LAKE LOUISE — Parks Canada says there was nothing foreseeable or preventable about the rockfall that killed two hikers and injured three more in Banff National Park.
Francois Masse, the Parks Canada superintendent for the area, says tests at Bow Glacier Falls indicate the rock slide was the result of geological forces common in mountain areas.
“Sadly, this extremely rare event appears to have been neither preventable nor predictable,” Masse told a virtual news conference Friday.
“However safety is our top priority, and Parks Canada will take time to consider all options before making decisions related to the reopening of the area.”
The disaster occurred in the early afternoon Thursday along a popular hiking trail near the falls, about 200 kilometres northwest of Calgary.
Witnesses reported rumblings and stones moving before a slab of mountain broke loose and rained rock down on hikers below.
One of the deceased has been identified as 70-year-old Jutta Hinrichs of Calgary. No details have been released on the second deceased person while the three injured hikers – two of whom were taken out by air ambulance – are in stable condition.
Hinrichs was located Thursday shortly after the rockfall. Masse said the second deceased person was also found Thursday but the debris field was deemed too unstable and the body was not retrieved until early Friday morning.
Search teams and aerial crews with thermal imaging equipment have swept the area. Officials say there are no unidentified vehicles at the trailhead and no one is asking about the whereabouts of a loved one.
“No additional persons are believed to be missing at Bow Glacier Falls,” Masse said.
The University of Alberta, in a statement, said Hinrichs was an educator in their department of occupational therapy in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.
She retired last summer.
“She was integral to developing a southern Alberta satellite for the department,” said the statement from the Edmonton-based university.
“Jutta nurtured many students, preceptors and clinicians to flourish and grow. That her work continues to enrich the tapestry of occupational therapy in Alberta is her legacy."
The slide happened at the Bow Glacier Falls hiking trail. It’s a nine-kilometre route running along the edges of Bow Lake. It is considered a moderate challenge for hikers and is used by tourists and day-trippers, including families. It's a region with limited cellular service.
Niclas Brundell lives in nearby Canmore and works as a trail guide. He told The Canadian Press in an interview he was hiking in the area with his wife shortly after noon when they both started seeing concerning signs of rocks tumbling and boulders the size of tires starting to fall.
"This was unimaginable to me, that such a big piece of mountain would fall off," he said. As rocks started rolling at the top of the waterfall, he said, they didn't hit anyone, but he and his wife wondered why nobody seemed to be reacting.
"Then all of a sudden, I hear the start of another rockfall, and I turned around, and the whole mountainside is coming off."
He estimated the slab to be 50 metres wide and 20 metres deep, and he and his wife started sprinting to safety. When he turned around, he could see a group of between 15 and 30 people at the waterfall disappear under a cloud of dust.
"The only place I've ever seen something similar is like watching videos from 9-11, when you see New York being cast over,” he said.
He said it's a popular trail because it's considered relatively easy, and on any given summer day there are 15 people or more hiking the trail.
Evidence of the rockfall was visible from across the lake. The side of the mountain near the waterfall was darkened and worn, except for a large patch that was significantly lighter, where a heap of debris lay below.
The Bow Lake area was closed during the search but has since reopened. Bow Glacier Falls remains closed, and drivers were told there could be possible delays on the nearby Icefields Parkway.
In Ottawa, Prime Minister Mark Carney extended condolences to the loved ones affected by the tragedy.
"On behalf of those who lost their lives in this tragic incident, their families and recovery to those injured, I want to thank the first responders and Parks Canada employees who have been conducting the search and rescue efforts over the course of the last 24 hours,” he said.
Near the trailhead Friday afternoon, many in the tour buses, camper vans and cars who stopped by said they were not aware of the tragedy. Some asked why broadcast news cameras were set up.
Anna Beaver and her husband Cameron said they came to see whether people had left flowers to honour the victims.
The couple and their two teenage children, visiting from Idaho, said they had considered taking the Bow Glacier Falls hike earlier this week but opted for an easier trail.
“You’re not thinking you’d be on vacation and not return from somewhere,” Beaver said.
“It’s a tragic loss like this that you don’t think about," she added.
“The natural wonders that can take your life.”
-- with files from Fakiha Baig in Edmonton
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025.
Matthew Scace, The Canadian Press
