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Yoho National Park is one of four Rocky Mountain parks jointly declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 1984.
The park is in British Columbia along the western slopes of the Continental Divide. Although this is the smaller of the Canadian Rockies parks, covering 800 square miles, Yoho is no less spectacular than its larger neighbors. In fact, the word "yoho" is a Cree word for "awe."
The weather in the park is localized and highly changeable. Summer weather extends from mid-June to mid-September. The mean temperature during this period is 55 degrees F, with average highs of 68 degrees F and lows of 41 degrees F.
Above 4,900 feet, freezing temperatures and snow are not uncommon in summer.
Yoho offers spectacular scenery and more than 250 miles of hiking trails. Most of these trails, ranging from short walks to full-day hikes, are described in the Yoho National Park Backcountry Guide, which is available at the Visitor Center.
Many higher elevation trails are snow-bound and muddy until July, making them highly susceptible to erosion.
Wildlife that resides in the park includes black and grizzly bear, elk, deer, mountain goats and bighorn sheep.
Highlights of the park include the Natural Bridge, which is carved completely out of solid rock, and the Burgess Shale, a site of fossil deposits of global significance.
Another highlight is the Spiral Tunnels on the Canadian Pacific Rail line that winds through the park. The tunnels demonstrate the difficulties faced by those who worked to build roads and railways through the mountains.
There are four established campgrounds in the park and five backcountry campgrounds, four in the Yoho Valley and one in the Ottertail Valley.
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