Jura Canyon ice walk takes you through a cool slot canyon near Canmore.
For a fun winter adventure near Calgary, head to Jura Canyon. Traction devices are required as you’ll be walking on a frozen creek! Go as far as you like up the canyon (the slot canyon is quite small, but really cool!), then return the way you came. The trailhead is easy to find now, thanks to a new parking area.
Jura Creek Trail Route Description
From the Jura Creek parking lot, look for the trailhead sign on the west side of the parking lot. From here, you head west on 4×4 roads. There are quite a few trails, but as long as you head west, you’ll get to the creek! At the creekbed, go north (right) into the canyon between Exshaw Mountain (west) and Loder Peak (east). It’s about 800 metres to the canyon entrance.
Pop your traction devices on here – the ice is thick and slick!
Take your time exploring Jura Canyon. The slot canyon is only 150-200 metres long (Source), but super cool! Water has eroded the limestone over thousands of years to make the canyon the shape it is today. Many geology and geography students have come here to check out the canyon’s unique geography: tall walls of Palliser formation limestone, plunge pools, and the false fault upstream where limestone meets the Exshaw formation (darker rock; layers of shale, siltstone, and limestone).
Watch for slushy spots as you head upstream and go around them wherever possible as the water can be deep in some places.
My kids aren’t as keen on the rocks as I am; they’re more interested in finding fossils and sliding on the ice. We play a little ice soccer, continue to the end of the canyon (bypassing a slushy section en route), have a picnic, and turn around. On the way back, we notice a big cave on the left – something to explore next time!
You can hike back on the creekbed or through the trees. Since it was windy, we opted for the forest trail. All in all, we spent a pleasant two hours on the trail including a picnic lunch.
Jura Creek Trail at a Glance
- Distance: 3 km round trip
- Elevation Gain: n/a
- Difficulty: easy
- Chariot friendly? no
- Nearest washrooms: trailhead
- Parking: “Jura Creek” parking lot (on the right hand side of highway 1A if you are heading west)
- Trailhead: west side of parking lot
Going Further
It is possible to continue on past the end of the slot canyon through the valley for a couple kilometres. Snowshoes are recommended as this part of of the trail is not heavily used (so snow may not be packed down). Distance: 7 km round trip (from parking lot), elevation gain: 216 metres.
You can also scramble Door Jamb and Loder Peak (the two peaks to the east of the canyon) if the peaks are dry and return via Jura Creek to make an adventurous loop.
Getting Here
Jura Creek is located 1 hour west of Calgary, or 15 minutes east of Canmore on Highway 1A.
Know Before You Go
- A Kananaskis Conservation Pass is required to park in Kananaskis. Purchase your pass online at https://www.alberta.ca/kananaskis-conservation-pass.aspx.
- Dogs must be kept on a leash.
- There are some fairly deep plunge pools (knee deep to one metre) in the canyon, so you should wait until it has been well below freezing for a couple weeks before attempting.
What to Bring
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Traction devices are required for ice walks. We recommend Kahtoola Microspikes (Available from Amazon or MEC), or Hillsound Trail Crampons (Available at Amazon and Sport Chek). For more information, please read our story: Traction devices for winter walks & hiking.
For winter hiking, we recommend trekking poles with snow baskets, base layers, insulated winter boots, a down jacket and windproof/waterproof shell (or insulated ski jacket/parka), gloves or mittens, and a toque.
- See our fall/winter hiking gear guide for product recommendations.
- For snowshoeing, see our Snowshoeing Gear List.
You should also carry The Ten Essentials including: water, extra food, extra clothes, a first aid kit, headlamp, GPS / compass, and map of the area, sunscreen (this mineral sunscreen is safe for babies), and bear spray. Carry bear spray in a Frontiersman Bear Spray Holster or Scat Belt.
A Garmin inReach Mini 2 satellite communicator is highly recommended for contacting Search & Rescue and emergency contacts in the event of an emergency or communicating with friends and family when you are out of cell phone range (send text messages and your GPS coordinates via satellite!).
Related Posts
- Grotto Canyon Ice Walk
- Johnston Canyon Ice Walk
- Maligne Canyon Ice Walk – self guided
- Guided Tour of Maligne Canyon
