Johnston Canyon + Ink Pots Hike

September 08, 2012 ~ Johnston Canyon + Ink Pots in Banff National Park~

This morning was once again an early start just as it usually should be when you are planning on going hiking for the day.  Lunches for our hike had been made the night before so that we would be in less of a rush to get out the door, breakfast was had, the girls were dressed and fed therefore ready to go, the van was packed and we were on our way. By the time we had left the city it was just passed 9am.  The drive wouldn’t be complete without of course a stop at the nearest Timmy Ho’s for a nice cup of green tea  +  2 sugars and a double double  for my brother James. From there we continued our way towards Banff heading out on the Trans-Canada Hwy.  The trip is usually over an hour and this time because I wasn’t driving I was able to enjoy a good read…I almost finished the book “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” which I couldn’t put down because it was so amazing. I had only see parts of the movie but missed the ending regardless though the book is way better.

Once paying for our park pass for the day we continued down the Trans-Canada before taking a turn onto Hwy 1A (Bow Valley Parkway) and from there we found ourselves driving alongside the mountains for about 18 Km before finally making our way to the Johnston Canyon Lodge. We definitely did not have to worry about bears on this day despite hiking into the forest because there were so many people around plus lots of kids I am sure the bears weren’t going to bother with us. However we were prepared just in case, the night before Sarah and I had done some last minute errands and she picked up a few bear bells while I picked up an air horn. We use air horns in Churchill for those of us who do not have a firearms license… plus in Churchill a polar bear is easier to spot than a black bear or grizzly bear.

Shortly after parking the van and getting organized ie… grabbing our back packs and making a quick stop at the bathrooms we were finally on our way. The girls were equipped with one walking stick each however that did not last long and Sarah would have to run back to the van to put them away…hind sight we should’ve kept them because our journey to the ink pots they definitely would’ve come in handy. 

 

The busy trail that we started out on was a paved pathway leading to the Lower Falls about 1.1 Km. The trail follows in between the canyon but is hugging the one side of the canyon walls and is not super wide at all, because of the amount of people that were on the trail this early in the morning coming on afternoon we took our time, not to mention we had Brooke and Hailey with us and they are not as fast walkers as us…but I think by taking our time it was more enjoyable anyways.  And also we stopped to take photos of the scenery its self which was amazing despite most of it being rock and water the fact is that you are walking through the middle of a canyon.

Family Photo before heading up (Left) And the Catwalk heading to Lower Falls (Right)

 

When we arrived at Lower Falls my breath was taken away, the colour of the water the sound of the waterfall rushing down through the canyon was all amazing. Lower Falls water plunges about 33ft into the deeply carved pothole below and there is also a small cave/tunnel you are able to walk through in order to get closer to the waterfall, we had a small lineup before it was our turn to go through but it wasn’t long also it is a tight squeeze so any big back packs you might want to leave behind..Especially if you are about 6’7 like James..The tunnel itself is very short…but don’t worry there is light at the end of the tunnel. However keep in mind that the spray from the water is cold and you are really high so it’s a good idea to keep your camera around your neck.

 

Lower Falls

 

 

Before actually seeing the falls we took a path off the beaten trail and made our way down to the water, of course the girls wanted to come with us so we carefully helped them down the side of the hill to the water.  The rushing water coming from the mountain was amazing and cold it felt very refreshing.  The dramatic scene of Upper Falls was amazing with the water cascading down more than 100ft. From there I had expected to head back towards the van and that our hike would be over but it was at Upper Falls that Sarah suggested that we might as well continue our way towards the Ink Pots which we didn’t think was too far away.  

After seeing Lower Falls we moved off to the side to have a quick snack before continuing our journey to the Upper Falls which was about 2.7 Km, the trail heading up to these falls did become a big more rugged but again taking our time and taking breaks whether us adults needed it or the girls needed it was not a problem. It took about 30 + minutes or so to make our way to Upper Falls but once there once again the view was spectacular.

 

 

The  trail heading towards the Ink Pots did become a bit more rugged but it also widened and also the number of people started to disperse, however because there still were people on the trail we weren’t too concerned about bears not to mention we had our home made bear bell Hailey.  The trail to the Ink Pots was about 3.5 Km from the Upper Falls and the trail is a pretty steady incline all the way there with the exception of heading downhill into the valley as we make our way towards the Ink Pots, however along the way we do get peek a boo shots of the Rocky Mountains along the way which was just a small taste of what we would see having arrived at the Ink Pots.

 James stepping off the path (Right) Peek-a-boo shot of the Rocky Mountains (Below)

 

For us with the two girls it only took just over an hour to reach the Ink Pots and it was an hour worth doing because when we finally reached the Ink Pots your breath is literally taken away. The hike down into the sub-alpine valley (also known as Johnston Valley) is surrounded by rushing water and the Rocky Mountains is amazing. It was here that we had a panoramic view of the mountains and after finding a sport in the grass just up from the Ink Pots we decided to have lunch.

 

 

 

 

I figure before I go on from here I should probably mention as a side not what exactly Ink Pots are.  Once you reach the bottom of the trail into the valley you will see the seven (7) mineral springs. The “ink pots” are named because of their minerals having imparted vivid colour to the water which is very cold…they are like hot springs only cold springs and their base is said to be very similar to quicksand. However despite their coldness and the warning of quicksand being found in the middle of the Rocky Mountains they are still very enjoyable to look at.

 

The hike out of the valley was fun because we had a climb the hills that we had ran down in order to get to the valley, but one that part of it was done it took just less than an hour to reach the Upper Falls and from there the trail was pretty smooth going because we didn’t stop as much and also due to the fact that there were less people on the trail. By the end of it the entire trail was about 12 km (8 miles) with an elevation gain of about 215m (700 feet) with a total round trip time of about 6 hours, but that was with two kids so we really good. Overall it was an amazing day and we had awesome weather, the temperature was about mid 20’s however because we were in the shade most of the way until we stopped in Johnston Valley we didn’t notice the heat as much. Both the girls did amazing; Brooke was able to walk pretty much the entire way and Hailey although she would’ve wanted to walk most of the way she was put in the back pack on James’ shoulders for the tougher parts. It was a nice family outing on a beautiful Saturday and I would defiantly recommend this trail to anyone who enjoys the outdoors…even if it’s just to the falls.