Ice Hiking

Copyright Karen Schaler All Rights Reserved 

WOW! Check out this trek. For this TRAVEL THERAPY you’ll need special spikes on your boots because for this baby you’ll be walking on ice! Talk about your slippery slope. Actually, if you have the right “spikes” navigating the narrow pathways of Johnston Canyon in Banff National Park is a piece of cake. Okay, maybe not “cake” but do-able if you’re paying attention and you learn how to stomp your feet when you walk, digging in your ice spikes. 

While this 3-mile, round-trip trek is open to the public your best bet is to take a guided tour, not only because good tour groups like Discover Banff Tours provide the spikes for your boots, but because the guides are extremely knowledgeable about what you’re seeing on your hike while you’re winding your way up steel walkways built into the limestone canyons. Don’t forget your camera, you’ll pass about two dozen frozen waterfalls! 

If you’re not up to the entire three miles you can turn around after what’s called the Lower Falls, but if you can try and get up to the top, to the Upper Icefalls because this is what Johnston Canyon is famous for. During the walk you’ll climb about 300 feet through a thick forest of Lodge Poll Pines. Most of the train is pretty narrow so you have to walk one behind the other and it takes about an hour and fifteen minutes to make it to the Upper Falls.  

You’ll want to bundle up for this trip in layers so you can peel off what you don’t need when you start to “huff and puff” on the trail.  

This is one of those rare adventures that you’re not exactly sure what you’re getting into but after it’s done you know it’s something you’ll talk about forever.

For more unique adventure options click HERE for the TRAVEL THERAPY website.

If you have any fantastic adventure options you’d like TRAVEL THERAPY to check out please send them my way!