Lake O'Hara is one of Yoho's most famous sites. This beautiful lake sits atop the local mountains and overlooks a beautiful alpine valley and will give you the feeling of being on top of the world.
Lake O'Hara justifiably gets busy in the summer peak season, however it's popularity with hikers is more than justified. It's difficult to reach, but well worth it.
Due to Lake O'Hara's popularity it's nearly essential to make reservations ahead of your trip. When you reach the Lake O'Hara parking lot you're actually still 13km from the actual site. The dirt road that leads to the campgrounds and the lake can only be reached by walking or by taking the shuttle bus ($15 per Adult). This is where the reservations come in handy as the bus is often full.
Once you reach the end of the road, you'll be at the lake where you can then camp and hike in the surrounding trails. The excellent "Waxy Gap" trail takes you up to the top of the mountains around the lake giving you astounding views and an experience that you'll never forget. The trek is steep, and will take about 5 hours to get up and down again.
As usual stop by one of the park offices to find out about current conditions around Lake O'Hara and any wildlife sightings, as this is very much 'bear country.'