I think Yoho National Park in eastern British Columbia, which abuts Banff National Park in western Alberta, is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The Kicking Horse River flows from the snow and glacial melt and is colored by silt from these glaciers. It’s an important recreational river and a very popular whitewater rafting destination around Golden B.C. in the summer.
The river was named in 1858 by James Hector. Legend has it that Mr Hector, a member of the Palliser Expedition, was kicked by his pack-horse while exploring the river — hence, a name as good as any other.
There is an unusually shaped natural bridge near the origin of the river in what was originally thought to be a waterfall. In time the powerful current eroded away most of the wall of the waterfall, forming this natural bridge as it created a new channel.
