for its rich green colour (again from rock flour) he named it Emerald. Interestingly, it sits relatively low (~1,300 m) and is ringed by mountains, so a humid microclimate has formed here, with vegetation unusual for the Rockies — wild orchids even grow here. On the shore stands the historic Emerald Lake Lodge, built by the railway back in 1902 — those pretty timber cabins we noted for a future visit.

A few tips. The road to the lake (about 9 km of pavement off the Trans-Canada) passes the Natural Bridge — a natural rock “bridge” carved into the stone by the Kicking Horse River; worth a quick stop. There’s no proper parking lot at the lake, so everyone parks on the shoulder and it works as a rolling queue — a spot frees up and is taken at once, and you usually don’t wait long. A flat trail of about 5 km circles the lake — an easy, very scenic walk; canoe rentals are available too. If you’re worn out by the crowds at Lake Louise, this is a place to exhale.

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Read next: nearby Lake Louise and the whole Winnipeg-to-Banff road trip.