Reviews of Johnston Canyon (Tourist Attraction)

Yenny Lam

There is almost always a line to get into the close-up viewing area, which can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on how busy it is. Unless you've never seen a waterfall before I recommend skipping and spending more time at the upper falls or hiking up to the Inkpots.

K S

Hiked this yesterday on a whim and was really surprised how amazing this place is! Honestly it took my breath away! Was a bit chilly but the trail is really well maintained and it wasn't a very hard hike. A bit icy in parts but if you ha e good winter boots or cleats you should be fine!! Would recommend to everyone!

Sandro Antao

Wonderful place to visit, need strong lags as you have to climb more than a kilometre to reach to little fall. Very well maintained and wear warm clothing in September.

Arjun Tyagi

Great trail, we love nature. The whole family having a great time !

Nerisha Ib

Nice trail very good for family and kids very safe recommend

Louie Doulias

Absolutely gorgeous! A must see stop if you are in the area anyways. The wait times at the line to go over the final bridge into the viewpoint wasn’t worth it. You can get 95% or the experience without the massive 25-30+ min wait just before the final bridge.

RaJendra Thali

Stunning and so beautiful. The hike in my opinion is not a hike at all, it’s more of a walk, with guard rails and a created path. Very busy year round all the way to the upper falls. Make sure to go to the top of the upper falls for the best and most stunning views (there are fewer people up there as well) and go to the ink pots if your in the mood for a nice walk. The ink pots themselves aren’t anything special to be honest, but the walk is beautiful and relaxing.

Shion Chan

Easy and small hike to the lower falls. You can go to the upper falls if you looking for a more steep and longer hike. The falls itself are great to experience with turquoise water flowing off a 30-40m cliff. People do tend to queue up near the photo op spot due to accessibility to that area. Wonderful place overall for everyone to enjoy.

Chris Stephan Trouillot

Great family hike for the young, the old, and everyone in between. Stop in at the Market prior- and post-hike for a treat. Washroom facilities are available just across the bridge at the start of the hike. The views of both falls are well worth the trek.

Farrukh Malik

Beautiful trails and falls...No words ❤...Just simply Beautiful ????

Amit Warke

Beautiful hike along the side of the canyon, several viewpoints along the trail at Johnston canyon. This is also by far one of the busiest hikes, so come early or prepare to park far away. There is a also a washroom and cafe at this location so you have some nice amenities here!

David Cy

Our go to summer hike. Really busy at the lower falls, but higher you go out to the ink pots it gets quieter. Beautiful views along the way. Well worth the trip. Also beautiful for winter treks. Ice cleats aren’t necessary, but definitely would come in ha day if you have them. Frozen waterfalls are lovely.

Patel Meghna

Dec 15, 2021 - Beautiful and sunny morning hike ???? through Johnston Canyon, Lower Falls during winter is so beautiful and magnificent. Wearing ice cleats helped us hike through snow and ice. The hike is 1.2 km passing frozen waterfall and plunge pools in a rocky canyon. It was -20 degrees celsius (-4 F) but it was worth it! ????❄️

Terry L

An awesome up Hill experience. Nature at its best lots of very important information about the canyon on the hike watch closely for directions as you could get a little confused getting to the canyon

Viralkumar Mistry

Awesome place, loved the trail along the falling water with beautiful scenery.

Elise Bright

You would already know how beautiful this place is when you start walking in the canyon. Like other canyons/falls nearby, the rock is shaped by years of running river. This canyon is further decorated with many surrounding trees. The …

John Kutasz

Good hike, very easy, all railing. You can have a stroller, pets, and disabled friendly. It gets so packed though. Probably the most popular easy hike. The waters were very nice, the upper Falls still have ice around it (late May). You’ll sweat a little, but it’s a nice walk. After you are done, get some ice cream.

Kellen van Dorland

Beautiful place

Sabrina Dhalla

Awsome experience. Except the line to watch falls through cave..its a big lineup. Took an hr to go there. Hike is simple, stroller friendly and fun to walk.

Michael Kuehne

Easy paved road. Very crowded.

jANsON Potato.

