Nigel Falls

Nigel Falls occurs beneath the bridge over Nigel Creek along the Icefields Parkway, located 14.5 kilometers south of the Columbia Icefields Center within Banff National Park. Parking for roadside views can be found on the south side of the bridge. To reach the base of the falls, hike the Old Wonder Trail for 1.5km from the small parking area at North Saskatchewan Gorge near Big Bend (about half of a kilometer north of the Nigel Creek bridge), then follow the creek upstream to the falls – stay on the left side of the creek to reach the falls, or the right side to climb the rim of the canyon. Note that Nigel Creek will be the third bridge for this approach, the first two belonging to the North Saskatchewan River.As the Icefields Parkway crosses the canyon of Nigel Creek, the vast majority of motorists are blissfully unaware that they are crossing right over one of the better waterfalls along the Parkway. Nigel Falls is a 109 foot cataract located almost directly below the steel arch bridge spanning the gorge below the Big Bend in the Icefields Parkway. The falls can’t be seen at all from the road – you have to park on one side of the bridge and walk out onto the deck to take in the view. Better views can, however, be had from just off the Old Wonder Trail, which follows the old highway and crosses the creek below the falls, providing access to its base.