Nestled on the Rockies' western flanks and bordered on the east by Kootenay (at the British Columbia-Alberta border) and Banff national parks, Yoho contains some of the most sublime scenery in North America. There is no mistaking that you are in high mountain country here, with a landscape of deep forests, icy glaciers, wild rivers, pure lakes and abundance of wildlife easily observed from the Trans-Canada Highway which bisects the park from east to west. Within its 'shale' area - particularly Burgess, now a World Heritage site - are the fossilized remains of ancient creatures that lived and became extinct in prehistoric times. Some of the most intriguing history of the region surrounds the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway through the 1800 metre Kicking Horse Pass - a stretch of line between Wapta Lake and the town of Field.