Johnston Canyon

Made accessible by Parks Canada what otherwise would have been a climber’s ambitious dream, the very deep Johnston Canyon is half an hour drive from the Banff town on the Bow Valley Parkway. The excursion at Johnston Canyon is divided into three legs, the Lower falls, the Upper Falls, and the Ink Pots, each at an incremental distance.
A guarded interpretive steel walk takes you on course to the Lower falls. You walk your way through forest and the Johnston creek covering a kilometre in length, with vantage points across the bridge overlooking the falls and a deep turquoise pool, the creation of cascading waters. You gain elevation and exhilaration, as you saunter through the forests to the Upper Falls, with soaring trees creating a spectacular scene while curtaining the ambient light. The sound of gushing water stays on course with you throughout the trail, but when it weans momentarily, what comes alive is the acoustics of the rustling leaves, hurried wind, and the pervasive wildlife. The Upper Falls trails do have on exhibition the views of the dramatic 40 m fall, while looking for cover should be those with Vertigo. Further up 3 km through the forests again, is a meadow with five pools of bluish-green spring waters, called the Ink Pots. Perfect stains, the handiwork of Nature’s alchemist at work.

A reward for summation of the hike sits back on your return, the Joshnston Canyon Resort with patio style open dinning, and for the precocious beings a wooden piano sit inside the café to be played.