29-Year-Old Banff Man Dies at Johnson Lake in Banff National Park

A 29-year-old Banff man drowned at Johnson Lake on Sunday night after going underwater and failing to resurface, according to RCMP.

Banff RCMP said officers responded to the popular lake in Banff National Park at 9:09 p.m. on Aug. 16 following a report of a swimmer who had gone under the water and did not come back up.

A body was recovered from the lake a short time later. The man, a Banff resident, was pronounced dead at the scene.

RCMP said the death is not considered suspicious and no further details are being released.

Parks Canada said its crews responded to a report of a swimmer in distress and found a body submerged in the lake.

Parks Canada Visitor Safety specialists worked with the Banff Fire Department, Banff RCMP, Banff Emergency Medical Services and Alpine Helicopters to safely recover the man and transfer him to EMS and RCMP.

“Parks Canada extends its sincere condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of the deceased during this difficult time,” Victoria Hawley, a strategic communications advisor with Banff National Park, said in a statement to Bow Valley Insider.

RCMP also extended condolences to the man's family and friends.

A Popular Swimming Lake

Johnson Lake sits just off Lake Minnewanka Road, a short drive from the Banff townsite, and is a popular summer destination for swimming, paddleboarding, kayaking and canoeing.

Travel Alberta describes it as one of the warmer lakes in Banff National Park, though it remains an alpine lake. Its gentle shoreline and sandy bottom make it a popular swimming spot, while a roughly three-kilometre trail circles the lake.

Second Water Death That Day

The drowning came hours after emergency crews responded to a separate death involving a person found in the Bow River near Canmore.

At approximately 9:40 a.m. Sunday, a rafter spotted a person in the Bow River between Canmore and the Highway 1 overpass and called emergency services.

The man was later identified by RCMP as a 52-year-old Canmore resident. Police have not said how he came to be in the river or whether his death was a drowning. RCMP said an autopsy was expected this week as investigators work to determine the circumstances surrounding his death.

The two deaths follow another drowning earlier this month. On Aug. 1, a 33-year-old Rocky View County man drowned while swimming at Quarry Lake in Canmore.