Grotto Canyon Icewalk
4.5
Grotto Canyon Icewalk
By Discover Banff Tours
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About
Leave your gear at home but still have an opportunity to take a guided hike through the frozen landscape in Grotto Canyon. Your tour includes everything you need to navigate the icy canyon just outside the gates of Banff National Park. Here is your chance to take a winter hike with an experienced guide to see the frozen beauty of the Canadian Rockies.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 8-99, max of 12 per group
Duration: 4h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
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Highlights
- Ride in comfort from downtown Banff to the trailhead and back
- Have an experienced guide take you on a winter hike on a frozen creek
- Learn about Banff National Park geology and the history of the rock paintings
- Watch ice climbers on a massive wall of ice
- Professional guide
- Ice cleats
- Hiking pole
- Maple cookie snack, hot chocolate
- Small group size (up to 12 guests per guide)
- Pick up from the public bus parking located behind the Mount Royal Hotel.
What's not included- Optional gratuities
- Set out early from behind the Mount Royal Hotel on Banff Avenue to the Grotto Canyon for your 2.6-mile (4.2-kilometer) hike. Your guide provides you with poles and ice cleats to help you make your way along the frozen creek. Trek past rock paintings and interesting rock formations, as you learn the history and geology of the area. Stop near the frozen falls that form a wall of ice; there may be ice climbers out to watch as you rest. You also enjoy a light snack and a cup of hot chocolate along the way. Head back to the trailhead and your warm waiting vehicle to take you back to the Banff townsite.
- Start:
- Mount Royal Hotel, 138 Banff Ave, Banff, AB T1L 1A7, CanadaAll guests must wait at the public bus parking located behind the Mount Royal Hotel at 138 Banff Ave. You must be ready 5 minutes prior to the 8:10am departure time.
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 3827GC- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Minimum age is 8 years. All children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied by someone 18 years and older.
- All adults must sign a waiver prior to the tour. A waiver must also be completed by the parent or guardian of any child under the age of 18.
- Guests should dress in ski wear for this trip including hats, mittens, and warm boots. A detailed list of items to wear and bring is provided on your voucher.
- Most travelers can participate
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 3827GC
From
$76.02
per adult
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About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- Lukelois360 contributionsFirst time to CanadaVisiting this gorgeous country from Wales UK, our your guide was Emma, from start to finish , everything was amazing, it was just me,my husband and Emma on this particular day, she was so knowledgeable , she was amazing, day was lovely, thoroughly enjoyed, thank you 👍Written January 20, 2025
- F8976HJandrewc0 contributionsJohnston Evening ice walkA well run guided walk. Jake, our guide was most entertaining with plenty of stories and facts from the moment we got on the tour bus to completion. The night we went was clear with beautiful skies. No others in the car park except for us and the fox. Safety conscious throughout. equipment provided for the walk was of good quality. Hot chocolate and maple cookies were a nice addition. Would be happy to book through this company again.Written January 19, 2025
- mku44400 contributionsDon’t pass on this experienceThis was a great excursion. I was a bit skeptical but we are so glad we went. We had a clear sky and full moon. Beautiful! And our guide Tina was fantastic. Would highly recommend this experience.Written January 14, 2025
- B3677BTroxannes0 contributionsAwesome activity!A great hike with beautiful views, easy enough for everyone. Jake was our guide and he was very nice, definitely recommend!Written January 10, 2025
- beezee20100 contributionsGreat fun, fabulous for older kids and teens. Does require a level of fitness.We chose this as an "easy" activity to do on Christmas Day. Note to all that snowshoeing is NOT necessarily an "easy" activity even for those of us who are generally very fit. Our teenagers absolutely had a ball on this tour. They loved whizzing down the slopes on the "crazy carpet slide" and making taffy in the snow. They voted this to be one of the most fun tours of the ten or so that we did while in Canada. I will say that it does probably require a higher fitness level than the website would have you believe though. Our whole family are long distance runners, cyclists etc but snowshoeing in deep powder for 3km isn't necessarily as easy as one would think when you aren't used to snowshoes or the thinner air. We were absolutely fine but I personally found this far more taxing than hiking Johnston Canyon etc and may not have eaten quite so much on Christmas morning if I'd realised. After reading the blurb on the website I think I was gearing up for a pleasant stroll rather than something that required that much effort! Fun - 100% yes. An "easy" stroll after a heavy Christmas brunch, not quite!Written January 9, 2025
