Wapta Falls Hike – Yoho National Park

If you are looking for an easy hike in Yoho National Park with an amazing payoff, check out the Wapta Falls hike. In just 2 km (1.2 miles), you’ll pass through a peaceful montane forest to a lookout over the Kicking Horse River. Standing here you’ll marvel at the views of the top of Wapta Falls – one of the largest waterfalls in the Canadian Rockies measured by volume. From here, you can then descend a steep trail to enjoy a variety of waterfall viewpoints along the way to the river below.

If you’re already in Yoho National Park to visiting it’s star attractions like Emerald Lake or Takakkaw Falls, then this short side-trip to Wapta Falls is absolutely worth the stop.

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Wapta Falls Hike Highlights

The first 1.8 km (1.1 miles) of the Wapta Falls Trail is a remarkably easy hike along a well-groomed, double-wide hiking trail. This easy portion of the hiking trail is almost straight south through a forest of towering spruce and lodgepole pines. The forest is pretty dense, but you’ll occasionally get views of the Kicking Horse River or the majestic Aquila Mountain (2,880 m) through the trees on your right.

As you near the end of the flat hike to the upper viewpoint, take a moment to look through the trees at the milky white water of the Kicking Horse River. If you look to the far shores, you’ll see there’s a small section of the river water that’s a deep blue. This is where the Beaverfoot River flows into the Kicking Horse. It doesn’t take long for that deep blue water to get swallowed by the massive flow of the Kicking Horse River.

At the end of the easy stroll through the forest, you’ll arrive at the upper viewpoint for Wapta Falls. This is a safe, fenced in viewpoint where you can admire the entire length of the falls from above. From this vantage point, you can really appreciate the scale of Wapta Falls, with a 30 m (100 foot) drop and roughly 150 m (500 feet) wide at peak flow.

The label “easy hike” ceases to be accurate if you wish to continue beyond the upper Wapta Falls viewpoint. From here, the trail descends rather steeply down a series of switchbacks. Along the way you’ll be rewarded with several different viewpoints of the falls, each from a different angle and height.

Before long, you’re at the shores of the Kicking Horse River looking up at one of the most powerful waterfalls in the Rockies. It’s an incredible sight – take a moment to soak it all in…

Wapta Falls Trailhead

It can be a bit tricky to get to the Wapta Falls Trailhead. Be sure to read this before you go:

First of all, if you are driving west on the TransCanada Highway, there is no left-hand turn onto Wapta Falls Road. To get to Wapta Falls Road, you’ll need to continue past the turnoff for about 5 minutes until you leave Yoho National Park. As soon as the highway becomes divided, turn right onto Beaverfoot Road. From here, you can go under the highway and then merge onto the eastbound TransCanada Highway.

The next thing you need to know is that once you turn off the TransCanada Highway onto Wapta Falls Road, you’ll immediately see a parking lot. This is a winter parking lot, for use when Wapta Falls Road is closed.

If the gate is open, continue driving for another 2 km drive to the summer parking lot. This final stretch of road is on a dirt road with some healthy potholes. Drive carefully!

The Wapta Falls parking lot is a decent size, and there is room to park on the shoulder of the road if required.

Wapta Falls is a fair distance from Banff, Lake Louise and Golden. If you are driving a ways to get here, we highly recommend you pick up the Canadian Rockies audio tour! We live here, yet we still listen to it – it’s really that good!

Yoho Wapta Falls Hike Stats

How Long is the Wapta Falls Hike?

The Wapta Falls Trail is 4.3 km (2.7 miles) return from the summer parking lot. If you need to proceed from the winter parking lot, this adds another 2 km (1.2 miles) each way.

How Hard is the Hike to Wapta Falls?

Overall, I’d rate this as an easy Yoho National Park hike, with a small caveat. The first 1.8 km is about as easy as you can get in the Canadian Rockies – it’s mostly flat on a well-groomed hiking trail, with only occasional rocks and roots the contend with.

The caveat is that if you wish to proceed beyond the upper Wapta Falls viewpoint, then the trail becomes very steep downhill for a short period of time. You’ll lose approximately 50 m (165 feet) in elevation over the course of 200 m (650 feet) of hiking – roughly a 25% downhill slope, which of course, you’ll need to climb back up to get to your car.

How Long Does the Wapta Falls Hike Take?

It should take most adults roughly 60 – 90 minutes to enjoy the Wapta Falls hike, including time for photos at the falls. We recently hiked the Wapta Falls hike in 61 minutes.

Wapta Falls Trail Map

The Wapta Falls Trail is pretty easy to follow – it’s a straight line through the forest from the parking lot to the falls. That said, there’s an opportunity to make the final section near the falls a loop, instead of a there-and-back.

You won’t need it for navigation, but if you want to follow along on your phone, or record your hike details as a digital souvenir of your trip, I recommend you download this Wapta Falls Trail map on the AllTrails app before you leave your hotel. Cell service doesn’t exist here, so you’ll need to download the trail map before you go. (Use my link for the correct version as there’s a different Wapta Falls hike on the opposite side of the Kicking Horse River).

Wapta Falls Hiking Safety

There are relatively few hazards to hiking the Wapta Falls trail, but there are a few worth mentioning:

Beyond the fenced in upper viewpoint, the remaining viewpoints are on unofficial spaces along the descent. None of them have fences or safety rails.

The Kicking Horse river is a powerful, glacier-fed river. Respect it’s power and stay well back from the shoreline.

The west end of Yoho National Park is prime grizzly bear habitat. Carry bear spray, make noise, and check the Yoho trail report before you go.

Wapta Falls Trail Logistics

On-leash dogs are allowed on the Wapta Falls hike, but mountain bikes are not. There are toilets in the parking lot, but none on the hiking trail.

You won’t get cell service for the entirety of your hike, so don’t count on it for your safety.

What to Bring for Hiking to Wapta Falls

Even though this is an easy hike in Yoho National Park, you should bring along basic hiking gear to ensure a safe and successful outing. Before hitting the Wapta Falls Trail, be sure to check out our recommended hiking equipment.