Johnston Canyon Vacations, Johnston Canyon Vacation Reviews, Tourism Guide

Johnston Canyon Vacation Guide

Johnston Canyon is 25 kilometers north of Banff Townsite on the Bow Valley Parkway. The trail starts from the large parking area on the east side of Johnston Creek

The wide asphalt trail starts up gently through lush, mossy forest beside vigorous Johnston Creek and enters the canyon. In this narrow canyon, cut into 350 million year old limestone, the world seems to consist only of rock and the sound of swirling water. Each year, rushing water wears away the limestone, scouring the canyon's face into myriad shapes. The elaborate trail in this section consists of a suspended walkway bolted onto the side of the cliff, partway up the canyon wall. Pass under an overhanging cliff of solid limestone to the Lower Falls, which swirl into a green pool against copper-coloured cliffs. Cross the small bridge to the other side of the canyon, and go through a tiny, dark rock passage where the creek once flowed for a misty, close-up of the falls. The trail continues past pretty Twin Falls, keeping to the rightr for a close-up view of the impressive upper falls. In winter, the canyon becomes a world of frozen waterfalls and pillars of blue ice.