- beezee20100 contributionsGreat tour to book when you first arrive in BanffI was a bit dubious about booking this tour but we ended up thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Great way to get your bearings in Banff when you first arrive and we went to some really lovely spots for photos. Wildlife wise it was a bit sparse - we saw a coyote, red squirrels, deer and some elk. I imagine that in Summer you'd see a lot more if that was your focus. I have to admit that part of the reason we loved this tour so much was due to our guide. We had Jake and he was fabulous. We did around ten different tours during our month in Canada and he was probably the best tour guide we had. He kept the entire group entertained with stories and history about the area. We ended up doing a couple of tours through this company and were really happy with them. If you book direct on their website there are multi tour discounts that make the pricing really competitive. We did this particular tour in the morning and then stayed on with the same tour company to do the Gondola in the afternoon. We could have visited the Gondola reasonably easily using the ROAM bus but we had a packed schedule during our week in Banff so this helped us to squeeze as much as we could into the time we had.Written January 9, 2025
- Stanthorpe0 contributionsGreat way to start your Banff experienceAfter a busy time getting into Banff we were keen to make the most of our time. We did this tour and finished at the Gondola. What a great morning. Annik our guide was a font of information on the history and nature of Banff. We saw the hot springs at sunrise and stumbled onto some playful otters in the lake. The grazing elk were also amazing as was the birdie. Annik was great fun as well as helpful with our plans. We enjoyed the gondola and Annik arranged our pick up by another helpful guide Buck. Highly recommend this as a great informative tourWritten January 7, 2025
- artm20250 contributionsBest experience - pay extra for interactive!The interactive tour was an incredible experience. It is great to see how well these beautiful animals are cared for. Most are rescued from well-intentioned cross-breeders who were not prepared to raise a wild animal. HIGHLY recommend if you are ever in the Calgary-Banff area.Written January 5, 2025
- Foodieforallnations0 contributionsGuides make the differenceOur guide Jake was fantastic! He made this hike so interesting with all of his historical knowledge, but also lots of stories and jokes. He was a blast and we appreciated his extra effort to make the most of our time. Ask for Jake in your tours and you will be so happy!Written January 4, 2025
- EddieVTC0 contributionsGreat views and outdoor experience!We did the Icewalk in late December around noon. The scenery was beautiful with partly frozen streams, frozen waterfalls and lots of snow. We walked to the upper falls, which is about a 3km (a little less than 2 miles) hike each way. With pics stops and everything, it took us around 2 hours. There is a longer hike to Ink Pots but it was twice as long and we didn’t carry anything to hydrate so we decided to skip it. Make sure to get the ice cleats for your boots/shoes. They are a must to avoid slips and they’ll make the walk much easier. Make sure your boots are comfortable. Also, it’s a good workout. I needed to loose a layer on the way up.Written January 2, 2025
- Culture030667652160 contributionsGreat staff!Its an amazing and beautiful place! Tour guide Rose was full of great information. I was travelling by myself so was good company to have other fellow travellers but this walk can be easily done without a guide! Being your snow shoes warm clothes and walk it at your own pace! There is a track you can follow! and you can take your time to enjoy a cave we dodnt have access to view cause we didnt have enough time! Overall discovery banff tours offered a great service! Specially Josh at the desk who not only gave me all the information I needed but went over an beyond to explain best ways of getting to the gondola too and where to park! Thanks Josh!! :)Written January 1, 2025
- devraw20220 contributionsNot worth it if you can drive yourselfThis hike is incredibly beautiful, but there was no value-add in going as a "tour." If you don't have a car to get there, then it could be a good way to get there. Our guide was nice, but it felt like he was in a hurry to get done. The trail was packed with other hikers not on tours, so it wasn't as if this tour was showing us anything we couldn't have seen on our own. And we would have enjoyed going at our own pace more. So, my advice if you have a rental car: rent and bring your own ice cleats and enjoy the walk at your own pace.Written December 30, 2024
- verenaz25110 contributionsHighly recommendedIncredible snow shoeing tour 🥰 our tour guide girls took us in the wilderness where we had so much snow. The tour was absolutely awesome. Including hot chocolate, maple taffy treat, sleigh riding and of course a lot of information and especially fun. Thank you Girls for this unique experience with you. Highly recommendedWritten December 29, 2024
- Tim S0 contributionsGreat afternoon activityOur guide Neal knowledgeable, patient, and had a great sense of humor. The hot chocolate and cookies at the top of the falls was a great touch!Written December 29, 2024
- IanM28900 contributionsSmooth walk. Smooth guide.Jake is the most handsome worker at discover Banff. Amazing guide, great stories, and excellent personality. We were the first ones on the trails and got to see everything without any lines at all.Written December 28, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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4.5
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Suzanne Clark
Greater London, UK59 contributions
We just recently went on the Grotto Canyon Icewalk with the tour guide Tyler.
