From the village of Lake Louise, the Trans-Canada Highway cuts off from Hwy-93, running west through Kamloops toward Vancouver. The first 25 miles (40 km) of this highway, west from Lake Louise and the Icefields Parkway, passes through Yoho National Park, the smallest and least-known, but perhaps most feature-packed, of the contiguous Canadian Rockies parks. It’s impossible to do justice to the park in a paragraph or two, but if you like the other parks, and particularly if you enjoy backpacking, think about spending some time here, too.

  From Lake Louise, Trans-Canada Hwy-1 climbs quickly over Kicking Horse Pass before reaching the Spiral Tunnel Viewpoint, where you can learn about the amazing engineering feat that allowed trains to travel through this rugged region. Five miles (eight km) farther, the next swing north takes you up, and up, and up, along a very tight series of hairpin turns, to Takkakaw Falls, perhaps the most impressive waterfall in the Canadian Rockies. You can see the 1,400-foot (427-meter) falls from the parking lot, but a short trail leads to the Yoho River, where you can appreciate the view in all its rainbow-refracting glory.

  Farther west along Trans-Canada Hwy-1, about a dozen miles (20 km) from the Icefields Parkway in the hamlet of Field, you come to the Yoho National Park information center (250/343-6324), which can tell you all about the park’s natural attractions. Contained in the back of Field’s general store, Truffle Pigs Café (250/343-6462) is a charming little eatery serving up healthy and hearty breakfasts and lunches.

  Three miles (five km) west of Field, a turnoff to the north leads into the wilderness to the Emerald Lake Lodge (403/410-7417 or 800/663-6336), a rustic, upscale resort that dates back to 1902. Sitting on the shores of one of the Canadian Rockies’ most magnificent lakes, the lodge is open year-round, offering food and lodging ($C300–475 a night, depending on season) as well as swimming, boating, and horseback riding.