Canada

Section of Banff National Park remains closed to visitors one year after rockfall

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A closed sign blocks the trail to Bow Glacier Falls north of Lake Louise, Alta., in Banff National Park on Friday, June 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

BANFF — Parks Canada officials say it’s still not known when a section of a trail in Banff National Park will reopen almost a full year after a rockfall killed two hikers and injured three others.

Federal agency spokesman James Eastham says an area around Bow Glacier Falls remains closed for a geotechnical assessment.

He says Parks Canada hasn’t heard of anyone violating the closure order, but those who do could be arrested or ticketed, with fines as high as $25,000.

The affected area in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains has been closed since June 19, 2025, after a rockfall along a popular hiking trail near the falls killed a Calgary woman and a 33-year-old man from B.C.

Parks officials have said nothing could have prevented or predicted the slide, as it was the result of geological forces common in mountainous areas.

Bow Glacier Falls is about 200 kilometres northwest of Calgary.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2026.