Hay Meadows and Troll Falls Loop is a 2.3 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Kananaskis Improvement, Alberta, Canada that features a waterfall. The trail is good for all skill levels and is primarily used for hiking and running.
To the east side of the loop, beside the river there is a beautiful spot with grassy meadows, expansive views and great to picnic.
Fun casual hike. Lots of groups on the troll falls leg, the second leg had no crowds and follows the ski trail by the lake. Parking was very difficult, but it was a weekend.
Completed 01/09 We wanted something very low key and, well, this definitely fit the bill. We arrived around 8 and the parking lot was nearly empty with a few cars starting to pull up. The hike to troll falls is extremely short so we decided to extend it by going to the upper falls and a little beyond. Still short. We then decided to extend it even more by walking down by the river in Hay meadows. Not bad and some of those views are beautiful. Not on top of a peak beautiful but still decent. Once we got back to the car around 10:45 the parking lot was jammed full with loads of cars still coming in. We came early to avoid exactly this, and to have the falls to ourselves. The trail itself must’ve been comparable to Boxing Day at the mall. Just insane. Nice little hike but come super early or late if you want a little serenity.
Arrived at 2 pm and got a parking spot. Only passed a couple families on the Hay Meadows part of the trail. The trail became very busy the closer you get to the Falls. I skied but the fresh track set was gone - buried by overnight snowfall. It was still powdery and nice though.
Really nice trail. Waterfall is really cool frozen in the winter. Crazy busy today Dec 30. Lots of people and large groups.
Great family hike. Hard pack, no spikes needed unless you go to upper falls. Still doable without.
This route takes you to the lower falls: Follow signs to the upper falls. The upper falls are beautiful and a great place to stop for lunch. If hiking in winter, I highly recommend traction aids as the trails are very steep and icy beyond the lower falls. On steep icy trails, hiking poles are also a big help.
A wonderful train for kids, and the views past the upper falls are amazing. There’s a lookout over the valley; to reach it, take the stairs up from the Upper Falls, then follow the path till you reach Marmot Creek. Follow the creek up a bit until it starts splits, with one path leading to the left next to the creek and the other leading to the right into the woods. Take the right path and follow up until you reach an open area on the hillside, and there’s the view! If you want to see the slot canyon follow the path back the way you came, but go to the “right”/straight at the fork right before the lookout and follow that path.
We did the Lower and Upper Falls and returned back through Hays Meadows. Crampons would have been helpful at the Upper Falls as it was slippery on the way up and the way down. Hays Meadows was pretty and not busy. Path became very busy around noon so recommend going early.
Easy trail with kids or dogs. The 2 falls are pretty small, so definitely see both while you're here. the Hay Meadows loop is much more exciting.
great hike recomend to go to the upper falls. It is worth the extra 1km.
Awesome easy walk nice view at the end with options to go further highly recommend
Beautiful easy hike. The trail is well maintained. Lots of bear poop but we didn’t come across any bears but we were aware that there may be some in the area so we were prepared. We took an upper trail that looped to the falls which was worth the view and then hiked back out using the meadows route. Loved all the different views along the way.
We did the trail to troll falls, then up to the upper falls (marmot falls) and down to hay meadows to return to parking. Definitely the final leg though the meadows makes me give this hike 5 stars. The waterfalls are pretty but it's nice to enjoy open views of the mountains and river after you have spent most of your time in forest to get to the falls. We arrived at 9am on a Saturday, only 5 cars in the lot, super quiet. Only saw one group on the way up. Parking lot was packed when we got back to our car around 12pm. Note that this can be done in much less time but we had our 2 year old which made for a slower pace.
Quick, easy, great afternoon hike! Did it with 2 small pups and 1 large pup.