Lake Louise to Takakkaw Falls Yoho, intermediate/advanced, 73 km, Lyle O

THE BEST OF THE LAKE LOUISE AREA (RIDE 5)      

ROAD RIDE - INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED (DISTANCE AND CLIMBING)

         Coordinator: Lyle Opseth

Difficulty:

Distance: 73 Km (intermediate)

Pace: 22-24 kph (intermediate)

Elevation: 1057 m (advanced)

Ride format: No sweep, limited stops

E-bikes: Yes

<Cranky Anonymous Member>: Didn't you say you were planning to do five rides around Lake Louise this year? You know it's almost October and it has snowed in the mountains. Winter is coming. I don't like cycling with cold hands and feet. I'll bet you missed your chance to organize something on a warm, sunny, calm day. I also want to say that you didn't time your Priddis/Kew and Sheep River rides very well to catch the fall colours. Everything still looked very green and I'm not colour blind. I want my money back. I might have to give up on you for the rest of this year and find someone else to hear my demands.

<Coordinator>: Oh, you're back.  I was worried when I didn't hear you complaining before my Priddis/Kew ride earlier this week. Well, the gods are smiling upon us for some warm weather so here goes another Lake Louise area ride.

Takakkaw Falls:

Takakkaw Falls is a waterfall located near Field in Yoho National Park. The falls have a total height of 373 metres, making them the second tallest waterfall in Canada. The main drop of the waterfall is 254 metres. "Takakkaw" translates to "magnificent" in Cree.

The Best of Lake Louise and area:

This is the last of five rides this year to tour through the beautiful Lake Louise area.

This is your opportunity to cycle the area around Lake Louise one more time before the weather gets cold. We will take advantage of the closure of highway 1 east of Golden: local traffic means no big rigs and heavy traffic which is now detoured via Radium. Also, we will take advantage of some unusually warm and sunny early fall weather for Yoho.

The forecast high for Yoho for Tuesday is 23C as of this writing. However, the mornings can still be quite cool in the mountains so bring some warm clothing to start.

Route Description:

We will start in Lake Louise and cycle the pathway to the park pass check gate at highway 93, then continue from there along highway 1, over Kicking Horse Pass. At the bottom of the descent we turn and cycle Yoho Valley Road to Takakkaw Falls. We return the same way we came.

This is an intermediate/advanced ride due to a combination of distance and climbing. There is a long climb over Kicking Horse Pass as well as a steep climb with switchbacks on the road to Takakkaw Falls.

Parking and meeting spot:

There is a lesser known public parking lot behind the Husky gas bar and the nearby restaurant, across Village Road from the information centre. Do not use the Sampson Mall parking lot due to parking time limits.

Wheels roll at 11:00 am.

• Safety:
  

• Please ensure your contact info is up to date in the system before the ride -- including your cell phone number and emergency contact. 
• Parts of the route do not have cell service.
• Be self-sufficient: bring your own tools, spare tubes, etc
• This is bear country: consider bringing bear spray