's Johnston Canyon Ice Walk
Johnston Canyon is a trail that is beautiful and easily done in all seasons. The winter temperatures emphasize the beauty of the many waterfalls found among the canyon as well as slowly build natural ice sculptures that cling to the canyon walls. This trail is perfect for families in the winter as well and is well worth bundling up for!
Traction devices such as cleats or YakTrax's are strongly recommended as there are plenty of slippery sections and the catwalks that you will encounter are generally iced up.
How to get to Johnston Canyon?
Drive west from Banff and immediately take the Bow Valley Parkway turn off (#1A) and head west for 18km before making a right into the signed Johnston Canyon parking lot.
Johnston Canyon Hike Trip Log
Parking is available in two locations. A small lot directly beside the Johnston Canyon Lodge holds a handful of cars. The majority of parking is found in the parking lot on the east side of the river. From this lot the trailhead can be found heading north east, past the outhouses, down the short trail and over the bridge. The trail officially starts by a couple large signs that show a map of the canyon. In winter a sandwich board is erected to remind you that the trail is not maintained in the winter and care should be taken.
The trail starts off nice and wide allowing you to walk side by side with your friends or family with minimal elevation gain or loss, welcoming you with its magnificent views of the canyon and the nature surrounding it. Beautiful natural ice sculptures cling to the canyon walls and rise up from the bottom as the trail begins to take you through the snow sprinkled forest.
As you continue along path the trail takes you to your first catwalk. It starts to head uphill which can be difficult without traction devices on your feet. Be sure to take caution when crossing these as the snow base on the stone raises your center of gravity a bit higher over the railing then in the summer time.
After losing a little elevation the trail drops you down to the canyon floor, face to face with one of the many waterfalls in Johnston Canyon. Another catwalk takes you further up through the limestone canyon. Again, please watch your step as the catwalk can be very slippery.
The trail comes to a fork with the right leading down to the Lower Falls and the left leading up to the Upper falls. The Lower Falls are immediately to the right and can be seen in a few meters. We recommend you head to the right first and see the magic the Lower Falls have to show.
Once you are finished up at the Lower Falls, the next course of action is to go back to the junction and head uphill to the Upper Falls. A couple short but relatively steep switchbacks raise you back up off the canyon floor and take you through the forest briefly. The trail then meets back up with the river and it is once again at your feet before more catwalks bring you upwards.
As you pass along the canyons edge you will pass a couple more waterfalls before reaching the final junction. From the Junction your two choices are both greatly rewarded. Going right takes you to the bottom of the Upper Falls, while going left takes you to the very top of the Falls.
The trail to the Upper Falls takes you away from the sound of moving water as short switchbacks take you up the final steep section and lead you through the forest.
Once you emerge from the forest you come to the final viewing platform, staring down at the beautifully frozen Upper Falls.
Return the same way.
GPS Plotted Route
The trail is pretty straightforward with not many places to lose the trail besides in the river. Interpretive signs found along the way add insight to the history and geological birth of the canyon.
There is only about 170m of elevation gain which makes the elevation profile look a bit scarier than it should be. In general Johnston Canyon offers smooth inclines and declines as it takes you through the historical canyon.
If there is any change to the route you feel others should know about, shoot us an e-mail from our contact page.
