Burgess Shale: Walking to the Cambrian Explosion

In 1909, American paleontologist Charles Walcott was riding through Yoho National Park in British Columbia when his horse stumbled on a fossil-bearing rock. What Walcott had found were the Burgess Shale beds: a series of deposits dating to approximately 508 million years ago that preserve soft-bodied Cambrian marine creatures in extraordinary detail. Most paleontological sites preserve hard parts: shells, bones, teeth. The Burgess Shale preserves entire organisms in their soft tissue, including eyes, digestive systems, and limbs of creatures that had never been seen before.

The Cambrian Explosion, the rapid diversification of complex animal life beginning around 541 million years ago, is one of the most significant events in evolutionary history, and the Burgess Shale is its best window. Stephen Jay Gould’s book Wonderful Life made the site famous to general readers in 1989 and argued that the Cambrian fauna were so alien that most evolutionary lineages had been wiped out without descendants. The argument is still debated. The fossils are indisputably remarkable.

How to Visit

The Burgess Shale is not a drop-in destination. The fossil beds are protected and visiting requires a guided hike booked through a licensed operator.

Walcott Quarry Trail: 10km round trip with 700 metres elevation gain. A full-day guided hike led by a Parks Canada-licensed paleontologist guide. Tours operate June through September and cost around CAD $100-150 per person. Group sizes are limited. Book months ahead for summer dates; the hike fills well in advance and waitlists are common.

Mount Stephen Fossil Beds: An alternative guided hike (5km, 520 metres elevation gain) to different Cambrian fossil deposits including trilobite specimens. Shorter and less strenuous than the Walcott Quarry route; a good option if the main quarry tour is booked.

Both hikes involve genuine mountain terrain. Proper hiking boots and layered clothing for weather changes are not optional. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer.

Yoho National Park

The fossil beds are within Yoho National Park, a 1,313 sq km park in the Canadian Rockies adjacent to Banff. Field, BC, the small gateway town (year-round population under 200), is the operational base for Burgess Shale visits and has limited but adequate accommodation. Book early for summer.

Takakkaw Falls in Yoho is the second-highest waterfall in Canada at 254 metres, accessible by a short flat walk from the road end up Yoho Valley. Emerald Lake, 10km from Field, has hiking trails and a comfortable lakeside lodge. Lake O’Hara is accessible only by shuttle bus (book months ahead) or on foot, and is one of the finest alpine environments in the Canadian Rockies.

Yoho National Park entrance costs CAD $25 per adult per day or CAD $145 for an annual Discovery Pass valid at all Parks Canada sites.

Where to Stay

Field has a small number of accommodations including Kicking Horse Lodge and Truffle Pigs Lodge. Book well in advance for July and August visits. The Kicking Horse Campground near Field is a practical budget option.

Banff, 1 hour east, offers significantly more choice at every price point and is a reasonable base if Field is fully booked. The distance is manageable for an early morning departure.

A Note on the Science

The Burgess Shale is not a museum exhibit; it’s an active research site where new specimens continue to be discovered. The guided hike includes discussion of current research alongside the history of the site. Coming prepared with some background reading, Gould’s Wonderful Life is accessible and still relevant despite some arguments being superseded, makes the hike considerably richer.