Panther Falls

Panther Falls is found adjacent to the Icefields Parkway 11 kilometers south of the Columbia Icefields Center in Banff National Park. At the south end of the large turnout (look for a sign calling out Bridal Veil Falls) on the east side of the road a wooden post marks the trail which descends to the base of the falls in ½ kilometer. The top of the falls and the upper 15 foot tier can be accessed from the north end of the pullout.Panther Falls is the largest waterfall along Nigel Creek, dropping 218 feet in a massive explosive plunge as the creek flows towards the North Saskatchewan River. Above the falls proper is a small 15 foot cascade followed by a sharp 90 degree bend in the creek, from which the waters intersect a series of water-scoured fractures and funnel into a narrow crack, accelerating down a slide and then slamming into a lip sticking out from the cliff, which causes the water to pulverize itself into a cloud of spray as it hurtles to the canyon floor. All parts of the waterfall can be accessed with relative ease, but the majority of visitors traveling along the Icefields Parkway pass by completely unaware of the existence of the falls. The large turnout which serves as a viewpoint for the surrounding mountains and of Bridal Veil Falls across the valley also doubles as the trailhead for the path leading to the base of Panther Falls, and tourists stopping to view the scenery are often blissfully unaware of the monstrous cataract just feet away.