On our first morning in Banff, the skies were still smoky, so we needed something to do that didn’t require clear views over long distances. We decided to head up to Johnston Canyon. This is a pretty spot, mostly in the trees, that would seem to work nicely. Nadine and I have hiked Johnston Canyon a few times before, in both winter and summer, but it’s worth doing again!
We set out along the Bow Valley Parkway, which is more interesting than taking the highway.
Arriving at Johnston Canyon, which is one of the busiest spots in Banff National Park, we were not surprised to find the parking lot full, but were very surprised that we didn’t need to park that far away along the road.
Heading up the trail, we passed a number of great views of the river.
The wide trail is quickly replaced by some very well-built catwalks affixed to the rock walls above the river below.
Views were great looking up as well as down!
Once we reached the lower falls, there was a huge lineup of people waiting on the bridge to walk through the cave and up to the falls. We decided to skip this, and keep heading up the trail. The views are better of the falls from further back anyway!
We continued hiking up the trail.
There are a few side trails that take you right down to the river.
We continued up the trail toward Upper Falls.
When we eventually made it to the Upper Falls, once again, there was a long lineup to get there. Here’s the top of the catwalk heading down to the falls.
Nadine and I have seen the falls before, and none of us wanted to stand in line, so instead we headed up the trail a bit to fine a nice spot to sit down and have lunch.
After lunch, we headed back down toward the trailhead, where the views look different seeing everything from the opposite angle.
Back at the car, we continued up the Bow Valley Parkway to the Castle Mountain junction where we could take the highway back to Banff. Back at the hotel, we spent some time relaxing at the lovely pool before dinner. The picture of the pool below, was taken looking down from our room window.
It’s kind of strange, that in dozens of stays at the Banff Springs Hotel, Nadine and I had never actually used the pool before!
In the evening, we had reservations at our favourite restaurant at the Banff Springs Hotel, Castello Ristorante. Nadine and I have never had a trip to Banff without having a meal here! After a nice day and evening, it was time to get some rest.
