"Beauty Creek" is Aptly Named

The old Banff-Jasper highway

The walk wasn't so promising to begin with; maybe the flat, straight crumbling remnant pavement of the old Banff-Jasper Parkway route deters would-be sightseers form continuing further. Or maybe it's because there's only a little tiny symbol of a hiker at the trailhead that indicates that there's anything interesting beyond. Either way, people on this trail were few and far between, which I see as a good thing. Once you're on the trail proper, you're off the old asphalt and it becomes a bit more rugged, more rooty, more interesting - but is still very easy as far as walks in the Rockies go. Regardless of the inauspicious start, taking the next few steps along this trail was very worthwhile. In seemingly no time at all, the first falls appeared.

First set of waterfalls at Beauty Creek

Then the next, and the next, and the next - all in quick succession. Apparently there's five in all, but I didn't count. Stopping at each set to take pictures, usually from multiple angles, time just flew by, and despite the short length of my walk (1.6 km distance, 200m in altitude gained), two hours had gone by. I actually could have gone further but I hadn't prepared to do so and my stomach was reminding me that it was dinner time.

A waterfall at Beauty Creek

Hard-core hikers will be less than impressed with this walk. "Where is the elevation? Where are the epic views?" they will ask. But that's ok. As Kathy and Craig Copeland hinted at in their wonderful book, Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies, this is a walk for the small wonders: "And hikers, after being overawed by grand mountains, are charmed by the human-scale beauty of this intimate chasm." And wonders there are indeed. I found this walk every bit as scenic as - and with the solitude, far more enchanting than - the crowded, sanitized, Disney-fied Johnston Canyon walk. At Beauty Creek, you can get right down to the water, scramble across rock slabs, and even perch precariously above cascades.

Beauty Creek waterfall from above

One thing that I don't understand is how kayakers could possibly manage this creek! According to the second edition of the Canadian Rockies Backroads Mapbook, Beauty Creek is one of the paddling opportunities in the Rockies:

Beauty Creek exists for one reason: to show off, preferably in front of a camera. If you are looking for an exhilarating ride down a wild white river, there are other places wilder and whiter. If you are looking for a great picture of you dropping off a 12 metrre high waterfall... well, here's your chance.

That I would like to see!

A Beauty Creek waterfall

Definitely a worthwhile stop, and even a potential for repeated visits to witness the changing light and seasons. But only if you appreciate waterfalls...