GROTTO CANYON ICEWALK - AM

Explore trails less travelled this winter. Just east of Banff National Park lies a hidden gem in Grotto Canyon, a wonderland of frozen waterfalls and steep limestone walls. During the Grotto Canyon Icewalk, you will learn about the formation of the canyon, pick out fossil corals in the rocks, and photograph the incredible pillars of ice as you walk through the canyon bottom.  Your professional guide leads you past waterfalls frozen in mid-stream. It's the perfect destination for a break and a chance to see ice climbers in action. 

The trail begins from the Grotto Mountain day-use parking lot and continues 1km through forest to get to the narrow-walled creek bed, which twists and turns for another kilometre. Following the canyon floor for another kilometre, you’ll come upon a fork in the creek bed with up-close views of  incredible pillars of ice and faint Hopi pictographs, painted some 500-1,000 years ago*. Guide, transport and ice cleats included.

Our guide service is suitable for couples, families, singles and groups and our expert guides will gladly interpret the local geography, history and wildlife of the area for you.

Trip Duration

Hiking time: Approximately 3 hours.  Distance: 4.6km return.  Elevation Gain: 50m

Schedule:

0945-1020: Canmore/Banff Hotel Pickups
1100: Arrive at Grotto Canyon Trailhead, begin your guided icewalk 
1300: Grotto Falls viewpoint, hot chocolate & cookie time!
1415: Return to Trailhead, depart for Banff
1500: Hotel drop-off, end of program

Difficulty Level

Easy to moderate- Not suitable for children under 8 years old

Winter wear appropriate for the day's weather. Temperatures in the canyon will be colder than in Banff. This includes warm hat and gloves, athletic shoes, winter boots, or hiking boots, warm winter coat.  If you do not have suitably warm clothing you will not be permitted to participate.

"I would like to highly recommend White Mountain Adventures if you want a highly interesting and informative interpretative tour of Banff. Our tour was personalized and jam-packed from the get-go. It never felt rehearsed or forced. Our tour guide's enthusiasm and passion for nature and conservation were palpable and really enthused us on a cold, but beautiful, morning. Any questions we had were met with keen knowledge and the entire trip felt relaxed and friendly.​" Olivia T.

*info courtesy Tourism Canmore Kananaskis