Travel to Canada

Day 8 Field – Glacier N.P. – Revelstoke (201 Km.)

Before leaving the Yoho National Park we visited the Wapta Falls. They are accessed from a parking located on the Trans-Canada Highway, 22 km west of Field. An easy trail of 2.4 kilometers leads to the viewpoint located over the Kicking Horse River cascade, with a fall of 30 meters. Although is not the highest, it is one of the largest in terms of volume of water in the Yoho National Park. The meaning of Wapta is "running waters". Very near is Hoodoo Creek, some curiously shaped rocks due to erosion.

Glacier N.P.: The Glacier National Park covers an area of 1,350 square kilometers, and protects part of the natural region of the Columbia Mountains. Established in 1886, the park was growing at the same time advancing the railway, which stretched through Roger´s Pass in 1885. Today, many of the more accessible path of the park roads are abandoned rail lines. Others offer breathtaking views of the 420 glaciers in the park, including the Great Glacier, also known as the glacier Illecillewaet. The park is characterized by winter snowfalls may occur almost daily, and can drop to 23 meters of snow in one season. The threat of avalanches is constant, and the proof is that the park has the world´s largest control system of the avalanches.

Roger's Pass National Historic Site is located inside the Glacier National Park. The difficult and unknown terrain of the Selkirk Mountains provoked that finding a route for the Canadian Pacific Railway was a complicated task. In 1882, the topographer A.B. Rogers crossed the pass of 1,323 meters that now bears his name. The last great transcontinental train obstacle had been overcome, but the Roger´s Pass was so steep and susceptible to avalanches that the Canadian Pacific Railroad replaced it by the Connaught Tunnel which opened in 1916. With the completion of the highway that crossed the Roger´s Pass in 1962, this became the main transport route from Canada.

Roger's Pass Discovery Centre, located near the summit of Roger´s Pass, the only thing that is open in winter because campsites, picnic areas and trails are under a layer of two meters of snow. The center has a screening room and a small museum with models of the railway and exhibitions of natural history and wildlife of the area. It also has a library about the glaciers. The entrance fee allows access to the museum and access to Mount Revelstoke National Park. Its architecture is inspired by the 1880 railway construction and were reused some wood from the abandoned train tracks.

Other attractions include The Loop Brook Park and Hemlock Grove. Brook Loop Trail is a 1.6 km trail that goes by the place where were the old railroad tracks. Different posters explains the history. Hemlock Grove Trail is a short walk of 400 meters to explore the rainforest, walking among old cedar and fir. There are several interpretive signs explaining the vegetation of the area. Some days, these trails may be closed if it has detected the presence of bears in the trail.