Frozen Wapta Falls Winter Hike | Yoho National Park Guide

Hiking to Wapta Falls in Winter is one of the most magical adventures you can do in Yoho National Park. The water transforms into towering walls of ice and snow, making it one of the most beautiful frozen waterfalls in British Columbia.

When Dave and I hiked here in Winter during our trip to Golden, we were blown away by how stunning this frozen waterfall was!

Because the access road isn’t ploughed, you’ll need to hike an extra 4 km than you would in the Summer, but believe me when I saw it is 100% worth it!

In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about hiking to Wapta Falls in winter, from trail stats and how to find the trailhead to tips for snowy conditions so you can enjoy this frozen wonderland safely.

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Everything You Need to Know About Hiking to Wapta Falls in Winter

Table of Contents

Girl standing looking up at half frozen waterfall in Golden BC

Tips for hiking to Wapta Falls in Winter

Closest town: Golden ➡ See best hotels

Location: Yoho National Park

National Parks Pass: Parks Canada Pass

Trail difficulty: Easy – Moderate

Bring: Micro spikes or snowshoes

Hike Stats

Distance: 8.8km / 5.5 miles return
Time: 3-3.5 hours
Elevation: 125m / 410ft
Dog Friendly: Yes
Toilets: At the Summer trailhead – need to hike in

Where is Wapta Falls Located

Wapta Falls is located in Yoho National Park in British Columbia.

The Wapta Falls trailhead is:

From Golden: 30 minute drive
From Banff: 1.5 hour drive
From Lake Louise: 1 hour
From Emerald Lake Lodge: 45 minutes
From Takakkaw Falls: 50 minutes
From Vancouver: 7 hour 45 minutes
From Calgary: 2.5 hours
From Jasper: 3.5 hours

Where to park for Wapta Falls in Winter

From Golden, BC, you will need to take the Trans-Canada Highway 1 -E until you see Wapta Falls Trail Head Park road on your right. There will also be a sign point to Wapta Falls. Turn right into this road and park here next to the closed gate. This area is ploughed but beyond the gate is not.

Wapta Falls parking lot in Winter - man is standing next to the closed gate and it is snowy

Is Wapta Falls open in Winter

Yes, Wapta Falls is open in Winter, however, the hike is a little longer than in Summer, Spring and Fall because the road to the trailhead does not get ploughed and it does tend to snow quite a bit out there. This will add on approximately 4km in total to your hike.

Wapta Falls completely freezes in Winter, but when we were there, they were only half frozen because it wasn’t cold enough.

Girl standing at the foot of Wapta Falls in Winter

How hard is the hike to Wapta Falls

The Wapta Falls Winter hike is a relatively easy one as there is not a lot of elevation. At the start of the hike, you will be hiking along the road as it is not ploughed all of the way to the Summer trailhead during the Winter months. After this, you will be hiking through the forest.

The hardest part of the trail is once you reach the viewpoint and want to hike down to the falls. This is where it gets quite steep and slippery but we did not have too much trouble with our micro spikes.

I always recommend wearing micro spikes for winter hikes, however if you don’t have any, you could probably still do this hike up to the official viewpoint but you would struggle getting down to the actual waterfall because it’s very steep and slippery.

You also do not need to hike down to the Falls to see them as the viewpoint from the top is great as well.

Are dogs allowed on the Wapta Falls Trail

Dogs are allowed on the Wapta Falls Trail on a leash. We didn’t have Winnie at the time but we’d love to go back with her and do this one again! She absolutely loves the snow!

Wapta Falls Hiking Time

It will take you around 2.5 – 3.5 hours to hike to Wapta Falls and back in the Winter. It probably took us a little longer because we were hanging around at the Falls, taking photos and videos for quite a while.

What to pack when hiking to Wapta Falls in Winter

I recommend bring the following with you to Wapta Falls:

Micro Spikes or snowshoes
Water and Snacks
Hand warmers and foot warmers
Warm socks
Puffer Jacket
Sun glasses and sunscreen
Thermos with a hot drink

Facilities

There are no facilities at the Winter trailhead for Wapta Falls, however, there are toilets and picnic tables at the Summer trailhead which you will pass along the way. The toilets are about 20- 30 minutes walk from where you can park in Winter.

