Every time I think or see photos from Yoho National Park, I think of what a strange name it is for a National Park. The next thing that comes to mind is the song from Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean ride that, for some reason, gets stuck in my head. "Yoho, yoho, a pirate's life for me." Usually when I think about these things, I head onto Google to find out the origin of the name. Oftentimes, there is a convoluted discussion about it. Not in this case. The word Yoho is taken from the Cree Native North American language meaning "awe". Simple explanation and describes the park perfectly.
The park was established in 1886 and contains 28 mountains that tower 10,000 feet or higher. The park was carved by the glaciers over the centuries that have left thundering waterfalls and spectacularly colored glacial lakes. Perhaps that most famous of those lakes is this one, Emerald Lake where visitors can rent canoes and paddle below the towering Canadian Rockies. The lake is aptly named because of the beautiful emerald color that many think isn't real in photographs. Trust me, it is real but you can't tell it in this photo. I had perfectly still water the day I shot it which caused the lake to reflect the colors of the surrounding landscape. If you look at the far shoreline, you can see it's true color.