If you like hiking, this is a great medium length hike. If you’ve never been on a mountain hike before, this is the one to start with. It’s not very steep. The scenery at the lower falls is impressive. I would recommend packing a lunch for the lower falls. There are several picture spots at the top, so be prepared to wait in line to take pics.

Suba Kalia

A hidden falls through a mountain canyon. Wonderful hike and many other waterfalls along the way. Don't miss to see it.

Hachin Howlader

Nice lil hike, all skill levels, ppl w strollers. The falls are cool

Exploring Destinations

The kids and I absolutely loved this place. You can take a stroller to the lower falls but not the upper falls. Lower falls had two small obstacles that I had to have help lifting the stroller to pass. So a jogging stroller with big wheels might be a better option for the trail.

Dean Hill

This was such an awesome hike. Lovely views the whole way up! (Or down!) If you have the ability I would definitely try to go up to the ink well pots. But even if you're a beginner hill climber this is an easy enough path to walk up it's well maintained and over all a wonderful way to spend the day!

Jimmy Wong

Nice easy hike that is worth seeing.. the road in is closed so we booked with Banff tours $82 per person..

Sam Allthedodaday

The trail is very well marked and manicured. The hike over to the lower falls is only about a km in length making it one of the easier hikes in the area. Although these falls are beautiful, we highly recommend trekking further and exploring the upper falls along with the ink pots.

Chris C

A lovely destination with a beautiful walk to get there. We only went to as far as the first waterfall, because we were with a friend who had a bad knee - but it's wonderful that the mostly paved route and gentle slope makes this hike …

Lisa W

This place is beautiful. The water is stunning! It is heavily trafficked though, which is to be expected. We went later in the evening, around 6pm, and many people were coming down from the falls. If you can take advantage of the sun being …

Philip Moscovo

Beautiful area and hike. Arrive early for a parking spot or park on the road for an extra hike in. The trails are well groomed and well maintained. There are several stops along the way for great pictures! The entire hike to the ink pots took about 5 hours total so bring water and a snack. Recommend this hike!

Fartab Ahmed

Quick short hike to the falls, people spend too much time in the lower and the lines are too long to wait. Go last the upper and be able to walk down onto the stream.

Dacey Walla

Awesome hike to this beautiful Lower Johnston Canyon falls. Beautiful Teal colored water below it makes it even more magical.

Kai Kang

Haven't seen them in the summer but in the winter is a wow ...just wow. Recommend micro spikes. You could do regular boots or shoes but I promise you will enjoy the hike more with these. The trail is crowded but well maintained with guard rails in most places. Definitely easy for all ages and abilities. Going to come back 8n tye summer and check out the ink pots.

nikhil koukuntla

Great trail and a good hike to an amazing waterfalls. Was bit crowded, but mainly due to the weekends.

Linda “changing lives” D

If you're not much in hiking this is definitely a decent place to go although that being said you have to be aware that it gets very busy during peak season. The trails are well-maintained and the views are quite nice for sure. The saving grace for this hike is that you can go further on to the ink pots and definitely the crowds subside a fair bit beyond the main tourist points.

C Pilsner

I can simply state; The beauty of mother nature, the sound of water hitting the canyon cave and the aggressive reflection of water is something you can't find in the concrete jungle. Mist in the air, pine woods smell fresh and refreshing. Must visit. The hike is worth it.

Sally Liang

Exceptional! A must do on your list of adventures to do while visiting. Definitely check out the lower falls and visit the cave

Inga Rozin

A fantastic hike. Easy going, well maintained trail with beautiful scenery

Shoaib Alam

Great and easy trail to do with the family. Lower falls is quick and easy, worth the 1 1/2mile. However if you want a better view and it's willing to walk another mile, the waterfall is totally worth it. Can't wait to do it again during winter time!

Harminder Kharay

Great views of the canyon, upper and lower falls. Trail is paved and easy for strollers, wheelchairs, etc. and, as a result, is fairly crowded. Worth it for the views.

