Heritage of Kicking Horse River

The Kicking Horse River valley contains the man made "spiral tunnels", a feat of human ingenuity. They spiral in on themselves, cutting over and under themselves, quickly changing direction.

A Natural Heritage

The Kicking Horse valley has an equally impressive conservation heritage. The Yoho National Park was established in 1886 and as part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Kicking Horse River was the first river in British Columbia to be designated a National Heritage River in 1989.

Kicking Horse River runs through the Yoho National Park. As such, its watershed contains evolutionary evidence dating 600 million to 800 million years ago. The Burgess Shale has fossil sites with over 140 species dating 500 million years ago.

The highest peaks in the Canadian Rockies in both the Eastern and Western Main Ranges are located within the watershed. Also, there is evdence of ancient glacier activity in its U-shaped valleys. Wapta Falls spans an impressive 27m high and 61m across.

In the same watershed you can find vegetation from the Interior Western Hemlock, Montane, Subalpine and Alpine all four of which are major ecoregions of the Canadian Rockies.

There you will also find mountain goat, grizzly bears, elk, wolverine and porcupine. For the bird lovers there are American dipper, harlequin duck, osprey, barred owl, bald eagle and pileated woodpecker.

AMPLE Recreation

Yoho National Park, through which Kicking Horse River runs, offers hiking, camping, and fishing.

Just outside Yoho Park, in the lower Kicking Horse Canyon, there are over 30km of navigable river for canoeing, kayaking and white water rafting.

WhiteWater Season

The prime time for white water rafting is between early May and late August. The Kicking Horse River is fed by the Yoho Glacier high in the Alpine of Yoho National Park, rocking and rolling to its terminus in the Town of Golden.

Explore our Kicking Horses Adventure Pacakges or River Rafting Trips.

See you soon.