Grotto Canyon Trail

For the most current information on trail closures and advisories, please visit the Alberta Parks website. Ten minutes from the town of Canmore, Grotto Canyon can only be accessed on foot. Take the trail from the Grotto Mountain day-use parking lot and walk about a kilometre to get to the narrow-walled creek bed, which twists and turns for another kilometre. As the smooth limestone walls get steeper and steeper, you’ll come upon a fork in the creek bed. Heading right takes you to a glistening waterfall. If you look carefully, just before the falls on the left at eye level, you will see Hopi pictographs, painted some 500-1,000 years ago. During the winter, microspikes are highly recommended since you are walking on the icy bottom of the canyon. Distance: 4.2 km / 2.6 mi / Return (to the waterfall) Elevation: 170 m / 557 ft