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 Glacier Falls
Bow Glacier Falls is located near Banff, AB. The falls originates from meltwater from the Bow Glacier and flows into Bow Lake.
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 Glacier Falls drops over a series of steps. It is a cascade-type fall, and the nearest base for a visit is Alberta, Canada. Access to the main viewpoint is rated moderate.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0).
As a cascade waterfall, water tumbles down a series of rock steps rather than falling free.
What you can do here
A walk-in-and-look waterfall
No commercial adventures run at Bow Glacier Falls itself — the experience is the approach and the view. Guided day trips from Alberta 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 Alberta, 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 Glacier Falls
Canada
Height—Width—
Most similar
Churchill River
Canada
Height—Width—
Also a cascade 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
108 m
330 m
979 m
Victoria FallsEiffel TowerAngel Falls
Khone Phapheng Falls
10,783 m
Victoria Falls
1,708 m
We don't have a reliable crest width for Bow Glacier Falls yet, so it is left off the width chart. Tallest · widest lists.
Watch and read
Books worth packing
On the map
51.6564, -116.497
Quick answers
Where is Bow Glacier Falls?
Bow Glacier Falls is in Canada (Alberta). The nearest base is Alberta, Canada. Its coordinates are 51.6564, -116.4970.
When is the best time to visit Bow Glacier 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 Glacier 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 Glacier Falls?
The usual base is Alberta, Canada. A real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail from there.
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