In shortThe trailhead is a parkway pull-in, 25 km of driving if you set out from Banff and 34 km if you come down from Lake Louise. Steel catwalks follow the gorge: 1.2 km one way to the Lower Falls, 2.4 km with 215 m of gain to the Upper Falls, and 5.5 km with 425 m to the Ink Pots. Since October 13, 2026 the falls viewpoints are closed for rock slope work.
25 kmfrom the town of Banff
34 kmfrom Lake Louise
2.4 kmto the Upper Falls
5.5 kmto the Ink Pots
Where Johnston Canyon fits on the Banff to Lake Louise drive
The canyon is a roadside stop on the Bow Valley Parkway, 25 km out of Banff and 34 km short of Lake Louise. The parkway itself is 48 km of paved scenic road running parallel to the Trans-Canada Highway, so choosing it adds scenery and slower speeds to a trip you could otherwise drive straight.
A park pass is needed on this road even if you never get out of the car. Parks Canada waives the pass for pure through-traffic in the mountain parks, with two exceptions: the Icefields Parkway and the Bow Valley Parkway. Buy or carry one before you turn off the highway.
Timing rules cover the eastern 17 km, the section from Johnston Canyon Campground to the Fireside Picnic Area. A cycling-only pilot holds that stretch from April 30 to June 25 and again from September 1 to October 6, and from March 1 to June 25 no travel of any kind is permitted there between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. Inside those windows you come at the canyon from the Lake Louise end of the parkway or from the Trans-Canada, and an evening stop in spring is not an option.
For the two route choices out of Banff and the distances involved, the Banff-to-Lake Louise distance page on this site sets out the 62 km and the final 4 km climb from the village.
Walking the catwalk to the two waterfalls
The trail is a graded path that turns into steel catwalks cantilevered over the creek where the limestone narrows. The Lower Falls come first, 1.2 km one way, about an hour there and back at a normal pace with photo stops.
Parks Canada measures the continuation to the Upper Falls at 2.4 km with 215 m of gain and rates it easy, allowing 2 hours. Banff & Lake Louise Tourism publishes different numbers for the same walk, 2.5 km one way with 120 m of gain, also about 2 hours return. Use the Parks Canada figures when you plan and read the trail report on the day, because the two sets do not agree and conditions change the timing more than the metres do.
Go to the Upper Falls if you have the two hours. The gorge is at its tightest above the lower viewpoint, and the second half of the catwalk is the part people remember.
| Route | Distance | Elevation gain | Time |
|---|
| Upper Falls (Parks Canada) | 2.4 km | 215 m | 2 hours, easy |
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| Ink Pots (Parks Canada) | 5.5 km | 425 m | 4 hours, moderate |
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| Lower Falls (Banff & Lake Louise Tourism) | 1.2 km one way | not published | about 1 hour return |
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| Upper Falls (Banff & Lake Louise Tourism) | 2.5 km one way | 120 m | about 2 hours return |
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| Lower Falls in winter conditions | 2.5 km return | not published | not published |
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| Upper Falls in winter conditions | 5 km return | not published | not published |
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Carrying on to the meadow springs
Above the Upper Falls the catwalks end and the trail climbs out of the gorge into open meadow, finishing at the Ink Pots, a set of cold springs in the flats. Parks Canada lists the route at 5.5 km with 425 m of gain, rates it moderate and allows 4 hours.
That is a half day on its own. If Lake Louise is the point of your trip, the Ink Pots and the lake do not fit comfortably in the same day: four hours of walking plus the 34 km still to drive leaves you arriving at the lakeshore in the afternoon, when the lots there have already been full for hours. Pick one.
What the rock slope work means for your visit
Rock slope remediation has shut the section of trail that serves the Lower and Upper Falls viewpoints, with the closure in force since October 13, 2026. The Upper Falls and the Ink Pots remain reachable by the Moose Meadows Trail, a longer approach that bypasses the closed section of gorge.
