A massive rockfall near Bow Glacier Falls in Banff National Park on Thursday has left two people dead and three injured. A 70-year-old Calgary woman, Jutta Hinrichs, was found dead at the scene, and a second body was recovered Friday morning. Hinrichs was a retired occupational therapist and clinical education coordinator at the University of Alberta. Three others were taken to hospital in stable condition via STARS air ambulance and ground transport.

Parks Canada reported no additional missing persons or unidentified vehicles at the Bow Lake trailhead as of Friday. Search efforts resumed Friday with Parks Canada’s visitor safety teams and Canada Task Force Two, supported by Calgary Police Service infrared flights. The rockfall was reported to Lake Louise RCMP around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, prompting a response from Parks Canada, Lake Louise fire department, STARS, RCMP, and EMS. Two STARS helicopters transported patients to Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary.

According to CBC, Elly Jackson, a solo hiker in the area, narrowly escaped with minor injuries. She had been near a group of women lunching below the cliffs when the rockfall occurred. Bow Glacier Falls, located three kilometers southwest of Bow Lake, is a popular hiking destination and part of the route to Bow Hut, an Alpine Club of Canada backcountry shelter. The trail to Bow Hut and Bow Lake reopened Friday, but the falls remain closed, with a no-fly zone in effect. The Icefields Parkway (Highway 93N) remains open, though short traffic stoppages may occur.

This is at least the second significant rockfall near Bow Glacier Falls in two years. In August 2023, a similar incident caused minor injuries, with one tourist airlifted after being hurt while fleeing debris. The waterfall is a famous ice climb in winter known as Bow Falls.

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