While I am sure the summer activities in Yoho are endless, and I cannot wait to come back in the summer, there is still a lot to explore in the winter time. After a great Wapta Falls snowshoeing hike the day prior, we got back to it. We strapped on our snowshoes and head to Hoodoo Creek Campground. Roughly a half mile or so past Wapta Falls is Hoodoo Creek Campground, where there is a sign on the highway. Driving eastwards from Golden, the campground is on your right.
Parking & Beginning of the hike
In the winter, the campground and road is closed. There is a turnoff where there is plenty of space to park the car. You will begin your hike from here, but the campground is not too far, so it is not too much distance added to the hike.
Sign in campground to Hoodoos
It is very well marked within the campground. Follow the signs for the Hoodoos. Eventually, you will walk through the entire campground loop A-F and then get to a small river. This is roughly 1 mile from the parking area. This is the start of the trail. The trail is 1.6 km in distance with an elevation gain of 300m (900 feet). A few parts do get steep. The beginning of the trail are switchbacks and mostly uncovered terrain, with amazing views of the surrounding mountains.
View at the campground
Crossing the river at the Trailhead start
Beginning stretch of the trail
Eventually, you will get into the woods with more cover. The trail becomes a consistent climb at this point. It was moderately difficult. The last quarter mile of this hike there was no path and about 12 inches of fresh powder, so we had to create our own path. Without snowshoe’s, this would have been difficult. Right before you reach the hoodoos, there is a sign and the trail splits to an upper and lower viewpoint. The lower viewpoint brings you down towards the valley river, where I was not as impressed. The upper viewpoint brings you right next to the hoodoos and has great views.
Sign for upper and lower viewpoints
Hoodoos
This was a short and fun hike. When we went, clearly no one had been there in days. There were no footprints or snowshoe tracks for nearly 2/3 of the hike.
Our Hike: 4.36 Miles round trip, 1,253 feet gain, 2 hours 25 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate
Check out the Wapta Falls trail for a great snowshoeing track
Check out our article on top activities to do in Canada in the winter