Johnston Canyon, located in Banff National Park, is a scenic spot famous for its stunning waterfalls and charming hikes. The well-maintained trail takes you through a forested canyon, past crystal-clear streams, and to the breathtaking Lower and Upper Falls.
On our way in, there was a cute little coffee shop, sadly it was closed that morning.
We embarked on our journey toward the falls. This hike is a mixture of platforms as seen in the pictures below and trails.
Johnston Canyon to Upper Falls trail
- Distance 3.4 miles (Loop)
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Elevation Gain: 900ft
- Estimated Time: 2 hours
The lower falls has a unique attraction, there is a platform that takes you through a rock formation so you can get a close up photo. In the slideshow below, it starts with a view from above of the lower falls transitions to closer one, and finally one from within the rock formation.
We continued up the path toward the Upper Falls.
This water falls is in the middle, maybe it has a name, maybe its middle falls, but we will call it middle falls.
We reached the Upper Falls, there is a platform you go out on and can take some stunning photos.
Short video of the Upper Falls as well.
As we were leaving, the coffee shop was now open.
While Johnston Canyon is well-known for its stunning waterfall views, we found it to be one of the more over-hyped destinations in Banff. That said, I still recommend visiting—it’s worth experiencing for the beauty it offers. If you are looking for other waterfall adventures, I recommend checking out Wapta Falls.