Guidebook
Lonely Planet Canada
Lonely Planet · 2024
Country-wide guide for combining Canadian falls, from Quebec and Ontario to the Rockies and the North.
Canada · Alberta
Bow Falls
Bow Falls is a major waterfall on the Bow River, Alberta just before the junction of it and the Spray River. They are located near the Banff Springs Hotel and golf course on the left-hand side of River Road.
Essentials guide
Facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia, compiled September 2026; season and access are our estimate, not a visit report. How we build these pages.
Bow Falls drops 9 metres (30 ft) across a face roughly 30 metres wide on the Bow River, inside Banff National Park. It is a block-type fall, and the nearest base for a visit is Banff, Canada. Access to the main viewpoint is rated moderate.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0).
As a block waterfall, a wide sheet of water falling from a broad river.
What you can do here
A walk-in-and-look waterfall
No commercial adventures run at Bow Falls itself — the experience is the approach and the view. Guided day trips from Banff are the easiest way to combine it with the area around it.
Also good forHikingPhotography
When to go
Snowmelt-driven: April to June is the big-water window, and some falls almost disappear by late summer.
Getting there
- Base town Banff, Canada
- Country Canada
- Region Alberta, Northern North America, North America
- Access Moderate — a real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail
How it compares
This waterfall
Bow Falls
Canada
Height9 mWidth30 m
Most similar
Borer's Falls
Canada
Height15 mWidth—
Also a block waterfall and in Canada too
Largest curtain
Victoria Falls
Zimbabwe · Zambia
Height108 mWidth1,708 m
Largest single sheet of falling water
Tallest on earth
Angel Falls
Venezuela
Height979 mWidth—
Widest on earth
Khone Phapheng Falls
Laos
Height21 mWidth10,783 m
Measured across the whole multi-channel system
9 m
15 m
108 m
330 m
979 m
Bow FallsBorer's FallsVictoria FallsEiffel TowerAngel Falls
Khone Phapheng Falls
10,783 m
Victoria Falls
1,708 m
Bow Falls
30 m
Angel Falls is 109× taller than Bow Falls. Victoria Falls is 12× taller and 57× wider. Khone Phapheng Falls is 359× wider. Tallest · widest lists.
Watch and read
Books worth packing
On the map
51.16797, -115.56149
Quick answers
Where is Bow Falls?
Bow Falls is in Canada (Alberta), inside Banff National Park. The nearest base is Banff, Canada. Its coordinates are 51.1680, -115.5615.
How tall is Bow Falls?
Bow Falls drops 9 metres (30 feet), across a face about 30 metres wide. It is a block-type waterfall on the Bow River.
When is the best time to visit Bow Falls?
Peak flow is April to June. Snowmelt-driven: April to June is the big-water window, and some falls almost disappear by late summer.
What can you do at Bow Falls?
Beyond the viewpoints: hiking and photography. Access to the main viewpoint is rated moderate — a real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail.
How do you get to Bow Falls?
The usual base is Banff, Canada. A real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail from there.
Nearby
Closest to Bow Falls
Full guide Johnston Canyon Falls
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Bow Glacier Falls
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Bow Glacier Falls is located near Banff, AB. The falls originates from meltwater from the Bow Glacier and…