A Cree word, Yoho roughly translates to “Wow”. This expression of awe and wonder perfectly sums up Yoho National Park, a flamboyantly scenic slice of the western side of the Canadian Rockies. The visual feast includes dozens of 10,000-foot-plus mountains, turquoise lakes, lush conifer forest, lofty waterfalls, creek-laced meadows coloured by wildflowers, frothing rivers, sheer limestone and shale cliffs, and grinding glaciers whose cracks flash aqua in the sun.

The vast majority of Yoho is wilderness, but casual explorers can gain access to the wilds via Trans-Canada 1, which cuts thorough the middle of the park, and via a handful of spur roads branching off it. An extensive network of trails provides further opportunities to savour Yoho’s beauty.

Takakkaw and the other waterfalls in the valley are a legacy of the Ice Age. Glaciers pushed through the existing valley and carved it into a deep trough. In the process, the glaciers left tributary valleys literally hanging in the balance, their streams spilling over the steepened sides of the main valley. Takakkaw was one of those valleys, and it is the highest.