Our group of twelve slogged up the switchbacks above the Takkakaw Falls hostel in good time, with the sound of the falls continuous in the background. At the top of the switchbacks, a right turn put us on the Yoho Iceline Trail, a starkly beautiful trail above treeline, through recently glaciated terrain. The trail passes below the toes of several glaciers, and crosses several outflow streams on submerged or barely protruding stepping stones.

Iceline trail

We reached the high point of the Iceline, where it turns into Little Yoho Valley, at about 1:00 pm, where we stopped on a fine viewpoint for lunch. The temperature at the summit was 24°C.

Lunch at the high point of the Iceline Trail

After a brief lunch stop, we returned the same way to Yoho Lake.

Wally drinking out of a suspiciously modern water bottle

From there, we headed over Yoho Pass to a stop for "second lunch" at an open avalanche slope with a spectacular view towards Michael Falls. Although the wind was light where we were, up at the crest of the falls it was blowing the water every direction including, at times, straight up!

Michael Falls

The trail from there descends in the open, beside the stream from the falls, with unrestricted views towards Emerald Lake and Mt Burgess.

We arrived back at the pickup spot right on time at 5:30.

Thanks to Wally for coordinating this trip!