Becky H

The fall is amazing. You can pass through den and experience the beauty and feel the water closely. To reach here you have to do small hike but its definitely worth it. …

Jean Robinson

Words cannot describe. Loved it. Amazing.

Jadin sauer

Johnston Canyon what can I say this place is amazing you definitely want to bring the family and friends but try to do it in the early morning or afternoon to beat the peak traffic. This place is great in winter and summer I've hiked it in both seasons of been right up to the ink pots aswell. The place has great views really nice scenery and the occasional Wildlife when there's not too many people. I would definitely recommend this place whatever your Fitness level. You can go to the lower Falls the Upper Falls all the ink pots. So there is something for everyone.

Ron Cann

Awesome place, nice trekking with nature

Mai Yun La

A wonderful trail with catwalks in more than half of the trail. Super popular even at 6:40 pm on Tuesday. If you do want to take close photo with the fall and want to get around the long line in lower fall, it's a good idea to walk another 1200 meters to upper fall.

Liam Cusack

Beautiful view of the falls. Too bad I didn’t have time to go to the top of the falls. But the bottom and the cave was gorgeous!

Cera Z

Easy and short trail. Waited in a small line to go inside the lower falls cave. Upper falls was closed, and construction at the beginning of the trail took away from the experience. Still worth the visit though.

A Dawn

Easy trail to some nice falls. Wasn't busy in the winter. Bring crampons if you have them.

Emma

Beautiful waterfalls, about 45 minutes to the lower falls, but you get to see awesome views of the Canyon while you hike through it on a narrow path. Very cool rock faces and the river is neat, the water fall at the end is beautiful. There is a little cave at the end of the lower falls to get a better view but the line up to get into the cave is very long so about an hour wait. You can hike uphill to get a view of the upper falls too but that would have been an extra hour of hiking which we were not prepared to do. Definitely worth the trip to visit if you get the chance. Path is not wheel chair friendly and is not Stroller friendly. It is about narrow enough for 2 people to cross each other side by side while walking, one going one direction and the other going the other direction.

Bernabe Lazaro

Excellent spot for a beautiful and easy hike. Is a little over a kilometre in from the parking space, with the upper being in additional 1200 or so metres. There is this hole in a mountain where there was a large lineup of people to take photos in, but the view inside was not much, just a closeup of the water fall without decent lighting

Shubham Patil

It was a nice hike overall, pretty easy but a lot of people waiting in line on the bridge just to get in the cave to see the fall up close

Erin Beesley

First time going, and wasn't disappointed. There is a bit if a wait to go inside the waterfall but it's totally worth it.. short walk. Highly recommend.

Master Caster

Absolutely gorgeous views and well worth the hike all the way up to the ink pots. During the winter some areas can be quite slippery, so boots with good grip are highly recommended and also just take your time. Looking forward to heading back for another hike here.

Sheldon St. Bennett

Super easy and short trail to the Lower Falls. We did it with 2 y/o - she went all the way without any problems ????

Maling Sun

It was actually pretty busy when I went, which I found kinda off because it wasn't a weekend or a holiday. The parking lot was really full. The hike is short, very good for beginner hikers and the views are amazing. I would HIGHLY recommend wearing spikes on your shoes because the ground is so icy. In all this is an amazing place!

Tanya Fillion

Wonderful Site to see and Path to walk on. Recommended to bring kids in summer, Winter more for adults and teens. Do your self a solid and bring shoe spikes a well worth investment.

Bhavinkumar Patel

Such a beautiful place. I love the hike

Nosaiba Zaamout

Johnston Canyon /Falls and Ink pot- The depths of the canyon on wide trails & narrow bridges with railings that lead to the Lower Falls & to the spectacular 30 metre-high Upper Falls. For a unique perspective, continue 265 m further to the viewpoint at the top of the upper falls. Beyond the falls, a trail continues up and over a forested ridge to a meadow where water bubbles from deep below the Earth’s surface into shallow pools called the Ink Pots. Not allowed to Swim in. The Johnston Canyon area is popular and parking is limited. Take Roam Public transit or visit Banff Now for parking information. Elevation gain: 330M I would highly recommend this to anyone visiting Banff.