Where to stay near Wapta Falls

Field and Golden are the closest towns to Wapta Falls, but there are accommodation options even closer than that.

Beaverfoot Lodge – This is the cutest cabin and perfect for a Winter getaway! It’s pet friendly and a 30 minute drive from Wapta Falls!

Emerald Lake Lodge – My top pick! I LOVE this hotel! Not the closest option for Wapta Falls but it is located right on Emerald Lake which is absolutely gorgeous and the lodge itself is a dream. I will never not recommend this one.

Girl Standing at Emerald Lake looking out at the lodge in Winter surrounded by snow — *Emerald Lake Lodge*

The Wapta Falls Recreation Site

During Summer, there is a Wapta Falls campground with 2 sites called the Wapta Falls Recreation Site that is definitely worth checking out if you are on a camping road trip outside of Winter.

I know this has nothing to do with hiking to Wapta Falls in the Winter but it was worth a mentioned because the views from this campsite are insane!

National Parks Pass

As Wapta Falls is located in a national park, you will need to purchase a national parks pass online from the Parks Canada website or at any MEC Store or on entry to Banff National Park.

Leave No Trace

Whenever you are enjoying the beautiful nature that our world has to offer, remember to leave no trace (LNT)! Respect the beautiful places that make our world beautiful and take out everything that you take in, take only photos and respect the wildlife and other people. You can read more on the 7 LNT principles here.

Wapta Falls Winter Trail Description

Finding the trailhead

Once you have parked, pass by the closed gate and begin your walk up the road. In Summer, this gate is open and you can drive all of the way to where the toilets are. The road to the toilets and the Summer trailhead is flat and wide.

Friendly snowman at the trailhead to Wapta Falls — *Friendly snowman at the trailhead*

Continue on past the Summer trailhead

Once you reach the Summer trailhead (you will know you have when you see the toilets on your right), look for the small trail through the trees directly in front of you.

Official summer Trailhead for Wapta FAlls — *Toilets and Summer Trailhead*

This is where the trail gets a little narrower but remains flat so is still easy-going. The entire trail stays like this until you reach the Wapta Falls viewpoint where you will be able to see Wapta Falls from above. You will know that you are almost at the viewpoint when you reach the metal fence.

Hike down to the Falls

Once you have finished enjoying the falls at the viewpoint, you can hike down to the fall themselves. The trail gets quite steep here and you will definitely need some sort of traction devices in Winter such as micro spikes or snowshoes. Micro spikes will work better as snow shoes would be a little awkward on the narrow, steep trail.

The best photo spots of Wapta Falls

Girl in colour sweater standing at the foot of Wapta Falls in Winter

Girl standing at the bottom of Wapta Falls in Winter

The upper viewpoint is a great photo spot for Wapta Falls but you won’t be able to get any people in it.

If you hike down to the Falls, you can get someone to stand on the snowy hill above the Falls to be in the photo, with the photographer standing back halfway up the trail on a little jutted out mound with a view of the falls. This is where we got some of our photos from.

frequently asked questions

We did not use snowshoes to hike to Wapta Falls in the Winter. We were fine just using Micro Spikes, however, it will depend on how much snow has fallen before your hike and whether or not anyone else has worn the trail in already. It’s worth bringing a pair of snowshoes with you if you have some and check out the start of the trail before you decide to bring them or not.

Wapta Falls does not necessarily freeze all Winter long. It depends on the temperatures. We saw it when it was half frozen which was still really impressive!

Yes! The trail is open year-round, but in winter you’ll need proper gear (microspikes or snowshoes depending on conditions) and be prepared for a slippery trail. It is extra magical in Winter in my opinion though.

The access road (Wapta Falls Road) is closed in winter, which adds about 4 km each way to your hike. You’ll park at the highway pullout and walk in from there.

Yes! The frozen waterfall and snowy forest make it one of the most magical winter hikes in Yoho National Park.

Our thoughts

I loved this hike! I do wish it had been snowing more recently as we were there after it had been clear for a week or so so the trees along the trail weren’t fully snowy. But it was still absolutely stunning and the waterfall blew my mind! I love that the trail is so flat. It makes it an enjoyable Winter hike.

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