Johnston Canyon

About Johnston Canyon

Walk behind a waterfall. That's the main draw here, and it delivers. Johnston Canyon gives you a 2.7-kilometer trail that climbs alongside a narrow canyon carved from limestone, with the creek roaring below and canyon walls closing in overhead. You're not hiking through open meadows or along ridge lines. This is intimate terrain that rewards you immediately, not after hours of slogging.

The lower falls appear after about 45 minutes of steady walking on a well-maintained trail. A metal catwalk bolted directly into the canyon wall takes you behind the cascade itself. The upper falls sit another 2.8 kilometers up, steeper and quieter, though the real magic stops at the lower falls for most visitors. The canyon itself is the star, not the destination.

Come in early morning or late afternoon to avoid the crowds that pack here mid-day, especially June through September. The trail is open year-round, and winter brings snow and ice that actually make it trickier than it sounds. This isn't backcountry hiking. It's crowded, it's close to the main highway, and the trail can feel like a corridor of hikers on busy weekends. Go anyway, but go early.