Johnston Canyon is one of the most popular hikes in Banff National Park and I'm convinced it's been plastered across billboards world wide. We used to avoid this crowded trail most summers but last year access was closed to vehicles (to promote physical distancing) and it suddenly became a beautiful, peaceful hike to do with the family (requiring a short bike ride to reach the trailhead.)
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| The 1A Highway is a great spring bike ride in Banff! |
Biking on the Closed Highway 1A (Bow Valley Parkway)
The information below has been updated for 2023. In previous years you could bike to Johnston Canyon from Castle Junction on a "closed to vehicles" section of the Highway 1A. This has changed for the next few years and you'll be biking from the Town of Banff instead if you want to avoid sharing the highway with vehicles.
Parks Canada launched a three-year cycling pilot program along the Bow Valley Parkway's eastern section between the Town of Banff and Johnston Canyon starting in 2022.
"Each spring and fall from May 1 to June 25 and from September 1 to September 30, vehicle access will be restricted along the eastern 17 km of the parkway to allow for an enhanced cycling experience. Access to Johnston Canyon's day-use area and campground, will be maintained via Castle Junction and the TransCanada Highway during the pilot program."
If you want to bike to Johnston Canyon you will have to ride from the Town of Banff to the canyon and back, a distance of 24 km one way if you start from the recommended parking area at the Banff Train Station.
The highway will be closed between the Town of Banff and the Johnston Canyon parking lot. On this stretch there will be no vehicles at all.
From Johnston Canyon to Castle Junction and beyond to Lake Louise the Highway 1A is open to all vehicles.
Setting up a shuttle:
If you don't want to do the return ride, set up a shuttle and have a second vehicle parked at Castle Junction. You'll have to share the final section of the highway with traffic but it's only 6 km from Johnston Canyon to Castle Junction.
As you can see from the map below, the distance from Banff to Castle Junction is 23 km one way, a doable distance if you do it one way. (Note though this assumes you're starting from the 1A highway itself and parking on the side of the road rather than in the Town of Banff.)
It would appear from Google Maps that from Castle Junction you would gain 95 metres in height and descend 144 metres.
And note that map above is set for walking (so it likely would not take you over 4 hours to do the ride one way!)
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| Spring Highway Riding is Awesome! |
Starting your Ride from Castle Junction
The ride from Castle Junction to Johnston Canyon is only 6 km one way. The ride is relatively flat and should be generally easy for most children with previous biking experience.
The hike to the Upper Falls is 5.4 km round trip and plan for an ice-cream stop at the resort before continuing on to Banff.
Remember, this section of the 1A is open to vehicles!
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| Have you ever seen this bridge and the Lower Falls without people?? |
Families who want a longer ride can continue on the closed highway. Turn around whenever you get tired. Families who want a longer hike can continue on to the Ink Pots beyond the Upper Falls (which would extend your hike to 11.6 km round trip total distance.)
We did this ride + hike last spring and LOVED it. It was such an easy ride, the scenery was pretty, we saw a bear, and the hiking trail was deserted.
And speaking of bears, bring your bear spray, ride in a group, make noise, put bells on your bikes if you want, and don't let the kids ride ahead or behind by themselves. You're definitely in bear country. (For this reason I won't do this ride solo with my son.)
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| The Upper Falls at Johnston Canyon (especially powerful in spring!) |
Other things to take note of:
- There is a large parking lot across from Castle Mountain Chalets where you can park to start your ride.
- There are bathrooms at the Johnston Canyon parking lot and they are open. (There are no bathrooms at Castle Junction so plan ahead!)
- Bring a bike lock and plan to secure your bikes (we locked ours to a tree last year.)
- Bring masks if you plan to go inside the resort to buy ice-cream, snacks, drinks, or lunch
- Instruct your children to move to the side if you see a vehicle coming towards you or hear one from behind.
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| Boardwalks in Johnston Canyon - completely empty! |
Starting your Ride from Banff
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| No vehicles and a wide open highway! |
Spring Conditions and When to do this Ride + Hike
By April the Highway 1A is usually snow free and good to go for biking. However, I'd expect snow and ice on the Johnston Canyon Trail. Bring spikes or ice cleats. The waterfalls may still be partially frozen as well.
Also watch the forecast before heading out. If it's recently snowed in Banff you'll want to wait for a day or two for the highway to dry out again.
I'd personally wait until May to do the ride + hike for the best experience, but if you want the most solitude, go sooner than later.
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| Family Riding on the 1A in Banff |
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Thanks for the detailed post, can’t wait to do this! On the map, there looks like there is a gas station at Castle Mountain. Do you know if this is real? If so, would those be available washrooms before the bike ride?
ReplyDeleteYes there is a gas station but I would only use the bathrooms if you buy something or get gas. It’s a small business. Not really a big gas station. Best to stop at a day use area before parking.
DeleteThanks for the detailed post, can’t wait to do this! On the map, there looks like there is a gas station at Castle Mountain. Do you know if this is real? If so, would those be available washrooms before the bike ride?
ReplyDeleteThe washrooms at Castle Mountain store are not open to the public. There are washrooms at Johnston Canyon.
ReplyDeleteJust to be clear, road between castle junction and Johnston canyon is closed to both vehicles & shuttles before the May long weekend?
ReplyDeleteYes. The only vehicles will be the occasional parks vehicle, or somebody staying at the resort overnight would be allowed to drive there.
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