We had a brilliant time, Tyler was full of interesting stories about Banff and the surrounding areas. It was brilliant to get to walk this trail, and as people who are new to walking in conditions like this, it was super reassuring to have an expert on hand!
Tyler was really informative throughout, and it was particularly interesting to hear about the native artwork.
The tour was the perfect length, and there was plenty of time to enjoy to scenery and take some lovely photos and we got to see three small ice falls and got treated to some hot chocolate and maple cookies!
I would highly recommend this tour, and a big thank you to Tyler for being a great guide!
We had a brilliant time, Tyler was full of interesting stories about Banff and the surrounding areas. It was brilliant to get to walk this trail, and as people who are new to walking in conditions like this, it was super reassuring to have an expert on hand!
Tyler was really informative throughout, and it was particularly interesting to hear about the native artwork.
The tour was the perfect length, and there was plenty of time to enjoy to scenery and take some lovely photos and we got to see three small ice falls and got treated to some hot chocolate and maple cookies!
I would highly recommend this tour, and a big thank you to Tyler for being a great guide!
Written March 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Melaena A
4 contributions
Mar 2020
We were the last group of tours for the season due to COVID. So there were only 6 people in our group, .all Canadians, but we had a great time. The grotto canyon was really pretty, although much colder than I expected because it was in constant shade. It was good to know our guide had some extra winter gear for people "just in case", but my fingers warmed up finally. Nick was cheerful and well informed about the area, happy to answer questions. We got everything the tour promised, poles, ice grips for the boots, hot chocolate, maple cookies, and had a little picnic in the sunshine at the halfway point. It was cool to see the petroglyphs and hear about the weird accidents of geology that formed the canyons. The bus was in good shape, Nick was on time to the minute at our hotel, and we returned back 15 minutes early. Overall a fantastic experience and I'm really glad we went.
Written March 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ben P
Perth, Australia53 contributions
Jan 2020
We took a trip out to Grotto Canyon guided by Nick from Discover Banff Tours. He was friendly, helpful, energetic and informative, as we trekked through the canyon across snow and ice. The landscape was amazing to behold, and unique to anything we had experienced before. The walk itself was pretty easy going, but this may vary depending on the ice condition on the canyon floor. The guides provide the ice or snow cleats needed to traverse the terrain. I would still class this as an easier walk. Worth it for the views, and it was nice to go in the morning as there were only six of us and we had the canyon to ourselves as we meandered through.
Written January 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Glenda G
Brisbane, Australia42 contributions
Dec 2019
Got picked up from our hotel and driven out to Grotto Canyon with no problems. But our guide, who was about twice my height and hence would do 2 steps to my 4, just took off right from the very beginning. Although I am a senior, I know I can walk the distance and have done much more walking in a day but not at all at this pace, with heavy ice cleats on, through powder snow (there was no ice walking for us as it had snowed). I got behind right from the start. He told us when we were in the canyon out of the wind, that we could slow down. That did not happen, he kept going at pace. He would stop every so often for my adult son & I to catch up but as soon as we did, he took off again. If this tour has to go at this pace, it should be mentioned in the advertisement. I would never go again. It was certainly NOT a walk.
Written January 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello and thank you for taking the time to write your concerns with your Grotto Icewalk experience.
Taking in this information we will be connecting with our guiding team to review checking in with all of our guests multiple times throughout the tour to make sure everyone is handling the walking pace. This is good reminder to our team to watch the pace.
Our goal with these tours is to have fun, to get to know those joining our tour experience, and to get a bit of exercise. We certainly do not want folks to feel as if the activity is a race. We like to take our time, point out and share the features of the location that make it special. And Grotto Canyon has wonderful stories to tell.
For all of our guests that participate on our ice walks we do walk at approximately 1.75 miles, or 3 kilometres per hour, and most of our trips we are physically walking for over 2 hours of time, there is also elevation gain to be aware of. So important for folks to be aware of this when booking the tour. So thank you again for addressing your concerns so that guides and guests can put them into consideration, when running and or joining our tours.
We hope you enjoyed the remainder of your time in the Canadian Rockies.