Richard Singh

Always a favourite place to return for me. I love the slightly challenging but rewarding hike. I always love the pictures I get from here as well!

Hayden Shieh

Love visiting the falls in winter. No crowds and still beautiful with the ice and snow ❄

Mia Pacey

Great hike and quite easy to do. Trail is pretty good all the way for the lower canyon and there are some walkways too which helps. I have done this in both Summer and winter, the views are great for different reasons, but really enjoyable and a great way to spend a few hours.

Damon Eckart

Amazing hike to the lower falls, although I found it more challenging as I’ve never been on a legit hike before. The steep inclines are something to be mindful of, and I doubt someone with a stroller would be able to navigate this without it destroying their entire day.

Steve Huskey

Great hike for beginners. People of all ages, there were lots of kids with their parents doing the hike. A total on 1 hour or so to do the two falls. But I recommend taking the time to enjoy the beautiful views of the river and nature around this hike. It can be a bit tough when is very crowded but you can always step aside to take pictures and enjoy the view. Parks Canada made a great job building the bridges to walk pretty much along side the river. -I do suggest bringing comfy shoes as there are some uphills to go through.... converse or flat shoes? Nope. Saw a few people on Those struggling and slipping.... can't imagine the back and feet pain after. Personally, the best fall out of the two is the Lower Fall, that little cave before you get to see the majestic short fall is so cool. - pack you water bottle and bring some snacks packed in your ziplock bag. -pretty safe hike.

Terry Peristerakis

Amazing area. We came out here without really knowing much about it and we even brought our baby. We were able to get to the first water fall easily with our stroller. Was a very pretty and scenic route with many people around. We only …

Steve

Spectacular. A bit crowded, but if you arrive later in the day not so. Less busy to upper falls. Worth extra walking. Great for hot days as it is mostly shaded and naturally air cooled.

Dale Amyotte

Please see my post on Johnston Canyon

Jeff Dover

Love this place. Always take my visitors here. TO BEAUTIFULLY MADE.

Christopher Goes

Amazing place to hike and enjoy waterfalls.

rizvan malek

This is a fabulous place to spend a morning or afternoon. The hike to the falls is easy. Make sure to follow suggestions to use crampons in the winter. The ice on the trail is dangerous and the crampons make your trip possible without injury.

Shannon Hussey

Nice walk in, easier on the way out (downhill). We visited in December and the path was snow packed with icey bits but we didn't need cleats as we wore boots. The lower falls are approx 1.2km or .5 mile. The access to the cave at the end …

Ray Hakkim

The trail has undergone a huge transformation and is in excellent shape. Although quite busy it is still a gem.

Robert LaRose

Cool waterfall. The water is very blue and clear. One of the neatest thing is that you can crawl into a tunnel and get a close up view of the waterfall.

Richard Radwinski

Johnston’s Canyon has got to be one of my favourite places! It’s a good hike if you don’t want anything too hard and it’s beautiful the whole trail????. The colour of the glacier water is beautiful and bright blue???? definitely a place to put on the bucket list, you won’t be disappointed.

Shane Taylor

Great short hike good for almost anyone. See rapids, cliffs, waterfalls and more. Be sure to bring bug spray! Well worth it.

Polina

Beautiful hike but too long of a cue to get into the cave. People need to be courteous of everyone's time. Get in and get out!

Karol Gawrych

Hike wasn't that bad. Took us less than 3 hours to go from the parking lot to upper falls and back. Could've done it quicker, but took our time and enjoyed the scenery.

Wayne Kao

Nice easy trail. Really nice falls and it takes you very close.

Wilcon Construction

Great hike up to the lower falls. Don’t forget your mask! Lots of people and no room to distance.

Steven Soanes

Beautiful short hike that is full of glacier water with that greenish-blue hue to it as well as some crystal clear water. It can get busy but the path is paved for 90% of the trek so no need for special shoes. You can pay for parking at the Johnston Canyon Lodge or take the exit at the roundabout for the regular parking. They have washrooms and a water bottle filling station there.