Celebrating our one year anniversary in Calgary with a hike in Johnston Canyon

The Johnston Canyon trail is probably the most popular trail to hike in Banff. The tour buses stop here along with just about every other tourist that comes through Banff.  There are a series of catwalks anchored to the sides of the canyon above the roaring river below. Thousands of years of erosion have cut through the beautiful limestone walls to form waterfalls, tunnels and pools. Ice climbing on the frozen waterfalls is a popular sport in the winter. I think I'll be skipping that winter sport!

We arrived at the trail head at 9:00 A.M. and were amongst the first cars in the parking lot. By the time we fought the crowds and got back to the car three hours later, the entire lot was full and cars had spilled out onto the shoulders of the highway on both sides for at least a half a mile. It's a short hike to the falls with impressive viewpoints along the way. Most people turn around at the upper falls, which is a mile and a half in. We continued on to the Ink Pots, which lie in a meadow in Johnston Valley sitting above the canyon. The Ink Pots are six blue-green spring-fed pools with sandy bottoms. You can see the spring bubbling up from the bottom of the shallow pools because it forms rings in the sand. The bluer the pool, the faster the spring is feeding the pool. The green pools are fed more slowly.

On the way home, we celebrated our one year anniversary in Calgary with dinner at the Maple Leaf and chocolates at Bernard Callebaut's.

Lower Falls

Coming through the canyon

View from the trail to the Ink Pots

In the meadow above the canyon

One of the six Ink Pots

The water is very clear and very cold! You can see the circle made by the spring bubbling up in the lower middle of the frame.

Our lunch spot!

Waterfalls and spring run off in the background.

Catwalk through the canyon

Caves cut into the limestone from the erosion

Upper falls