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Bow Glacier Falls in Banff National Park

Sight · Banff National Park

Bow Glacier Falls

A waterfall in the rocky basin where the Bow River begins.

Photo: Public Domain
Type
Sight
Nearest trail
3.5 km
  • Trailhead

Hear the audio tour

Bow Lake: North Shore and a Café Stop
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DirectionsMap

Overview

About Bow Glacier Falls

Why stop

  • A glacier-fed cascade at the Bow River’s headwaters

Heads up

  • A few hours of walking over uneven ground for one destination
Bow Glacier Falls is a powerful, glacier-fed cascade in the bare rock basin below Bow Glacier. It’s reached on foot from Bow Lake, so this is a full outing rather than a quick Icefields Parkway pullout. The established route is 3.8 km each way and takes about three hours round trip. If you want to see the falls themselves, they earn the walk.
Parkwolf’s verdictA worthwhile half-day hike

Map

Where it is

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SightBow Glacier Falls51.65289, -116.49839
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Plan your stop

Before you go

8 active Banff alerts

  • ClosureJohnston Canyon Trail and Day Use Area closedJohnston Canyon Trail and Day Use Area are closed to all traffic and travel through December 11, 2026, while construction work is underway to protect public and workers’ safety.Official details
  • ClosureBaker Lake and Hidden Lake campgrounds closed to campingCamping is prohibited at Baker Lake and Hidden Lake campgrounds through December 1, 2026, because a grizzly bear entered campsites and investigated tents and gear; the closures reduce risk to…Official details
See all 8 alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Banff Tour Guide

Your drive to Bow Glacier Falls, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Banff National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

See the Banff audio tour

Recorded for this place

Bow Lake: North Shore and a Café Stop
0:00 / 0:32
“Up ahead is Bow Lake's north-shore access, by The Lodge at Bow Lake. Stop here for turquoise water beneath the mountains without committing to a hike; a short gravel path leads from the public parking to the shore.”

Plays as you drive up to Bow Glacier Falls in the Parkwolf Banff Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • Bow Lake Picnic Site: Follow the Road Down
  • Crowfoot Glacier and Its Missing Toe
  • Helen Lake and the Cirque Peak Choice
  • One Aspen, Many Trunks
  • 185 audio storiesacross Banff’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Brown Bear, Gray Wolf, and 13 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 162 trails, 90 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
★★★★★
“…Loved the commentary as you drove thru. I’m sure the app can do more than I know but the tips were very helpful. I’m gonna use it when we go to Banff next month.”
tesja22App Store review
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4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Guide

More about Bow Glacier Falls

Follow the lake, then climbThe route starts along Bow Lake’s shore, then climbs on wooden stairs into the falls basin.

The route starts along Bow Lake’s shore, then climbs on wooden stairs into the falls basin. The final stretch is uneven and bouldery, a bigger effort than the gentle start suggests. Go only as far as posted route markers allow; there’s no need to scramble across loose rock for a closer look.

Use the stair-top viewThe waterfall first comes into view above the stairs.

The waterfall first comes into view above the stairs. That open angle shows the cascade against the cliff, so it’s a strong place to stop for a wide photo. The boulder field below looks closer, but it’s rough terrain and not worth leaving the signed route.

At the headwatersMeltwater from the Wapta Icefield spills down from Bow Glacier here and feeds Bow Lake and the…

Meltwater from the Wapta Icefield spills down from Bow Glacier here and feeds Bow Lake and the Bow River. You’re at the start of a river that runs through Banff and Canmore and onward across western Canada.

Make time for the Bow Lake stopThe trailhead is at the Bow Lake parking area, 36 km north of the Lake Louise junction on the…

The trailhead is at the Bow Lake parking area, 36 km north of the Lake Louise junction on the Icefields Parkway. Summer weekends can be busy there. The Parkway is remote, with limited services and no cell coverage; check current trail conditions and follow posted restrictions before setting out.

waterfallglacierhikingriverheadwaters

Wildlife

Wildlife in Banff

All Banff wildlife maps
Grizzly Bear123 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapBrown Bear150 sightingsBrown BearMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapGray Wolf45 sightingsGray WolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapRiver Otter12 sightingsRiver OtterMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapMoose69 sightingsMooseMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapBlack Bear466 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 9 PMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Banff. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Bow Glacier Falls

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

ModerateBow Glacier Falls Trail5.6 km · 2.5 hr · 3.5 km awayLakeshore, gorge, glacier water, and a waterfall view from the marked end.EasyBow Lake Lakeshore Trail3.4 km · 45 min · 3.7 km awayA flat shore walk with turquoise water and Crowfoot Glacier in view.ChallengingBow Hut Trail16 km · 5.3 hr · 3.7 km awayA rough canyon and moraine approach to a hut beneath the icefield.ChallengingDolomite Pass Trail17.8 km · 6.5 hr · 4.3 km awayBeyond Helen Lake, alpine meadows lead to an unmarked pass.ModerateHelen Lake Trail11.7 km · 4.5 hr · 4.3 km awayA rooty climb earns glacier views before a modest alpine lake.ChallengingCirque Peak Trail via Helen Lake16.3 km · 6.5 hr · 4.3 km awayA hands-on summit above Bow Lake and the Wapta Icefield.ChallengingCrowfoot Pass and Balfour Viewpoint Trail15.4 km · 6 hr · 5.1 km awayA cold ford, a broad pass, and a waterfall view.ModerateBow Summit Viewpoint Trail6.4 km · 2.5 hr · 7 km awayGo beyond Peyto’s busy platform for a Bow Lake view.

More stops nearby

Lodging · 3.6 km awayThe Lodge at Bow LakeStay beside Bow Lake in a storied Icefields Parkway lodge.Picnic area · 4.1 km awayBow Lake Picnic SiteA quick pullout for clear lake water and high mountain views.Sight · 4.1 km awayBow LakeTurquoise water and glacier views, just off the Icefields Parkway.Sight · 4.3 km awayCrowfoot Glacier ViewpointA quick glacier stop with the story of its missing toe.Sight · 7.2 km awayPeyto Lake ViewpointA short climb opens onto a wolf-shaped lake in the peaks.

Parkwolf’s Banff ranking

Top sights in Banff

All 90 places
  1. 1Lake LouiseSight
  2. 2Moraine LakeSight
  3. 3Peyto Lake ViewpointSight
  4. 4Johnston CanyonSight
  5. 5Banff GondolaSight
  6. 6Cave and Basin National Historic SiteSight

Take Parkwolf to Banff.

The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

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