Parks Canada
Protect
The Burgess Shale and the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site are real, natural, and inspiring. Parks Canada serves Canadians to protect and present special places like these and to foster understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of them, now and for the future. We need your help to make this happen. Here are a few ways how:
- Learn More About the Burgess Shale and Yoho National Park
- Respect the Rules
- Read About the UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Join the Friends of Yoho National Park
Access to the Burgess Shale fossil beds is by guided hike or special permit only.
Photo: Roger Hostin, Parks Canada
Respect the rules
Parks Canada is responsible for protecting this fragile and globally important site and for helping visitors connect with it. To accommodate both of these goals, access to the fossil beds is by guided hike only. Violators will be prosecuted.
Note that the collecting of fossils and other natural objects or artifacts is strictly prohibited.
Monitoring systems are used to detect and record intruders.
Local wildlife like this pika have unlimited access to the Burgess Shale. Visitors or researchers may only access the quarry beds with guides or by special permit.
Photo: Parks Canada archives