No reopening date has been published, so check the official Parks Canada trail listings the morning you plan to go rather than after you have paid for a pass and driven the parkway. If the catwalks are what you came for, and they are closed, the honest answer is to spend the time at the lakes instead.
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The Johnston Canyon winter icewalk and what goes on your feet
Guided ice walks run through the canyon from November to April, on the same steel catwalks, when the falls freeze into columns against the rock. Plan the winter outing on its own numbers rather than the summer ones: with snow and ice on the ground the Lower Falls work out at 2.5 km return and the Upper Falls at 5 km return.
Traction is not optional. The catwalks and the packed path hold polished ice all winter, ice cleats are available to rent locally, and guided walks are run with the gear in hand. Walking it in plain boots is how a flat 2.5 km turns into a slow, nervous shuffle.
Dress for standing around in the cold at the viewpoints. Area ranges are November -8 to 1 C, December -14 to -5 C, January -14 to -4 C, February -12 to 0 C and March -8 to 4 C, and the gorge sits in shade for most of a short winter day. Bear in mind that the viewpoint closure announced for October 13, 2026 has no published end date, so confirm the status before booking a winter walk.
Should you add the canyon to the drive?
Add it if you are driving the Bow Valley Parkway anyway, you can be parked by early morning, and the Upper Falls round trip of about 2 hours is all you intend to walk. The canyon has one roadside lot serving the whole trail and cars sit in it for an hour or two at a time, so through the busiest months of June to October the middle of the day is the worst time to turn up.
Skip it if Lake Louise is the main event and you have a single day. The lakeshore lots fill extremely early and stay full, Parks Canada names the shuttle and Roam Public Transit as the better way in to both lakes, and a canyon stop eats exactly the morning hours that make a lake day work. Come back for the canyon on a second day, or drive it in the late afternoon on the way back toward Banff when the parkway is quieter and the cycling-only windows do not apply.
Skip it for now in any case if you want the Lower Falls viewpoint, which is inside the closed section. The Moose Meadows approach keeps the Upper Falls and the Ink Pots open to walkers who are prepared for a longer day on foot.
- Early start, Upper Falls only: add the canyon, allow about 2 hours of walking plus the drive
- Ink Pots as your main hike: 5.5 km and 425 m of gain, 4 hours, treat it as the whole outing
- Lake Louise day with limited time: leave the canyon out and protect your morning at the lake
- March 1 to June 25: no travel on the eastern 17 km between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m.
- Bikes have the eastern 17 km to themselves from April 30 to June 25 and again from September 1 to October 6, so reach the canyon from the Lake Louise end or the Trans-Canada on those dates
Questions people ask
Do I need a park pass to stop at Johnston Canyon?
Yes. Parks Canada requires a pass on the Bow Valley Parkway even if you are only driving through without stopping, which makes it one of just two roads in the parks where through-traffic is not exempt, along with the Icefields Parkway. Have the pass sorted before you leave Banff or Lake Louise village.
Can I see the canyon and Lake Louise in the same day?
It works only if the canyon comes first and early. The Upper Falls round trip runs about 2 hours by the Parks Canada listing, and you still have 34 km of parkway to drive afterwards. Finish the canyon late and you reach lakeshore lots that filled up long before you started walking and stay full through the day in peak season, which is why Parks Canada's advice for both lakes is to use the shuttle or Roam Public Transit instead of a private car.
How hard is the walk?
Parks Canada rates the route to the Upper Falls easy, at 2.4 km with 215 m of gain. The continuation to the Ink Pots is rated moderate at 5.5 km with 425 m of gain and about 4 hours. The gorge section is on constructed path and steel catwalk, while the meadow section beyond is ordinary mountain trail.
Where can I walk if the falls viewpoints are closed?
The Moose Meadows Trail still reaches the Upper Falls and the Ink Pots while the rock slope remediation keeps the Lower and Upper Falls viewpoints closed from October 13, 2026. It is a longer way round, so plan for more time on your feet than the standard canyon figures suggest, and confirm the current status on the official Parks Canada pages before you set out.
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