In August 2017, my son and I hiked high into the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, Canada, as part of a 12-person guided tour of the Burgess Shale fossils at Walcott Quarry, site of some of the best examples of the diversity of Cambrian life. It was a 16-mile round-trip hike, with 2800′ of elevation gain.

Trilobites are abundant here. They are related to modern spiders.

First documented in 1908, Walcott is the premiere Burgess Shale site among many since discovered around the globe.

The quarry is high above the glacial Lake Emerald, in Yoho National Park, which is tucked between Jasper National Park and Banff National Park.

Conditions here were just right to preserve the soft tissue of these alien-looking sea dwellers of the Cambrian, ~520 mya.

The scenery alone made the grueling hike worth the effort.

At this site alone, more than 65,000 specimens covering 200 species have been recovered to date. Scientists are uncovering more fossils than they can keep up with. The fossils are everywhere underfoot.

It was a friendly and inquisitive bunch, with more than a few geology degrees among the hikers.

Here’s Charlie examining the fossils, with Emerald Glacier in the background.

Here we’re turning to head up the final set up switchbacks below the quarry.

Looking down the valley, towards Emerald Lake. Emerald Glacier is in the upper right corner of the photo.

Temps were in the 40s to start, then rose to 80s by the time we reached the quarry. It was a beautiful day for a hike, with no trace of the smoke from wildfires burning just south of here in Banff National Park.

The UNESCO World Heritage site is protected, with many of these warning signs along the way.

Here’s Charlie on a snack break at the crystalline Yoho Lake.

More adventures:

Backpacking Skyline Trail, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada
Stromatolite Fossils on Libby Flats, Snowy Range, WY