Epic Travel → North America → Canada → Banff National Park → Ink Pots

Location: Banff area, Banff National Park, Alberta

Distance: 12.5 km roundtrip via Moose Meadows

Elevation Gain/Loss: 500 meters (including ups and downs…it’s only 215 meters total)

Time Required: ~3 hours

Red Tape/Notes: Entry into Banff requires a daily fee of about $10 per person (or ~$20 per family/group). You may want to rent ice cleats, snowshoes or cross country skis for this hike, depending on the conditions and what you’re interested in. AllTrails has a great post which includes the gpx for the Moose Meadows and Johnston Canyon approaches to the Ink Pots.

What’s Nearby?: Johnston Canyon, Lake Louise, Grotto Canyon, Bow Falls, Fairmont Banff Springs

Escape from the crowds and hike to the Ink Pots via Moose Meadows. You can reach the Ink Pots via Johnston Canyon (continue hiking past Upper Falls and you’ll connect with the trail), but if you’re looking for peace and solitude, Moose Meadows is the way to go. While this approach is more challenging than the Johnston Canyon route (there are more ups and downs in the trail), you’ll get to see a completely different kind of scenery than in the canyon. For the ultimate in scenery variation, if you have access to two vehicles you can go in via Moose Meadows and exit via Johnston Canyon – or vice versa, which I’d recommend in the peak seasons (alternatively, the trail heads are only 1.8 km apart, so if you have only one car, you could just walk back to your car). If you’re worried about crowds (not as big a concern in the winter), start early and go up through Johnston Canyon before it’s overrun by tourists, and exit via the largely deserted Moose Meadows trail later in the day. The Ink Pots are a great destination regardless of your approach – their name comes from the fact that minerals in the water give the pools vibrant blue and green hues, and although these colors aren’t particularly noticeable in the winter, the pools are still lovely, and you’ll have beautiful mountain scenery along the way.

Epic Travel → North America → Canada → Banff National Park → Ink Pots