Jura Creek Canyon begins near the Hamlet of Exshaw on Highway 1A and is wedged between Door Jamb Mountain and Loder Peak to the East with Exshaw Mountain on the West. The early morning drive west from Calgary, and west on Hwy 1A via the Exshaw exit, deliver us to parking near hydro line access just east of the entrance to the Graymont Exshaw Plant. There are several parking options.
Door Jamb Mountain and Loder Peak from the TransCanada Highway west of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
The dirt road beneath the hydro lines heads west towards the rustic road heading north to the ‘V’ between the mountains. We aim west, then north, and let common sense prevail.
Parking near Graymont Plant on Hwy 1A west of Exshaw, Alberta, Canada
Access path to the ‘V’ at Jura Creek
The view south to Pigeon Mountain at the Jura Creek Draw
View north along the stoney Jura Creek bed towards Jura Creek Canyon.
About a kilometre (5/8 mile) later, Ewa and I arrive at the rocky Jura Creek drainage which heads south towards a magnificent view of Pigeon Mountain on the far side of the Bow River. We take a few minutes to bask in the sun and repair Ewa’s crampons before securing the strap-on insteps to our hiking boots and navigating the ice leading into Jura Creek Canyon.
Entrance to the Jura Creek Canyon
Canyons have a special feel to them. There is a peace and solitude about them. Often blocked by fast running water in summer, they become fascinating and powerfully confined journeys over ice and snow in winter. Timing and temperature for safe and successful navigation is important. The snow-covered ice at the bottom of Jura Creek Canyon begins to narrow immediately and within a very short distance it is easy to touch both sides in a single arm span.
The beginning of the ice walk into the Jura Creek Canyon in the Bow Valley Corridor east of Exshaw, Alberta, Canada
Giant stone slabs hang above a cascading ice fall on the Jura Creek Canyon floor near the beginning
The Jura Creek Canyon quickly narrows into tall walls polished by eons of deep water flow
In several places the massive stone walls of Jura Creek Canyon are close enough for less than arms length touching.
Occasionally, deadfall from above creates a minor obstacle but we encounter nothing on this day which significantly impedes forward progress. A slight breeze from the south helps to push us along. As the steep walled canyon, with sides smoothed by fast running water to heights far above our heads, twists and turns, we periodically enjoy rays of sunshine.
Ewa continues through the Jura Creek Canyon as it progressively widens
Jura Creek Canyon twists and turns. Pools of ice are protected by overhanging rock in the corners of turns in the creek
The short, narrow canyon opens to a broad, sun-filled valley as we continue to hike north. The valley floor is littered with smooth, rounded boulders which have been tumbled by erratic and powerful water flow for thousands of years.
Jura Creek Canyon gives way to a wide rocky valley with Exshaw Mountain dominating the distance in the west
There are many, artistic images, created by wood, rock and snow, combined with sun and shadow, along the valley floor. Reflected sunlight is intense and serious UV and polarized eye protection is a good idea.
Driftwood and stone in Jura Creek Canyon create artistic natural sculpture in wind-swept snow
Art is everywhere. A boulder hosts several varieties of lichen with a tiny juniper bush and a mouse-hole in attendance
Perhaps two kilometres (1 and 1/4 miles) north along the valley, a massive slanted slab comes into view above the east side of the valley. The massive outcropping appears to be a component of 2,097 m (6,880 ft) Loder Peak and suggests this may be where its base may create the east side of the false fault which is our objective for the day.
A giant rock slab appears on the east side of the Jura Creek Valley
The impressive slab outcropping gives a hint of the location of the false fault in Jura Creek Canyon
Jura Creek Canyon begins to narrow again as we approach the giant stone slab on the east side of the valley
Ewa and I arrive at the false fault where the two incompatible sides of the ‘V’ lead up to frozen pools above in the next narrow section of Jura Creek Canyon
Ewa and I arrive at the location of the false fault with Exshaw Mountain looming above us, to our left, on the west side of the narrowing valley.
Exshaw Mountain looms over Jura Creek on the west side of the false fault
Easy scrambling over rock and ice in the false fault lead to narrow canyon hosting frozen pools near the top
Slanted rock with intermittent patches of ice and snow require careful footsteps
A careful, easy scramble gains elevation over the slab to another narrow, short, twisting section of canyon containing several small, progressive basins filled with snow and ice. These are the tiny pools which contain water in summer. They are reminiscent of the larger pools of water along Nihahi Creek in Kananaskis Country, Alberta. This short section of canyon leads to another valley which contains the trailhead to achieve the summit of Loder Peak.
Frozen pools at corners in the narrow, polished rock canyon are camouflaged by deeper snow
The upper Jura Creek Canyon section shallows out through rock polished by eons of rapid water
The upper section of Jura Creek Canyon opens to a broad divided valley. Access to the summit of Loder Peak is off to the right. Another day.
Ewa and I will return the way we came, making the total hike 7.2 KM (4.5 miles) with an elevation gain of 262 m (860 ft).
