Johnston Canyon in Alberta's Banff National Park is a celebrated hiking corridor known for its turquoise waterfalls, carved limestone walls, and accessible canyon walkways.
` tags with no other markup. The output should be identical to the input.
Johnston Canyon has been drawing visitors since the early twentieth century, when the Bow Valley Parkway first opened the area to travellers moving between Banff and Lake Louise. The canyon itself was carved over thousands of years by Johnston Creek cutting through soluble limestone bedrock, creating the narrow slot canyon and the dramatic overhanging walls that define its character today. Parks Canada has maintained a system of steel catwalks and tunnels along the canyon walls for decades, making the gorge accessible without disturbing its geology.
The trail is divided into two main sections. The Lower Falls, reached in under a kilometre from the trailhead, pour through a narrow cleft in the rock and can be viewed from a tunnel cut directly into the canyon wall. The Upper Falls, another kilometre and a half beyond, are taller and more open, surrounded by spray-soaked rock and dense forest. Experienced hikers often push on to the Ink Pots, a collection of cold mineral springs that bubble up in a wide subalpine meadow, offering a quieter and more expansive reward after the canyon section.
Wildlife sightings are common along the Bow Valley Parkway corridor surrounding Johnston Canyon, including elk, deer, and occasionally bears. The canyon trail itself is heavily used, but the meadow near the Ink Pots tends to feel far more remote. In winter, the frozen waterfalls become a destination for ice climbers and photographers, transforming the canyon into an entirely different landscape of blue and white ice columns.
Johnston Canyon offers a rare combination of dramatic natural scenery and genuine accessibility, making it one of the most memorable short hikes in Banff National Park and a compelling reason to spend time along the Bow Valley Parkway.
Visit early in the morning, ideally before 8 a.m., to experience the canyon before tour buses arrive and crowds fill the narrow catwalks.
Bring traction devices or microspikes if visiting between October and April, as the walkway becomes icy and the frozen falls draw a different kind of visitor entirely.
Continue past the Upper Falls to reach the Ink Pots, a series of cold mineral springs with vivid blue-green pools set in an open meadow roughly 6 kilometres from the trailhead.
Wear a waterproof layer near the Lower Falls, as the spray from the cascade reaches the walkway and will soak a light jacket quickly.
Park at the Johnston Canyon trailhead early or use the Roam Transit bus service from Banff or Lake Louise to avoid the chronic parking shortage along the Bow Valley Parkway.