N64 Yoshi Valley

Yoshi Valley is a race track in Mario Kart 64. It takes place over a canyon and there are many twists and turns. In fact, there are so many different paths that the game has trouble keeping track of the current standings until the end of the race. Although the map modes that show the player icons making circuits around the screen relative to their positions seem to work fine; the players will just be displayed as question marks, due to the Nintendo 64's 64 bit processor not being powerful enough. There are also several Porcupines that can disable turning and slow racers down for 1.5 seconds. Near the end of the course, there is a giant rotating Yoshi Egg that can easily flatten any player to disable their movement for about five seconds. The track uses the same music from Moo Moo Farm. It returns in Mario Kart 8 as both a retro track and a playable Battle Stage.

Course layout
Due to the unique design of the course, there are many different routes that can be taken from the beginning of the maze to the end. The maze begins after a right turn over a bridge shortly after the starting line, and the end is where the Bridge Route connects to the Main Route, after which is a left hairpin turn that then leads to the spinning Yoshi Egg, after which is a long narrow bridge that brings the racers to the grassy field with the finish line.

The Main Route can be accessed by going either direction at the start of the maze, if the player took a left then the main route will be to the right of the Narrow Route and if the right was taken then the next two lefts must be taken to the Main Route. The Main Route begins in an underpass under the Long Route and a small jump, where there will be a group of Spinies and then a right turn to the end of the maze.

The Bridge Route is located to the right of the Main Route and is found by taking the first right and then a left and the Bridge Route will be straight ahead, alternatively the player could also drive towards the Main Route and then hang a right just before passing under the Long Route. The Bridge Route passes under both the Long Route and the final stretch of road, the gap between being connected by a small narrow bridge, afterwards is a horde of Spinies on a steep left turn, which then leads to the end of the maze after a short drop.

This route can be reached by taking the first two right turns, where the road will make a sharp right turn and a somewhat straight path that passes over both the Main and Bridge Routes. After the Narrow Route joins up to this path there is a comparatively wide right turn that leads to a small drop to the Main Route shortly before the end of the Bridge Route.

The Narrow Route is found by taking the first two lefts from the beginning of the maze, and joins up with the end of the Long Route. This route can be risky due to how narrow it is and the long fall if racers don't successfully stay on the road, especially if two racers attempt to take this path at the same time.

Mario Kart 8
Yoshi Valley appears in Mario Kart 8 as the final track of the Leaf Cup, with a few changes done to the track to be more relatable to the Yoshi species. The valley features a waterfall and river, and is now a nature reserve for the Yoshis, known as the Wild Yoshi Sanctuary, and there are now trees and bushes with Berries hanging from them. The starting banner is now wooden with a nested green Yoshi Egg placed on top of it. There are also multicolored Yoshis throughout the track waving. There is a rock structure with moss forming the head of a Green Yoshi, and there are various colored eggs within the valley.

All of the original paths remain intact, though have been given slight changes to even out the lengths of them; the most significant being a cannon in place of the Long Route. Other changes include Bridge Route having the bridge removed and the left turn at the end is more flat and runs through a cave where Swoopers appear. Taking the first left upon entering the maze and then the first right now leads to the end of the Long Route instead of the Main Route, the Narrow Route is now a typical shortcut over a wooden bridge, and as such the Main Route can only be accessed by taking a left just before the Bridge Route and thus is much more easily missed. The track has toned down in difficulty, and is slightly easier than the original, with the addition of guard-rails and the fact that the game now tells the players which place they are in. The giant Yoshi Egg is smaller, has Coins trailing behind it, and will instead knock over racers rather than flattening them. The Porcupines have also been replaced with Goombas. The Yoshis seen on the course are always in the same spots, though they sometimes change color every time the course is restarted.

Official descriptions
Mario Kart 64 Instruction manual description: ''Steep canyons and a very large egg... Hmm... How does this course relate to Yoshi? To make one lap, you can take any route you like through the complicated maze, but without keeping a careful eye on the course radar, you might drive the wrong way and end up returning to where you started. Of course, leaving the course is forbidden.''

Mario Kart 8 Facebook Page: ''Ah, the majestic Yoshi Valley from Mario Kart 8. So beautiful. So sprawling. So eggs-quisite. Make a pit stop today!''

Trivia

 * The trees bearing Berries in the Mario Kart 8 version look similar in shape to that of a baobab tree.
 * In Mario Kart 8, the long route may not seem worthwhile, but it is the only route to have Item Boxes.
 * One of the Yoshis near the starting line will occasionally hum Totaka's Song. This also occurs in other courses featuring Yoshis in the audience (Sweet Sweet Canyon, SNES Donut Plains 3,  GCN Yoshi Circuit,  GCN Baby Park, and Super Bell Subway).