Johnston Canyon Icewalk from Banff

Explore frozen waterfalls and blue ice pillars on the Johnston Canyon Icewalk. Discover Marble Canyon’s hidden slot canyon. Includes guide, transport, ice cleats, and treats.

Duration: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Johnston Canyon - Trek through Johnston Canyon to a world of frozen waterfalls and pillars of blue ice. During the icewalk you will learn about the formation of the canyon, pick out fossil corals in the rocks, and photograph the incredible pillars of ice as you walk through the canyon bottom and over suspended catwalks. Your professional guide…
What's Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Bottled water
  • Professional guide
  • Snacks
  • Driver/guide
  • Equipment (Ice Cleats)
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Trek through Johnston Canyon to a world of frozen waterfalls and pillars of blue ice. Learn about the formation of the canyon and photograph the incredible pillars of ice as you walk through the canyon bottom and over suspended catwalks. Your guide leads you past waterfalls frozen in mid-stream for a close up view of the Lower Falls!
Update: The trail…

Location
Mount Royal Hotel
Banff Avenue
Meet in the tour bus parking area located behind the Mount Royal Hotel (corner of Caribou Street and Beaver Street). To request an alternate pick up point within Banff townsite, please message us directly.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(35 Ratings)
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1 star
Fiona_d
Feb 17, 2026
Johnston Canyon Icewalk - Our guide was Cindy. She was punctual ( kind enough to pick us up and drop off right outside our accomodations) , very informative, patient and knowledgeable. Dress appropriately in layers as the hike and terrain are moderate ; nothing too bulky but so you can peel off layers if you start to have a bit of a workout. Hiking poles and crampons are provided; both of which were very helpful. It was definitely icy at points with the freeze and thaw so crampons are a must . Most of the trail has a fenced railing which is helpful especially as there is a single pathway going up and down so it tends to get pretty crowded at times as its only single file at some parts. A hiking pole comes in handy for coming down icy bits. Go as early as you can to avoid the crowds and rush. The waterfalls, trees and quiet are lovely if you manage to avoid the weekend or holiday crowds as much as possible. The tour took us to the Lower and Upper falls and Cindy shared some hot chocolate and biscuits right at the perfect time! We even managed to watch some ice climbers as we took a break. All in all, the hike was probably about 2 - 2.5 hours at a good pace, with short bursts of steep inclines but on the whole, moderate. Cindy had great fun facts and stories to share . It was a lovely morning which was smooth from beginning to end. Loved it!
Review provided by Viator
Tammy_k
Feb 10, 2026
Great winter activity - Great experience! Beautiful canyon. Very fun & unique winter activity. It was very interesting and informative.
Review provided by Viator
Jennt803
Jan 29, 2026
Highly recommend! - Wonderful experience! We did the upper and lower falls trail. We rented the ice cleats for our boots in Banff - definitely recommend, it was quite slipperly on some of the inclines. Beautiful views. Worked up a sweat, could have dressed a little lighter on the layers, but was a great time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Star3874
Dec 20, 2025
Fabulous tour, excellent guides, incredible landscape - We loved the tour. Both guides Scott and Nicolas were very professional, knowledgeable and made the tour fun and educational. I have four sons aged from 11-16 and they loved to learn about the geology and background of the area. The landscape is stunning and it was a really memorable day out.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Casey
Dec 9, 2025
Icy upper falls was worth the hike! - My husband and I had a really nice time on this tour with our guides, Scott and Nicolas! The whole tour felt very laid back, but we stayed right on time and enjoyed the hike. Our hotel pickup time in Banff was at 10:20am so we could have a nice breakfast in town before. The drop off at our hotel was at 3pm, which gave us enough time to still do a short hike on our own before sunset. Our group was small so the van was nice and roomy. The hike was mostly easy, thanks to the ice cleats they provided, and we went at a very reasonable pace that was okay for the group. The guides shared details about the local history, the park, the canyon, the animals, animal tracks, trees, birds, a little bit about everything. The upper falls were definitely the highlight, the other falls leading up to it were smaller but had some cool icy features too. I’d recommend this tour to anyone looking for a shortish hike with great icy views!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Katlynm824
Apr 12, 2025
Stunning - The guides were amazing. The views were stunning! Everyone was so polite, the group was not too big but not too small. Perfect for friends or a family experience
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sonja_h
Mar 16, 2025
Our guide Christy was... - Our guide Christy was amazing! She knows so much about the area and wild life. Most importantly she is so fun!
Review provided by Viator
Jet38954835606
Mar 12, 2025
Great hike at Johnston Canyon. Amazing guide. - The Johnston Canyon walk was a fantastic experience. Special thanks to our tour guide, Scott, who was so approachable, welcoming, and knowledgeable. He really made this hike that much better. Highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lisa_t
Feb 13, 2025
Baby it’s cold outside and so worth it! - So much fun walking with the ice cleats. Lovely walk through the canyon and we even saw some folks climbing up the frozen water falls.
Review provided by Viator
Robert_w
Jan 15, 2025
Bob and Nancy enjoying the outdoors! - Josh was an excellent guide who was very knowledgeable and mad the hike fun and the iced over falls were beautiful!
Review provided by Viator
From $85
up to 12 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).