Epic Travel → North America → Canada → Banff National Park → Mistaya Canyon

Location: Northern Banff National Park, Alberta

Distance: 1 km/0.6 miles roundtrip

Elevation Gain: 60 meters/200 feet

Time Required: 1 hour

Red Tape/Notes: Entry into Banff requires a daily fee of about $10 per person (or ~$20 per family/group); alternatively, you can buy a Parks Canada Discovery Pass if you’re staying for an extended time.

What’s Nearby?: Peyto Lake Viewpoint, Weeping Wall, Toe of the Athabasca Glacier

This short trail is less frequented than stops like Bow Summit and Athabasca Glacier and leads to an impressive canyon, with incredibly sheer walls dropping down a narrow, winding passage filled with churning, frothing water. Falling in would not end well. The trail head to a bridge that crosses the canyon, and from here continues along the edge of the canyon to the river. You can walk along the flat rocky surface for a closer look down into the canyon, or stay well away until you at the more peaceful river section higher up. There’s also another branch of the trail that continues further on, following the canyon further downstream.

Epic Travel → North America → Canada → Banff National Park → Mistaya Canyon