Parking
A lot sits beside the Bow Falls end. Start at Bow River Bridge for the full riverside walk.
Overview
About Bow Falls Trail
Why go
- Close views of river rapids and Bow Falls
- Short, easy walk from Banff
Heads up
- Stairs interrupt an otherwise easy path
- The clifftop section closes in winter
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Banff map
Full mapElevation1,377–1,390 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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, because construction work requires protecting 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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Banff Tour Guide
Your drive to Bow Falls Trail, 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 tourRecorded for this trailhead
Banff Park Museum and the Gardens0:00 / 0:36
“You're coming up on Banff Park Museum, where more than five thousand vintage animal and plant specimens fill a timber building from nineteen oh three.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Banff Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Tunnel Mountain: A Summit Above Town
- Banff Visitor Centre and Grizzly House
- Surprise Corner: The Hotel View
- Fairmont Banff Springs: Architecture and Afternoon Tea
- 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.”
Trail guide
Hiking Bow Falls Trail
The full walkThis is the out-and-back walk from the Bow River Bridge / Central Park approach to Bow Falls…
This is the out-and-back walk from the Bow River Bridge / Central Park approach to Bow Falls and back the same way. Plan on about 1.5 mi (2.4 km) round trip and 45–60 minutes with time at the falls; local route descriptions put the one-way distance at 1.2 km. The riverside path is easy, with stairs for the final rise to the viewpoints.
Along the BowA separate walking path follows the south bank past the river’s rapids before climbing above…
A separate walking path follows the south bank past the river’s rapids before climbing above the falls. Keep to the pedestrian route: bicycles are not allowed on the clifftop section.
At the viewpointsBow Falls is a broad cascade over a ledge, with several places to look back across the water…
Bow Falls is a broad cascade over a ledge, with several places to look back across the water and forested slopes. The bridge approach also opens a view toward Cascade Mountain.
A film footnoteThere is a strange bit of local screen history here: 1950s films portrayed Marilyn Monroe,…
There is a strange bit of local screen history here: 1950s films portrayed Marilyn Monroe, Robert Mitchum and even the Son of Lassie being swept over Bow Falls.
Access and winterA parking lot sits beside the falls end; starting at the bridge gives you the full riverside…
A parking lot sits beside the falls end; starting at the bridge gives you the full riverside walk. The clifftop section closes in winter, and the stairs can be icy. Dogs are allowed under park rules, but must stay leashed and under control.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Banff
123 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
150 sightingsBrown BearMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
44 sightingsGray WolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
12 sightingsRiver OtterMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
69 sightingsMooseMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
466 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 9 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Banff. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
