Bear Spirit: Where Locals Go in Winter When Johnston Canyon Is Too Busy

If you have done Johnston Canyon in winter, you already know the drill. Beautiful ice, dramatic walls, and about a thousand other people shuffling along the catwalks at the same time. If you are looking for something in the same area but with a completely different feel, Bear Spirit is worth knowing about.

It is actually on the same road as Johnston Canyon, but it lives in a different world. No boardwalks. No railings. No signs telling you where to go. It is an ice climbing venue first, and a hiking destination only if you are comfortable moving through winter terrain on your own. That is why most people never hear about it.

You park at the Fireside pullout just after turning off Highway 1 onto Highway 1A (map here). There are only about 10 to 12 spots and it is free.

Walk past the gate with the yellow checkered signs and start down the old road.

In less than five minutes you will reach a fork. The road continues to the right. The route you want drops left into the creek. Do not miss this turn.

From here, the approach is the kind of travel that feels like winter in the Rockies is supposed to feel. Quiet. No crowds. Just snow, ice, and the sound of water.

You wind your way up the creek, which is beautiful long before you ever see the waterfall.

At about 1.2 kilometres there is a small rock step with a hand rope to help you up.

At 1.4 kilometres there is another one.

Shortly after that, you walk into the trees, pass a rock wall on your left, and then the trail heads up the slope on your left around the 1.5 kilometre mark.

It took us about 33 minutes to get here, including a short break.

About five minutes higher is the section that decides whether your day continues or ends. An icy step blocks the way, with a fixed rope on the left. Sometimes there is a staircase kicked into the ice by previous parties, sometimes there is not. It is not vertical, but it is ice, and a slip would not be forgiving. You need microspikes here, and you need to be honest with yourself. If it feels sketchy, this is where you turn around. Getting up is only half the problem. You also need to be able to get back down.

Above this, the trail climbs steeply through the forest.

Then you round a corner and Bear Spirit comes into view. From the car, it took us about an hour.

If you go on a weekend around midday, you will likely see ice climbers on the falls.

There are a few smaller flows off to the right, and the main pillars rise in the centre of the bowl.

They are much bigger up close than they look from a distance. You can even walk behind parts of the main ice for a completely different perspective.

If climbers are on route, give them space. Ice comes down when people are climbing, and even when no one is on the wall, these formations are always changing. A helmet is a good idea if you are anywhere underneath the falls.

There are safe spots off to the left, well away from falling ice, where you can sit, take it in, and have lunch.

The way out is simply the way you came in.

A few things to be clear about:

• Microspikes are not optional.

• Poles help on the steep forest section.

• This is best from December through March. Too early or too late in the season, the ice step turns into a wet stream that you cannot safely get up.

• There is no official trail, no signage, and no built infrastructure. Any ropes you see were placed by the climbing community.

• This is not the place for your first ever winter hike in the mountains. You should be comfortable on snow and ice and have some scrambling experience.

It may not have the scale of Johnston Canyon, but what it trades is crowds for quiet. You are still looking at a massive frozen waterfall. You are just doing it without the boardwalks, without the noise, and without feeling like you are in a winter theme park.

There is now an AllTrails route you can reference if you want a track. Go prepared, take your time, and be safe out there.