Field, British Columbia
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Field ( ) is a town of approximately 300 people located in the Kicking Horse River valley of southeastern British Columbia, Canada within the confines of Yoho National Park.
Field was established during the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway as a locomotive depot for pusher engines required to help trains over the nearby Field Hill and Big Hill. The town was given its name by the CPR in December 1884 to honour American businessman Cyrus West Field, who was instrumental in establishing trans-atlantic telegraph service.
Field is 27 km west of Lake Louise along the Trans-Canada Highway which provides the only road access to the town.
Field hosts the Yoho National Park visitor centre; those wishing to visit the nearby area surrounding Lake O'Hara must either obtain tickets for a bus service managed by Yoho National Park or hike the 11 kilometer dirt road on foot. Due to the extreme popularity of the Lake O'Hara region, bus reservations often sell out 3 months in advance although a small number of seats are held until the previous day. The bus reservation phone number is 250.343.6433 and accepts reservations March through September.
There are many hiking opportunities near the town including:
- Burgess Pass - 6.6 km one way, provides views of Emerald Lake and the Wapta Icefields.
- Emerald Lake - 11 km from Field on a paved road. A 5 km lakeshore trail circles the entire lake.
- Sherbrooke Lake - 3.1 km one way
- Twin Falls - 9th highest waterfall in Canada
- Wapta Falls - a short 2.4 km round trip trail to the waterfall that produces the largest volume of water in Yoho NP.
Scrambling options include: Mount Burgess (2599m), Mount Field (2635m), Mount Stephen (3199m) and Paget Peak (2560m).
There are several points of interests nearby including:
- Takakkaw Falls - second highest waterfall in Canada
- Burgess shale - fossil beds (restricted access)
- Natural Bridge - Kicking Horse River has carved a natural bridge through solid rock.
- Spiral Tunnels Exhibit - railway tunnel carved through Cathedral Mountain.
[edit] External links
- Field.ca - Information for people traveling to Field and Yoho National Park
- Friends of Yoho - The Friends of Yoho National Park Society promote appreciation, understanding and stewardship of the ecology and culture of Yoho National Park
- BC Archives Photo: Mount Stephen Hotel and CPR Station in Field, 1905
