Photographs: A Beautiful Winter Hike to Troll Falls in Kananaskis Country, Alberta
Friday, January 5, 2024 turned out to be the perfect day for a day trip out of Calgary, before winter finally arrives in Alberta during the latter half of the week of January 8th, with temperatures expected to dip to below –20C (yes, minus stressed because during the past few weeks I have been emphasizing the unbelievable plus!). After doing the Lower Falls hike in stunning Johnston Canyon a week earlier – and you must see the photos — I decided on a more relaxing hike to Troll Falls.
Going up, I took the Troll Falls Trail and returning to the parking area, I did a combination of the Stony and Hay Meadow Trails for a beautiful view of the Rockies. One of the most joyful scenes for me was watching an 18-month-old child enjoying his crawl on the hard-packed snow by the lookout area at the falls. He simply did not wish to leave the area!
I first did Troll Falls during the summer of 2022, and I have included a couple of photographs from that hike to show you the contrasts between the summer and winter seasons. Hiking both the Johnston Canyon and Troll Falls in spring will be quite spectacular, with vast quantities of water from the snow melt gushing down the falls and running through the Johnston Canyon Creek and Troll Falls streams. Enjoy the photographs and when the temperatures rise again after the big freeze, visit both Johnston Canyon and Troll Falls for contrasting hikes. They are hikes for the entire family; at Johnston, you will need to wear cleats because of icy patches along the trail.
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TROLL FALLS: SUMMER AND WINTER CONTRASTS
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MOUNTAIN VIEWS: SUMMER AND WINTER CONTRASTS
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Date posted: January 8, 2024.
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Related external link(s): Brittany Burr has written a good piece about the hike to Troll Falls in the 2023/24 Cool Winter Guide. The story has been republished in the January 5, 2024, edition of Rocky Mountain Outlook. It complements this post and is worth a read. For Brittany’s story, please click This Short Hike To A Dreamy Frozen Waterfall Will Take You Less Than 2 Hours.
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Forthcoming photo feature: The Blackfoot People’s Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Fort Macleod, Alberta
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The Province of Alberta in Canada has indeed amazing places to enjoy the nature to the fullest. Thank you once again Malik for covering the places you are visiting so vividly on Simergphotos, including this latest piece of your hike to Troll Falls.
Kamrudin A. Rashid
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
January 8, 2024.