There are some things you just can’t have one of. Like slices of pizza. Or Oreos. In university it was beer. Mark Messier and Lays would have you believe it’s potato chips. For me personally, Smarties fit the bill. And I’m talking handfuls, not individual ones.
Well, it turns out waterfalls are also best enjoyed in multiples. As are the hikes to them. Shorter ones, anyway. Which is how we ended up finding Silverton Falls on a camping trip to Johnston Canyon.
In late May, we finally made it to the popular canyon in Banff National Park. We camped in Johnston Canyon Campground across the road and did the hike to Lower and Upper Falls Saturday mid-morning.
We quite enjoyed the hike. It was busy, sure, but a delightful way to spend a couple hours on a comfortable spring weekend. But we were back at our campsite enjoying lunch soon after noon. What to do with the rest of our day?
Lucky for us, we were in the middle of a national park. An online search soon revealed another waterfall hike, Silverton Falls, none too far from the Campground. At 1.8 km in length, it was a perfect mid-afternoon addition to our still comfortable spring weekend.
The Hike to the Falls
The hike to Silverton Falls is an early offshoot of the much longer Rockbound Lake hike. Both start from the same trailhead, but highway signage only shows Rockbound Lake (depicted as Rock Bound Lake).
You’ll find the trailhead on the northeast side of Bow Valley Parkway, just a couple hundred metres southeast of the Castle Mountain interchange with the TransCanada. It’s 10 km northwest of Johnston Canyon and its namesake campground, making this a convenient partner hike.
The trailhead area consists of a teardrop paved parking lot accompanied by a newer pit toilet. The lot was not completely full when we arrived that Saturday afternoon, but the AllTrails listing for this hike indicates the parking lot quickly fills up. Garbage and recycling are present as well.
The trail starts just to the right of the pit toilets. Most evidence of artificial influence ends at that point. Unlike Johnston Canyon which caters to casual hikers and tourists, the trail to Silverton Falls is almost entirely natural.
It may start with some enhancements, namely gravel, but it quickly turns to worn dirt and rock with exposed tree roots. Uphill nearly the entire way, with a couple switchbacks and even a segment passing through a recent landslide, this is a more authentic hike than the canyon.
At the 300 m mark, the trail forks with a sign indicating Silverton Falls is reached via the right fork. This is the first recognition that Silverton Falls even exists. Beyond that, as mentioned, the trail is mostly a climb through the forest.
That washed out section looks to be high in clay content. A steep and narrow section, it is potentially quite slippery when wet. Near the falls themselves, the slope off to the side is also steep and warning signs advise hikers to stay back.
Silverton Falls in Banff National Park
The payoff for your efforts is great. Silverton Falls is a tall cascade of a waterfall with maybe four separate drops down the cliff face. The trail ends at what I’d estimate to be about the two-thirds down mark and with a little scrambling you can get right to the water pooling beneath one of the drops. You’re also above the downslope treetops which opens up splendid views of the mountains.
Between the mountains views and the waterfall, the end of the Silverton Falls hike is a pleasant spot to simply hang out and take it all in. We were blessed to be completely alone, which was a stark but welcome contrast to Johnston Canyon. I may have enjoyed this hike more. It was certainly an enjoyable finale to our hiking weekend in Banff.