Siffleur Falls is a fun, family friendly hike located in Alberta in the Canadian Rockies with a low difficulty rating and rewarding views. The round trip hike is about 8 km long but there is only about 150 m elevation gain. The lack of elevation change and wide path makes for an easy and rewarding hike with great views.
Related: Check out our post about the Troll Falls Hike in Kananaskis, Alberta.
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Getting to Siffleur Falls Staging Area
The Siffleur Falls trailhead is located off of the David Thompson Hwy (Hwy 11), about 27 km east of the Saskatchewan River Crossing on the Icefields Parkway. From Calgary it is about 3.5 hours away and about 4.5 hours from Edmonton. The trailhead is well marked and therefore is very easy to find.
The Siffleur Falls trail winds through the Kootenay Plains Ecological Reserve, a unique area with beautiful and unique plants and geology. This area is often less busy than the National Parks and consequently can be a great place to visit to escape some of the crowds of Banff and Jasper.
Gear for the Siffleur Falls Hike
We recommend you wear comfortable hiking shoes and layer your clothing. Weather can change quickly in the Canadian Rockies. A lightweight day pack can store snacks, water bottles and a spare raincoat. We like this one, because it is inexpensive, lightweight, durable and has a lifetime guarantee.
Siffleur Falls VLOG
Take a look at the video below for a full Vlog of the hike:
Siffleur Meadow
If you have already done the Siffleur Falls hike or if you want to get even more epic pictures and views, the Siffleur Meadow (our name for it, it is not very well known) offers beautiful views for a short extra bit of walking.
Related: Read our post about the Grassi Lakes Hike Near Canmore.
Finding Siffleur Meadow
The Siffleur Falls hike has 2 bridges; the first is a large suspension bridge over the North Saskatchewan River. The second is a smaller bridge over the Siffleur River. Shortly after crossing the second river, a small path will fork off to the left and go downstream along the Siffleur River.
After following this path for a few minutes, you will see switch backs on the right hand side going up a small hill. This path is a little steep but it is pretty short and if taken slowly, isn’t too bad. Once at the top of the hill, the main trail seems to continue down into some woods to the right. We accidentally followed this trail for quite a long time before realizing we were going the wrong way.
From the top of the hill, you take a smaller pathway to the left for about 5 minutes and you will come to a large meadow with a big boulder in the middle. The meadow overlooks the whole valley and is a great place to sit for lunch and enjoy the view.
The Siffleur Falls and Meadow hike is a must-do hike for the whole family. We did it with our 18 month old niece in a carrier and saw plenty of strollers, dogs and little kids along the way. Let us know what you think of the hike and if you have any questions down below! Happy Hiking!
- The Wild Wanderers
More Adventures with the Wild Wanderers: Read our post Prairie Mountain – Hike a Mountain Before Lunch!
4 Comments
Nona MacDermid
Looks Amazing!!! I am definitely adding this to my national hiking wishlist/goal plan! Thanks for sharing.
wanderwoman
Siffleur Falls is one of the less travelled hiking destinations in the Alberta Rockies and it’s one of my favourites. If you get out here to Alberta, be sure to let me know. I’d love to show you around – or at least recommend some of my other favourite places. Thanks so much for the feedback, Nona!
Tom R MacLaren
Wonderful video of the Falls, thank you both
wanderwoman
Thanks Tom! It’s one of our favourite family hikes.