Elbow Falls
A Short Waterfall On The Elbow River Dropping Over Shale Ledges Into A Gorge, With A Boardwalk And A Lookout, A Picnic Area And Nearby Campgrounds. A Popular Day Trip From Calgary, With Highway 66 Closed In Winter Beyond A Gate · Bragg Creek, Alberta
Elbow Falls is a short, wide waterfall on the Elbow River beside Highway 66, also called Elbow Falls Trail, about 30 km west of Bragg Creek in Kananaskis Country and roughly 80 km southwest of Calgary (confirm). The river drops about 8 to 10 m over shale ledges into a rocky gorge, splitting into several sheets at moderate flow (confirm). A day-use area has parking, picnic tables and short boardwalks to viewing platforms, rebuilt after the June 2013 flood that tore through the valley (confirm). Forest of spruce and pine closes the view on both sides, and the Elbow River runs clear green below the falls. It is a quick, easy stop on a drive into the foothills, popular on summer weekends. A Kananaskis Conservation Pass is needed to stop. Walkers, cyclists and families all use the site, and it is calm outside the summer weekend rush. Allow thirty to forty-five minutes for the viewing platforms or two hours with the nearby trails.
Elbow Falls, on the Elbow River beside Highway 66 about 30 km west of Bragg Creek in Kananaskis Country, southwest of Calgary; coordinates approximate, Bragg Creek, Alberta, Canada
The day-use area is generally open from early morning to dusk, and the falls can be seen all year from the platforms (confirm hours). Highway 66 west of the falls is closed in winter, commonly from December to mid May, so the road beyond the day-use area is gated and the falls may be reached only up to the gate (confirm dates and gate position). Spring melt in May and June brings the strongest flow, and autumn gives the clearest water. Daylight runs past 9:30 pm in June and ends by about 4:30 pm in December.