Hiking Banff’s Johnston Canyon in Winter

When you hike Johnston Canyon in winter, you’ll forget you’re in Banff, Canada.  Instead, it’ll feel like you’ve walked on to the movie set of  ‘Frozen’.

Johnston Canyon was formed over thousands of years by a creek which has cut through the limestone rock to form sheer canyon walls and waterfalls.  A series of trails and steel catwalks provide easy access into the canyon.

It’s a very popular hike in the summer.

But Johnston Canyon in winter is magical.

I’ll admit to being a little skeptical as to whether walking on ice in Johnston Canyon in winter would constitute a fun activity, never mind travel bliss.  In fact, it turned out to be an incredible experience, like walking into a Currier and Ives postcard.  And yes, it was fun too.

The Johnston Canyon Winter Hike – Tour vs. hiking on your own

Although you can do the hike on your own, I signed up for a guided tour with one of several companies in the area.  A key advantage of using a tour company is that they provide ice-cleats that strap on over your boots to provide traction on the icy trail.  The tour includes a drive to the location information on the ecosystem, legends of the canyon, and, importantly, hot chocolate and cookies.

Johnston Canyon Lower Falls

It’s just over 1 kilometre (0.6 mile) on a gentle incline to get to the lower falls.  Once we got moving, I wasn’t feeling cold at all.  It’s not long before you see ice clinging to the canyon walls, and just about everything blanketed with snow.

As we approached the lower falls, the first sight that came into view is a deep pool, created by the plunging water.  You can hear the rushing water behind the curtain of ice that covers it.

The Upper Falls at Johnston Canyon

The lower falls are gorgeous, but the upper falls were really the prize that took my breath away.  It’s another 1.6 kilometres (almost 1 mile) to get there, over a more rugged trail and steeper incline of switchbacks.  It’s not particularly difficult, although you may notice the effects of the high altitude during this section.

This is where nature has worked her magic.  It’s almost as though Elsa, herself, came along and froze the waterfall in midstream.  The upper falls are a 27-metre (90 foot) ice sculpture, a stunning work of art.

Here, you can take in the view, enjoy some hot chocolate and watch the ice climbers scale the ice fall (and wonder how that’s fun).

By the end of the afternoon tour, it was starting to get dark as we piled our tired bodies back into the van, marveling at the amazing views we had just seen, and humming, “Let it go, let it go….”.