Best waterfall hikes near Calgary
The 15 best waterfall hikes near Calgary, out of 44 that we map, ranked by trail score.
How we rank trails Ranked by trail score and distance from Calgary, so the score is one of two inputs.
- All hikes
- Easy 373
- Moderate 348
- Hard 647
- Under 5 km 653
- Kid friendly 347
- Lakes 151
- Summits 409
- Views 773
- Glaciers 24
- Canyons 21
- Loops 100
- Backpacking 84
- Wheelchair friendly 26
The list
Sorted by rank- 1Skogan Pass TrailNear Kananaskis Village · Kananaskis Conservation Pass areaEasy · 4.9 km · 151 m gain · 1 h 45 min · 77 km from CalgaryWaterfall · Views · River or creek · Passes Marmot Falls85score
- 2Bow Falls TrailNear Banff · Banff National ParkEasy · 2.4 km · 54 m gain · 45 min · 106 km from CalgaryWaterfall · Views · River or creek · Passes Bow falls viewpoint and Bow Falls93score
- 3Sulphur MountainNear Banff · Banff National ParkModerate · 9.7 km · 670 m gain · 4 h 45 min · 106 km from CalgaryWaterfall · Summit · Views · Alpine · Passes 224092score
- 4Grassi LakesNear Canmore · Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial ParkEasy · 3.0 km · 150 m gain · 1 h 15 min · 94 km from CalgaryLake · Waterfall · Views · Passes Lower Grassi Lake88score
- 5Rawson Lake TrailNear Fortress Junction · Peter Lougheed Provincial ParkModerate · 8.7 km · 390 m gain · 3 h 15 min · 89 km from CalgaryLake · Waterfall · Views · River or creek · Passes Upper Kananaskis Lake and View of the Lake in front of Mount Sarrail85score
- 6Johnston CanyonNear Moose Meadows · Banff National ParkEasy · 5.7 km · 218 m gain · 2 h · 126 km from CalgaryWaterfall · Views · River or creek · Canyon · Passes Johnston Creek Valley and Lower Falls97score
- 7Elbow Pass/Lake TrailNear Fortress Junction · Elbow Sheep Wildland Provincial ParkModerate · 10.5 km · 264 m gain · 3 h 15 min · 82 km from CalgaryLake · Waterfall · Views · River or creek · Passes Elbow Pass and Elbow Lake82score
- 8Grotto CanyonNear Exshaw · Bow Valley Provincial ParkHard · 11.6 km · 741 m gain · 5 h 30 min · 80 km from CalgaryLake · Waterfall · Canyon · Cave · Passes Grotto Mountain Pond81score
- 9Cascade PondsNear Anthracite · Banff National ParkEasy · 2.1 km · 31 m gain · 35 min · 105 km from CalgaryLake · Waterfall · Passes Cascade Ponds87score
- 10Riders of RohanNear Canmore · Bow Valley Wildland Provincial ParkModerate · 2.4 km · 267 m gain · 1 h 45 min · 94 km from CalgaryLake · Waterfall · Views · Passes Lower Grassi Lake83score
- 11Upper Kananaskis Lake TrailNear Fortress Junction · Peter Lougheed Provincial ParkModerate · 10.4 km · 249 m gain · 3 h 15 min · 89 km from CalgaryLake · Waterfall · Camping · Passes Upper Kananaskis Lake80score
- 12Gorge CreekNear Diamond Valley · Bluerock Wildland Provincial ParkHard · 21.6 km · 713 m gain · 7 h 15 min · 61 km from CalgaryWaterfall · River or creek · Canyon72score
- 13Johnston Canyon TrailNear Moose Meadows · Banff National ParkHard · 15.1 km · 556 m gain · 5 h 15 min · 126 km from CalgaryWaterfall · Views · River or creek · Canyon · Passes Johnston Creek Valley and Lower Falls90score
- 14Gorge Creek LoopNear Diamond Valley · Bluerock Wildland Provincial ParkHard · 21.7 km · 641 m gain · 7 h 15 min · 61 km from CalgaryWaterfall · River or creek · Canyon · Camping70score
- 15Big ElbowNear Kananaskis Village · Elbow Sheep Wildland Provincial ParkHard · 43.8 km · 904 m gain · 13 h 15 min · 64 km from CalgaryLake · Waterfall · River or creek · Camping · Passes Edworthy Falls and Elbow Lake70score