Ribbon Creek is a beautiful valley in Kananaskis serviced by a well maintained trail (it was badly damaged in the 2013 floods but new bridges and some rerouting have been completed). It's about 9.5km (one way) with 400m of ascent to the base of the falls. The trail follows the creek from the parking spot at the end of Ribbon Creek Rd, criss crossing the creek on several new bridges. Sometimes the trail is at water level, sometimes a reasonable distance above the water. After about 4.5km, the trail narrows and turns left and follows on the W bank of the creek. You will pass a few waterfalls and a couple of narrow little canyons. After another 3.5km, the trail turns R and you soon arrive at the Ribbon Falls backcountry campground (permit required in advance from Alberta Parks) and then a few hundred meters after the falls cascade down the cliff in front of you.
If you are adventurous and have the right equipment and experience, the trail continues past the falls. First it climbs to the east away from the falls before contouring back along a ledge to the cliffs (note the hazard signs) and to the infamous chains. A head for heights and confidence is needed to tackle the chains. The crux is the second climb section. If you venture up, think about your ability to return the same way as the alternative is a VERY long hike across a mountain pass. Above the falls, there is a lonely cache to visit (Mind the Bear) it's about 1km further to Ribbon Lake and the backcountry campground at the far end. From there, trails lead to Guinn pass (about 3km) and to Buller pass (maybe another 7km). We made a trip to Guinn's pass for the cache there. It's a beautiful spot and the hike was great.
The cache is located below the leftside of the trail in a hole in the rocks above the creek below the falls. The cache is hidden behind some guard stones to hide it from muggles and hopefully the local critters. The cache is a small LnL, with room for trackables. Please bring your own pen. When rehiding the cache, please replace the rocks that guard the hole to help keep the cache secure from muggles and nature. If you leave exchangebales, please remember not to leave food or anything with a scent - this just attracts unwanted visitors. When the cache was placed, it was late in a very hot dry summer and water levels were low and the cache was a couple meters above the water level. At times of high water, access to the cache might be impossible. Note that travel up Ribbon Creek is not recommended in the winter as you will have to travel in areas with significant avalanche hazard. Spoiler photos have been provided.