The view across the pools of Upper Jura Creek Canyon on the return to the valley
Complex layers of shale on the Exshaw Mountain side have been a source of ancient fossils at the false fault in Jura Creek Canyon
A single section of running water, probably influenced by a source of nearby warmer spring water, is the only place along the entire length of Jura Creek with crystal-clear, open water. One of the two, tiny pools is partially covered with ice and their uniqueness and isolation justify a couple of photographs. A short distance further, Jura Creek Canyon narrows again for the last time on this hike.
A short section of running water in Jura Creek Canyon
Ice covered Jura Creek just prior to entering the narrow canyon section on the return hike
Entering the lower narrow section of Jura Creek Canyon
The reverse trip through the initial section of Jura Creek Canyon presents a refreshing breeze blowing towards us. The narrow and steep canyon walls provide a different perspective in the opposite direction. The canyon is a mecca of optical illusion. Large boulders which appear to be cubic, are not. It is a world of angles, shadow, and light.
The return hike through the narrow section of Jura Creek Canyon
Polished walls near the end of the ice walk give evidence of deep and fast running water which would make this section of the canyon inaccessible for major parts of the year
Optical angles and illusions change the shapes of rocks which have tumbled into the canyon from above.
The perfectly chiselled appearance of this massive cube is deceiving.
Just prior to exit from the canyon, we re-encounter the cascading ice fall which begs to be enjoyed. Our inner children grasp the opportunity to slide down the short span of slick ice. In summer, it will be a beautiful white waterfall.
Inner children are released on the slick, thick ice of the cascading ice fall near the end of the canyon and the ice walk in Jura Creek Canyon
A spectacular view of Pigeon Mountain at the end of the beginning of our hike through Jura Creek Canyon in the Bow Valley Corridor
An interesting summer loop hike, with a host of fascinating features and phenomenal views, would include Jura Creek Canyon combined with the summit and south ridge of Loder Peak and Door Jamb Mountain. It may be prophetic that Summit Stones and Adventure Musings by DSD publishes “Always Gazing Towards Canyons….” on the day prior to our hike. Friend and hiking partner, Dave, who performed this hike into Jura Creek Canyon with his family the previous day, makes me aware of a local blog called ‘Family Adventures in the Canadian Rockies’. I use the information contained in this excellent blog as part of my research for the day. It will be specifically of interest to anyone who enjoys hiking on trails which can be enjoyed with young children.
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What a different but fantastic hike!
Jura Creek Canyon is an excellent hiking experience in winter when the canyon floor is ice and accessible using crampons. In summer, rushing water requires a trail detour around and above the most dramatic part of the narrow, twisting canyon. When you visit in the winter, Helen, an ice walk may be one of the activities you might want to include on your bucket list. There are many alternatives but Grotto Canyon and Jura Creek Canyon are within easy reach of Calgary, Canmore and the Town of Banff. Jura Creek Canyon is one of those hikes which offer a wide variety of terrain and experience within a single day. Modest effort, low risk, fabulous return. I have put the summer trip on my list including the loop with Loder Peak and Door Jamb Mountain. I can hardly wait.
I highly recommend the loop you propose. Hike up the Door Jamb/Loder Ridge, which is a spectacularly fun ridgewalk on great rock, then descend an easy gully and return through the enjoyable canyon.
I’ve hiked through Jura Canyon a few times, and find it much more attractive in summer than in winter. Generally through, it’s fine to walk through the canyon in summer. Spring runoff can put the water level too high, but by late June, most years, you can walk it fine using the carefully-placed logs. In Summer it is very do-able. Even at highest water, you don’t *need* to detour if you don’t mind getting your feet a little wet. The canyon only seriously fills up during a flash flood.
The upper canyon does have a couple of pools that are too deep to navigate, but that requires only a short detour, and it’s actually neat because you can walk right above them, unlike the substantial detour to avoid the lower canyon.
Enjoy the trip this summer!
Thank you for your comment and valuable information, Rachel. Until this contact from you, I was unaware of your website. Since then, I have spent some time reviewing the contents of your site and have been impressed with the depth and presentation of information. A picture is worth…. I shall use your journals for my own planning purposes. I have taken the liberty of making your link for Door Jamb, Loder, Jura Creek Link visible to others within your comment and readers, who may wish to access your home page, may do so at the link: Hiking, Scrambling and Beyond
Another site I regularly use for reference, which I believe also has a high level of honesty and integrity, and which you and other readers may benefit from, is ‘Making Waves’
Thanks for the edit. I hadn’t noticed in my first comment that I could use the html tags to put the link in the logical place.
Looks like a very nice day to hike. Its crazy how different a trail can look by just turning around
You are right, Charlie. It was an excellent day to hike and, no argument from me, returning by the same route is always a unique experience and sometimes a more rewarding experience than the way in. Particulary true if there is extra time to investigate little side routes and new found features. The large rock ‘cube’ we ‘discovered’ on the way out is no more than an ordinary, unassuming boulder seemingly unworthy of a second look coming in from the opposite direction. It is not a cube at all. Only at a precise angle and distance does it appear that way. An optical illusion. Such is the way of the mountains.