Johnston Canyon Night Walk and Banff Stargazing Experience

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Johnston Canyon in winter is one of the best walks in Banff National Park. Your local guide fits you with ice cleats and optional hiking poles at the trailhead, then leads the way along a gentle path toward the frozen falls, sharing stories and canyon trivia as you go. The walk to the Lower Falls takes about 30 minutes, covering 1.2 km with 50m of elevation gain. From there you can turn back to the trailhead, where a hot drink waits by the firepit, or continue on to the Upper Falls. The extension adds another 30 minutes and 1.3 km. At the top, ice climbers work their way up frozen cliffs beside some of the most impressive ice formations in the canyon. Round trip to the Upper Falls: 2 hours, 5.0 km, 120m elevation gain. Suitable for guests with average fitness.

   2 hAdmission included

2. Where we set up depends on the night. Your guide reads the sky, the cloud cover, and the moon phase, then picks the spot that will give you the clearest view: sometimes a calm lake where the Milky Way doubles on the water's surface, other times the high lookout above town where the valley opens up in every direction. Once we're settled in, it's hot drinks and a sweet treat while your eyes adjust to the dark. No rush. No itinerary to chase. Just time to let the stars take over, with your guide pointing out constellations, satellites, and the odd shooting star along the way. Banff's low light pollution means the sky here does most of the work. Your guide brings the rest: the stories behind the constellations, a bit of astronomy, and an eye for exactly when and where to look.

   1 h

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 1 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Banff

• Its from-price is 14% below the median of the 476 experiences we list in Banff.
• It is shorter than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 317 of 476.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Banff

Banff is a small mountain town inside Canada's first national park, set among the Rocky Mountain peaks of Alberta with hot springs, lakes and wildlife.

The town of Banff sits in the Bow Valley at about 1,400 metres, with Mount Rundle's sloping ridge rising over the main street and Cascade Mountain at the other end. It began as a railway town beside hot springs, and the Cave and Basin National Historic Site marks the discovery that led to Canada's first national park. A gondola climbs Sulphur Mountain for views, and the Bow Falls and a château-style hotel add to the river scenery.

Top-ranked sights in Banff: Moraine Lake, Bow Falls, Lake Louise.

See all 476 experiences in Banff