Everything You Need to Know About Tangle Creek Falls
Tangle Creek Falls is a quick Icefields Parkway stop that you shouldn’t miss! It will only take you 5 minutes to stop to see Tangle Creek Falls and it is definitely worth it because it’s a beautiful waterfall.
The Icefields Parkway is the road that you take from Lake Louise to Jasper and it takes you past some of the most amazing views in the Canadian Rockies! Tangle Creek Falls is one of these fantastic viewpoints and one that you cannot miss! We honestly weren’t expecting much for a waterfall on the side of a highway but the falls completely exceeded our expectations!
📍 Are you planning a trip along the Icefields Parkway? Check out some of the other best Icefields Parkway Stops!
If you are heading from Lake Louise to Jasper, the small parking lot will be on your left hand side. There is also a toilet located in the carpark so it is a good place for a quick stop to stretch your legs. The falls are across the road from the parking lot. You can admire them from the side of the road or hike up the side of them to the upper waterfall which is extremely powerful! Beware you will probably get wet!
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Where is Tangle Creek Falls?
Tangle Creek Falls is located along the famous Icefields Parkway in Alberta, Canada. The falls are 137km from Lake Louise or 1 hour 40 minutes driving time and from Jasper they are 96km and a 1 hour drive.
You can use the below map for directions to Tangle Creek Falls as well as some of the other incredible spots along the Icefields Parkway!
Click here to open the Icefields Parkway map in Google Maps!
Getting to Tangle Creek Falls from Banff
If you are coming from Banff, this will add on around 45 minutes to your drive. To reach the Icefields Parkway, you will need to take the Trans-Canada Highway (Hwy 1) through to Lake Louise, where you will then need to merge onto the Icefields Parkway (AB-93 N). This is the road that takes you all of the way to Jasper and past Tangle Creek Falls.
The parking lot will be on your left-hand-side if you are driving from Banff, with the waterfall on your right.
Facilities at Tangle Creek Falls
This is one of the smaller stops along the parkway. The waterfall is free to see and in the parking lot there is a pit toilet.
When is the Best Time to Visit Tangle Creek Falls
Tangle Creek Falls is beautiful all-year-round but in different ways. During Winter, the falls are frozen and will begin to thaw during Spring. In April, you might find half a frozen waterfall and then in Summer the waterfall will be at full flow. We visited at the beginning of July and the upper waterfall to be so powerful that there was a strong wind blowing at us from the water!
Is Tangle Creek Falls Worth the Stop
Tangle Creek Falls is a stunning waterfall. Unless you are in a super huge rush and don’t have any time to stop at all (If this is the case you can still admire the waterfall briefly from the car as you drive past), you should stop for Tangle Creek Falls. Even if you stop for 5 minutes to see the waterfall and take a photo from the parking lot, it is worth it.
How Long do you need to Spend at Tangle Creek Falls
As the waterfall is right on the road, you can spend as little as 5 minutes, or you can climb up to the upper waterfall which might take you around 10-15 minutes altogether once you have taken your photos.
Is There a Hike Involved?
This is an Icefields Parkway stop with no walking involved, unless you count crossing the road from the parking lot to the waterfall.
You can also choose to climb to the upper tier of the waterfall if you are feeling adventurous. This is what we did and we think it was worth it. The upper tier was so powerful that it almost blew us away! The climb to the top upper waterfall is short but involves a little bit of scrambling.
National Parks Pass
As Tangle Creek Falls is located in Jasper National Park, you will need a national parks pass to visit. You can purchase one at the park gates or online.
Leave No Trace
Whenever you are enjoying what our beautiful world has to offer, you should remember that one of our most important responsibilities is to take care of it so that future generations can enjoy it too.
Read up on the 7 Leave No Trace principles here.
Other Sights to See in the Area
If you are already planning on driving the Icefields Parkway, you are probably aware that there are some absolutely beautiful stops along the way. I have listed some of the stops that you cannot miss below.
Mistaya Canyon
Mistaya Canyon surprised us. Not because there was literally no one else there, but because of how perfectly gorgeous the scenery was after only a couple of kms hike from a major highway. It felt like we had stepped into a movie!
From the parking lot, you will hike to a bridge overlooking a gorgeous canyon with water flowing through it from a picture perfect river with a backdrop of beautiful mountains. This was one of our favourite Icefields Parkway stops.
Peyto Lake
Peyto Lake IS our top favourite stop along the Icefields Parkway! Reaching the looking involves a 2.4km return hike which will take you around an hour altogether. We found that during Summer, the viewpoint was so busy that there was a little line to take photos at the best spot so it may take you a little longer if you are wanting to get some good photos but it is so worth it.
Peyto Lake is a bright turquoise lake that is shaped like a wolf’s head, surrounded by absolutely epicly beautiful Canadian Rockies scenery.
Our Thoughts
Out of the large list of stops along the Icefields Parkway, we can’t think of any reasons to not stop at Tangle Creek Falls. It is such an impressive waterfall and one that you should miss!
You might also like:
- Mistaya Canyon – The Most Beautiful Icefields Parkway Stop
- 14 Amazing Icefields Parkway Stops You Shouldn’t Miss!
- Little Beehive, Big Beehive and Lake Agnes Teahouse Hike
- Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Johnston Canyon
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