When the question of Banff hikes comes up, I’m reminded of The Brady Bunch. Jan, in particular. You know that infamous “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha” line of hers? Well, the most common answer to the Banff hikes question … “Johnston Canyon, Johnston Canyon, Johnston Canyon” … hits my ears the same.
To say Johnston Canyon is a popular hike would be an understatement. Is it the best hike in Banff? Well, that’s a debate rife with subjectivity. Let’s stick to popular. The world’s got enough drama these days.
I would never proclaim to be an avid hiker. We explore, go geocaching, and enjoy the odd hike when our camping adventures present one, but we don’t systematically check off hikes from any to do list. So, take this statement with appropriate context but Johnston Canyon is, by far, the busiest hike I’ve ever been on.
The craziest part of my declaration is that we did the hike on a late May weekend, the opening of the season for neighbouring Johnston Canyon Campground. I’m certain it wasn’t even close to peak tourist traffic.
Johnston Canyon Trail Location
As you presumably know, Johnston Canyon is located in Banff National Park some 25 km northwest of Banff townsite. The trailhead is accessed on the northeast side of Bow Valley Parkway, immediately across the road from Johnston Canyon Campground and next to Johnston Canyon Lodge & Bungalows.
I’ll toss in a reminder here that Bow Valley Parkway is closed each spring to vehicle traffic. This closure covers the stretch of highway from the interchange west of Banff all the way to Johnston Canyon. When the closure is active, you need to take the Castle Mountain interchange onto the parkway which adds 14 km to your trip.
Johnston Canyon Trailhead
Any doubts I may have had as to the popularity of this hike were erased the moment we arrived for our camping weekend. The trailhead complex dwarfs the campground entrance, as does the overflow parking. It’s quite impressive, at least by my modest experiences.
The primary trailhead parking lot is paved and can accommodate over 100 vehicles. It has a large bathroom complex with flush toilets, running water, and sinks. The whole shebang. They’re big too. Presumably, to handle the crowds.
Outside of the bathrooms is a bottle filling station. Even a leisurely forest hike requires proper hydration, and this is a well-placed amenity.
The overflow parking lot is across the road, southeast of the campground entrance. It too is paved and can accommodate 50 plus vehicles as well as RV spaces. There are two large, accessible, pit toilets here, but I can’t imagine why anyone would use them when the main lot has proper facilities.
The Johnston Canyon Trail
The hike begins to the left of the bathrooms beneath a timber archway identifying Johnston Canyon. The first dozen metres of trail have various sandwich board signs sharing warnings and recommendations for the hike. Soon after, a permanent sign is encountered welcoming hikers and depicting a pictorial map of the hike to the upper falls.
Popularity begets investment, and Johnston Canyon is no exception. The trail is rather fancy with its combination of paved paths and steel walkways with guardrails affixed to canyon walls. The paved portions are reasonably wide, enabling easy passing of hikers coming and going. The steel walkways are narrower and will require some side shuffling to pass others. They may also induce a little discomfort to those with height fears.
This manmade aesthetic won’t appeal to everyone. There’s something authentic about hiking trails worn into raw dirt, and there is the odd segment fitting that description. But the paving and steel grating does make the trail far more accessible, no doubt adding to its popularity.
Decent signage along the trail keeps hikers informed about distance to primary destinations. A few rest areas along the way provide benches around a broadened space, often with an educational placard describing canyon history or wildlife knowledge. They allows hikers of all abilities to enjoy Johnston Canyon at their own pace.
Along the way, you’ll pass sections of neighbouring wilderness that expressly state they are off limits. No doubt, some folks hop the fence to get a closer view of the canyon, not that there is a shortage of such viewpoints readily available along the trail. These restricted zones are created for scientific research, habitat rehab, and/or safety reasons. There are even some camouflaged cameras in the trees monitoring them.
The Eye Candy
The Johnston Canyon hike is divided into two segments based on two notable destinations; the Lower Falls and the Upper Falls. Why these waterfalls don’t have more colourful names is beyond me. Considering there are several other waterfalls in the canyon between them, all having “real” names, makes it even more baffling.
Each of these additional waterfalls, not to mention the canyon itself, have good viewing along the trail. Stella Falls and Tunnel Falls alone would make the trail a worthwhile endeavour.
Another notable natural attraction, and one I’m particularly fond of, is the travertine curtain along the far canyon wall next to the Upper Falls. This immediately reminded me of the fantastic rock formations at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. The two are different beasts on different scales, but the former is no less cool.
The Lower Falls of Johnston Canyon
The hike to the Lower Falls covers 2.4 km of ground. It’s not flat by any means, but neither is it difficult. With the paving and walkways, it’s accessible to almost anyone and you’re likely to see strollers and pets along the way.
The Lower Falls are a single drop of the creek through a narrowing of the canyon. You get some great views of it from the trail approach prior to descending towards the creek.
From that elevated vantage point, you’ll notice the iron bridge crossing the creek to a prominence in front of the falls. The bridge takes hikers to a rock landing from which a short tunnel passes through the canyon wall. On the other side of this tunnel is a tight, fenced ledge that acts as a viewing area for an intimate interaction with the Lower Falls.
This is a great experience, and I recommend it to anyone that can fit through the tunnel. The mist on your face and the roar of the falls is fantastic. However, nearly everyone else shares this sentiment so expect there to be a wait to cross that bridge and get through the tunnel.
We hiked Johnston Canyon in late May. Mid-morning on a comfortable Saturday, we had a 35-minute wait from our arrival at the bridge line-up to standing in front of the Lower Falls on the other side of that tunnel. I can only imagine it gets much worse during peak summer.
The Upper Falls of Johnston Canyon
Continuing to the Upper Falls is a further 3.1 km, bringing the total distance from trailhead to 5.5 km. This second segment of the hike is more difficult. It is only partly paved, and elevation variations are greater than those to the Lower Falls.
The Upper Falls is a twin waterfall with a dominant plunge and a secondary one. It’s arguably the more attractive of the two primary waterfalls. Unfortunately, there is no dramatic viewpoint of the Upper Falls like at the Lower Falls. There’s no bridge to cross and tunnel to pass through while crouching.
Don’t let that deter you from hiking the extra distance. While you can’t get up close and personal with the Upper Falls, you do get terrific views from two separate vantage points. There’s a viewpoint from above and another from the canyon floor, both offering unique perspectives on this lovely waterfall.
Summary
The Johnston Canyon hike is very popular for good reasons. It’s convenient for starters. Close to Banff townsite as well as a reasonable day trip from Calgary. It’s not an especially long hike, but enough to feel like you’ve done something unlike roadside attraction hikes which only require a couple hundred metres of effort. And the trail is significantly altered form its natural state making it accessible to almost everyone.
The best part of Johnston Canyon for the uninitiated like me is that there is much more to see than just the advertised Lower and Upper Falls. There are additional waterfalls along the way and the canyon itself is quite pretty in a cold, rugged kind of way. And those walkways bolted into the canyon walls really magnify the encounter.
If you’re keen, you can continue onwards from Upper Falls to the Ink Pots. We chose not to, but the option is there for you. I’m sure most people choose like us, so it’s likely less crowded if that’s what you crave.
I recommend doing the Johnston Canyon hike at least once in your lifetime. Yeah, the crowds do impinge on the experience. You won’t return with a complete “at one with nature” vibe but it’s still very worthwhile. I’m glad we finally did it after all the years of hearing about it. I’m sure Jan would be proud. Marsha too.