Grotto Canyon Icewalk

Here at Grotto Canyon, our IceWalk hikes the frozen creek bed, through a narrow canyon, past unusual rock formations and icefalls.  We might see iceclimbers scaling the frozen waterfalls, but for many the highlight of the Grotto Canyon IceWalk are the ancient native pictographs, that you could easily miss, if they aren't pointed out to you.  There is now a theory that one of the symbols could be a Kokapelli, a flute player painted in ochre, used only by the Hopi people, some 500-1300 years ago.

Walking time: 2 - 2.5 hours
Return Distance: 4.2 km
Elevation Gain: 100 m

 Itinerary and Highlights:

• A stunted forest:  Why are the trees so small and oddly shaped?
• Grotto creek:  You will walk on the frozen creek bed winding through the narrow gorge.
• Rockies geology:  Witness ancient ocean floors around you, the result of mountain building processes.
• Pictographs:  1500 year old clues linking native culture in Canada to distant areas in the South West of the United States.
• Icefalls:  Get close to icefalls seeping from the cliff face, and if lucky watch ice climbers performing their craft.

Remember to bring:

• Warm clothing, including hats, gloves and warm boots. Ski wear is strongly recommended.
• Don't forget your camera!

Restrictions:

• Minimum age for this tour is 8 years.