Parking
Use the Lake O’Hara parking lot at the access-road staging area. Reserve a seasonal Parks Canada shuttle to Le Relais, or walk the 11 km access road each way. The connector itself begins only after the West Opabin climb to Opabin Plateau.
Overview
About All Soul’s Prospect Alpine Route
Why go
- A direct alpine connection between Opabin Plateau and the McArthur side
- Panoramic high-country views above Lake O’Hara
Heads up
- Steep, rough footing despite the short distance
- Requires an approach and planned exit on other trails
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yoho map
Full mapElevation2,161–2,440 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
5 active Yoho alerts
- ClosureYoho Valley Road closed for avalanche seasonYoho Valley Road is closed to vehicles from mid-October to mid-June because of avalanche risk. - Parks Canada’s current trail report lists no vehicle access to trails in the Yoho Valley.Official details
- CautionWatercraft and angling prohibited in YohoWatercraft use and angling are prohibited on all waterbodies in Yoho National Park until March 31, 2027, to reduce the spread of aquatic invasive species, including whirling disease.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Yoho Tour Guide
Your drive to All Soul’s Prospect Alpine Route, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yoho National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Yoho audio tour- 35 audio storiesacross Yoho’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Mountain Goat, Black Bear, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 54 trails, 58 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking All Soul’s Prospect Alpine Route
A connector, not a loopAll Soul’s Prospect Alpine Route is a 1.
All Soul’s Prospect Alpine Route is a 1.29-mile one-way alpine connector between the West Opabin junction on Opabin Plateau and the McArthur and Big Larch trail network near Schäffer Creek. It is a short segment of a much longer Lake O’Hara day, not a stand-alone loop: the distance here covers the marked connector only. Allow about 1½ to 2 hours for it, plus the approach and whatever route you choose at the far end.
Climb to the high pointFrom the Opabin side, the route climbs through open alpine ground toward All Souls Prospect,…
From the Opabin side, the route climbs through open alpine ground toward All Souls Prospect, then drops toward the McArthur side. The mapped line reaches about 2,440 m and gains roughly 275 m over its short length. The payoff is a high, wide look across Lake O’Hara’s hanging valleys and surrounding peaks. Near the far end, Schäffer Lake is a good place to pause; the shore and driftwood make a strong frame against Mount Huber and Wiwaxy Peaks.
Rough footing and route findingThis is a demanding mountain route over steep talus, scree and boulders.
This is a demanding mountain route over steep talus, scree and boulders. Markers may be cairns or blue-and-yellow paint, so keep looking for the route as the ground breaks up. Parks Canada warns that avalanche conditions can affect alpine routes in early season and that awareness matters year-round. Higher trails can stay snowbound into late June; July through late September is the usual prime hiking window.
Plan the approach and exitThe Opabin end is reached by climbing from Lake O’Hara past Mary Lake and up about 120 m of…
The Opabin end is reached by climbing from Lake O’Hara past Mary Lake and up about 120 m of open talus to the plateau. The other end joins trails on the McArthur side, so decide in advance whether you are continuing to Lake McArthur, returning on the Big Larch and Lake O’Hara trails, or linking this segment into a larger circuit. From Le Relais, the seasonal shuttle requires a reservation; walking the access road is 11 km each way. Dogs are allowed on leash in the backcountry, but not on the shuttle or at the campground, so bringing one means walking the road.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Yoho
21 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
55 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
61 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
66 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
26 sightingsMooseMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
10 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yoho. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
