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Reservations for the Burgess Shale Fossil hikes in Yoho & Kootenay National Parks are now open! The Burgess Shale guided hikes include three exciting route options that range from 8km to 24km. Plus, each guided hike is a chance to explore over 500million years ago in time.
About the Burgess Shale Fossils
Burgess shale is one of the world’s most significant fossil sites found around Yoho and Kootenay National Parks. These fossils date back about 508 million years. What is even more incredible about these fossils is that they reflect a marine ecosystem. During that long-ago period, this part of BC was a shallow sea rather than a mountainous landscape.
The visible fossils you’ll get to discover on one of the three guided hikes are well-preserved and, therefore, incredibly detailed. It is possible to identify full body parts from the fossils, too, like eyeballs or brains!
Guided Hikes to See the Burgess Shale Fossils
Get your reservations in as soon as possible for the Burgess Shale guided hikes. As with any National Park summer booking, these tours fill up quickly.
On these guided hikes – a must-do adventure in the Canadian Rockies, you can see well-preserved fossils of one of Earth’s earliest marine ecosystems and get exclusive access to restricted UNESCO sites, touch ancient fossils, and soak in breathtaking scenery.
Stanley Glacier (10km/~7-hours)
Kootenay’s Stanley Glacier guided hike is the more family-oriented of the three tours with the least amount of climbing and elevation gain. Along with views of the Stanley Glacier, this hike will also bring the tour around an alpine meadow of wildflowers, over a river, past waterfalls, and to the fossils of the glacier basin.
The Stanley Glacier trail is open to all visitors and accessible without restrictions. You can hike on your own without joining the Parks Canada guide hike.
Mount Stephen (8km/~7.5-hours)
While shorter than the Stanley hike, the Mount Stephen trail in Yoho National Park includes more than double the elevation gain to create a more challenging hike. The Mount Stephen trail provides incredible views overlooking the Kicking Horse River and the town of Field, and access to an exceptional number of trilobite fossils.
Parts of the Mount Stephen trail are accessible to all, but you need to be on the guided hike to access the restricted areas.
Walcott Quarry (24km/~11-hours)
The full-day Walcott Quarry adventure brings the adventure high above the park’s beautiful Emerald Lake and near the Takkakaw Falls. More highlights include Yoho Lake, and the Walcott Quarry site, where an array of fossils lay, well-preserved, in the Burgess Shale.
Most of the Walcott Quarry is accessible to the public, but you must be on the guided hike to access restricted UNESCO areas.
Easy Self-guided Hikes in Yoho
After the lengthier guided Burgess Shale tours, it might be nice to find Yoho National Park’s shorter and easier trails to explore on your remaining days in the park.
- Loop around Emerald Lake for a simple and level 5.2km trek. There are many rest areas, benches, and photo ops around the beautiful lake.
- If time permits, take the 1.6km hike from the Emerald Lake parking lot to Hamilton Falls
- Get great views of the tallest waterfall on the Kicking Horse River with the Wapta Falls trail at 4.6km in total. The trail ends at the base of the Wapta Falls which tower over you at 30m-tall.
- The hike out to the serene and peaceful Ross Lake is about 6.4km. The trail winds through marsh areas and alongside a small creek and abandoned road.
Planning Your Trip – Burgess Shale Fossil Hikes
What: Each summer, Parks Canada hosts guided hikes around the Burgess Shale discovery sites of the surrounding mountains. The shale holds a huge number of well-preserved fossils that are as old as 508 million years. Each of the three hikes is rated as moderate or difficult, requires a National Park pass and an advance reservation.
Location and how to get there: Yoho National Park in BC.
- Stanley Glacier hike begins at Stanley Glacier trailhead, Kootenay
- Mount Stephen hike begins at Yoho National Park Visitor Centre, Field
- Walcott hike begins at Takkakaw Falls parking lot, Yoho
When to go:
2026 Burgess Shale Fossil Guided Hikes
- Mount Stephen Guided Hikes operate from June 12 to September 13, 2026
- Walcott Quarry Guided Hikes from July 10 to September 13, 2026.
- Stanley Glacier Guided Hikes from June 12 to September 5, 2026.
Cost: National Park Pass $10.75 – $12.25 per person per day
Stanley Glacier $60.01 – $88.25 per person
Mount Stephen $69.19 – $101.75 per person
Walcott: $89.08 – $131 per person
For more information:
