Bow Glacier Falls Trail – Banff National Park

On this varied hike, you’ll experience very different landscapes, with lakes, glaciers, mountains, forest, a gorge, barren scree fields and a waterfall. On this out and back, you get to do it all twice, the return journey providing fresh perspectives.

You start at a car park next to a historic lodge. The log cabin here was built over a hundred years ago and, until recently, had a name in the Stoney Nakoda language. However, the tribe didn’t agree to its use and so, out of respect for the First Nations, the hotel is now simply called ‘Lodge at the bow lake’. In Canada, First Nations are the tribes of the indigenous population and, after centuries of discrimination, their traditions and culture are finally being recognised and valued. The Bow River, known as ‘Ijathibe Wapta’ in the Stoney Nakoda language, has a special significance. It means something along the lines of ‘the place where people made bows’. It was the wood of the Douglas fir, which grows in many places in the valley, that was integral to the lives of several First Nations.

As you follow the lakeshore, the 3,055-metre (10,000 ft) Crowfoot Mountain is reflected on the water’s surface. A wooden staircase leads you into the forest. You’ll continue along the wide riverbed and reach a small, winding canyon. Exploring it fully takes a little time, but it's worth it.

Upon reaching a viewpoint, a barren moraine landscape of extensive scree fields and little vegetation lies before you. Keep your eyes out for little chipmunks who feel very much at home in this seemingly hostile, lunar landscape. From here, you can admire the waterfalls and, to the left, the Bow Glacier, an offshoot of the Wapta Icefields. The plateau’s glacier stretches for many kilometres across the mountain massif and into British Columbia.

The waterfall marks the turn back point. It’s particularly beautiful in spring and summer, making for a great place to stop, grab a bite and take it all in. Follow the outward route back to the lodge. Shortly before the car park, it’s worth taking a detour to a final viewpoint, which reveals a superb perspective on the route you’ve just hiked.