Parking
Start at Natural Bridge Parking and follow the westbound access for Amiskwi Pass. Parking capacity, fee and facilities specific to this route were not established.
Overview
About Amiskwi Pass Trail
Why go
- Remote Amiskwi Valley scenery and a high-pass turnaround
- A true multi-day backcountry route
Heads up
- About 72 km round trip
- Three river fords, blowdowns and quickly declining maintenance
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yoho map
Full mapElevation1,170–1,981 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 Amiskwi Pass Trail, 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 tourRecorded for this area
Natural Bridge: The River Beneath the Rock0:00 / 0:26
“Up ahead is Natural Bridge, where the Kicking Horse River squeezes beneath a limestone ledge.”
Plays on the road 0.1 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Yoho Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Miner Who Built Mountain Steps
- How a Soft Body Becomes a Fossil
- The Conifer That Drops Its Needles
- Yoho Visitor Centre: Fossils and a Useful Break
- 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 Amiskwi Pass Trail
A multi-day route to the passAmiskwi Pass Trail is a remote out-and-back from Natural Bridge Parking through the Amiskwi…
Amiskwi Pass Trail is a remote out-and-back from Natural Bridge Parking through the Amiskwi Valley to the pass on Yoho’s northwest edge. The mapped corridor is about 36.1 km one way; return to the same lot for about 72.1 km (44.8 mi). Allow roughly 30 hours of walking over several days. A published round-trip figure is about 70 km, so plan for the longer mapped line and verify your intended route before leaving.
Expect a rough valley walkThe approach starts in forest, then the trail’s maintenance drops away quickly and blowdowns…
The approach starts in forest, then the trail’s maintenance drops away quickly and blowdowns become frequent. Three Amiskwi River fords are part of the route. Water levels change, so bring footwear you can wade in and do not cross when the flow is unsafe; this is a remote trip that calls for solid navigation and self-reliance.
The valley opens upThe forest gives way to rocky openings with low shrubs, layered cliffs and a narrow waterfall,…
The forest gives way to rocky openings with low shrubs, layered cliffs and a narrow waterfall, followed by a climb to the pass. Summer flowers have been reported around the divide. Amiskwi Pass marks the boundary between Yoho and the Blaeberry Valley; continuing beyond it becomes a much longer Great Divide Trail journey, so this record turns around at the pass.
Permits, camping and dogsA park pass is required, and an overnight trip needs a Parks Canada backcountry permit.
A park pass is required, and an overnight trip needs a Parks Canada backcountry permit. Random camping is allowed only in designated areas with a permit; camps must be at least 5 km from the trailhead and any designated campground, and campfires are prohibited. Dogs are allowed on leash. Confirm designated camping areas and current access rules before setting out.
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.