Written January 17, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ben M
Burlington, WA7 contributions
Jan 2022
Having done an ice walk in Jasper previously, we were excited at the prospect of another outing. Our guide, Anick, was friendly, funny, personable and very knowledgeable. Our family appreciated the extra insights into the ecology, history, and geology of the canyon - something we wouldn't have enjoyed without her help. And we definitely would have walked right past the petroglyphs and never learned the fascinating history associated with the markings matching those found in the southwestern US. Thanks for a great experience!
Written January 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for leaving us a review and we are so happy you enjoyed your time in Johnston Canyon and got educational value out of it. Anick is very knowledgeable and full of great stories of the areas around Banff. We hope to see you out here in Banff again soon!
Written February 20, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
jinilil
Ocean Shores, Australia88 contributions
Mar 2020
We had a fun and informative couple of hours in the safe hands of our guide Hugh. Easy pick up from our hotel and everything supplied. Stunning scenery experienced in an easy walk. Well worth it.
Written March 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
simranpahwa
London, Canada110 contributions
Feb 2018 • Couples
My tour guide, Becca, made our tour so much fun! She included everyone in the group and stopped by whenever we saw wildlife! She actually dropped us off closer to the restaurant we were trying to get to (instead of our hotel), which was very kind of her! The tour itself was absolutely amazing! I would 110% recommend it! We were provided with a walking pole and cleats for the ice (which were alright, not the best). The walk itself was very cold, so dress warm! A lot of people were wearing snow pants and looked way warmer than me (wearing tights), but I lived! It does get warmer once you’re in the grotto on the ice. The ice itself was very slippery at points, and the ice cleats didn’t help a lot, but they’re better than not having anything at all (also they’re free and included with the tour). We even saw some ice climbers along the way, which was fun to watch! The walk itself is free, but we decided to take this tour because: 1. they picked and dropped you off, and we didn’t have a car so this was a plus, and 2. having a tour would be very informative and more fun! Also, we weren’t trying to get lost! I wish we stayed longer so we could have gone on many more tours with Discover Banff, but maybe next time!
Written March 8, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wanfang M
Boston, MA12 contributions
The ice walk through Grotto Canyon is beautiful and unique. Mountain view is awesome! Guide Rebecca explained the geographic changes and the history on the pictograph found there. Very interesting! Nice walk!
Written March 16, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello,
Thank you for sharing your experience on the Grotto canyon Icewalk with Becca. While less well known than Johnston Canyon, we love this hike because it's a really cool local spot, and we're glad to hear that you enjoyed it too! We hope to see you back again soon.
Written April 5, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lachlan Moore
Sunbury, Australia7 contributions
The grotto canyon tour was an unreal experience. Walking on the frozen ice in the canyon was exceptionally scenic.
Our guide Tyler was extremely knowledgeable, giving great insight into the history of the surrounds.
He was extremely friendly!
Our guide Tyler was extremely knowledgeable, giving great insight into the history of the surrounds.
He was extremely friendly!
Written February 18, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience on the Grotto Canyon Icewalk with Tyler. This lessor known trail is one of our favourites in winter - it almost seems as if no-one knows about it other than ice climbers that we sometimes see! We're so glad you enjoyed the hike as much as we do, and will be sure to pass on your kind words to Tyler. We hope to see you back again in Banff.
Written March 5, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Vii
Hue, Vietnam13 contributions
Gina was our guide for this tour.. she was absolutely fantastic with full of knowledge, friendly, thoughtful and an amazing tour guide! We enjoyed our experience on this tour 😊.. a must do whilst in Banff..
Written January 18, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Vera,
Thanks for sharing how much you enjoyed the Grotto Canyon Icewalk with Gina. This is one of our favourite winter hikes as well - and just a fun experience to walk on a frozen creek! We'll be sure to pass on your kind words to Gina and we hope to see you back again soon.
Written January 28, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hi Hailey,
Thank you for your question and apologies for the delayed reply as we aren't currently notified of any questions. Unfortunately pets aren't permitted on our tours, although we will always try and accommodate seeing eye dogs.
Written August 30, 2021
Hi Sandy, apologies for the delayed reply! This tour is scheduled to run until April 14 this year, weather permitting. We hope to see you then!
Written March 25, 2019
Are snow shoes needed for a walk in month of June?
Written April 14, 2018
Hello, apologies for not responding to this question sooner! This is a winter tour where we walk on a frozen creel bed using ice cleats attached over your shoes. We don't operate this tour past mid April, as the creek bed starts to melt. Usually you wouldn't need snowshoes past March/April for any hike, depending on where you are headed, but we do recommend checking current trail conditions! Our summer hikes begin June 1 if you're visiting Banff.
Written March 25, 2019
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