Canada Guide
Alberta and the Rockies
Banff
BANFF is the unquestioned capital of the Canadian Rockies, and with its intense summer buzz it can be a fun, bustling and likeable base – but if you've come to commune with nature, you'll want to leave as soon as possible. Although the town is quite small, it handles an immense amount of tourist traffic, much of it of the RV and coach-tour variety. Anything up to 50,000 visitors arrive daily in high season, making this the largest and busiest urban focus of any national park anywhere in the world.
What's rather odd, given all the people, however, is that there's next to nothing to do or see in Banff, save a couple of small museums, a cable-car ride and the chance to gape at the crowds on Banff Avenue, a thoroughfare lined with probably more souvenir stores and upmarket outdoor clothing and equipment shops than anywhere in North America.
Hikes from Banff Downtown
Banff Townsite is one of two obvious bases for walks in the park (the other is Lake Louise), and trails around the town cater to all levels of fitness. The best short stroll from downtown – at least for flora and fauna – is the Fenland Trail, a 1.5-kilometre loop west through the montane wetlands near the First Vermilion Lake (there are three Vermilion lakes, fragments of a huge lake that once probably covered the whole Bow Valley at this point; all can be accessed off Vermilion Lakes Drive).
For a shorter walk, and a burst of spectacular white water, stroll the level and very easy Bow Falls Trail (1km) from beneath the bridge on the south side of the river, which follows the river bank east to a powerful set of waterfalls and rapids. The Hoodoos Trail on the other side of the river (starting at the eastern end of Buffalo St) offers similar views with fewer people, eventually linking up to Tunnel Mountain Road (3km) – making it a good way to walk into town for the hostel and campsites – and beyond to viewpoints above the hoodoos (4.6km).
The Marsh Loop Trail (2km) from Cave Avenue leads along a boardwalk through a marshy habitat renowned for its flora and birds: warm waters from the Cave and Basin hot springs immediately above have created a small, anomalous area of lush vegetation. The Sundance Canyon Trail (3.7km), an easy and deservedly popular stroll along a paved path (also popular with cyclists and rollerbladers – be warned) to the picnic area at the canyon mouth, also starts from close to the springs. Finally, the most strenuous walk near town is to the summit of Tunnel Mountain. It's approached on a windy track (300m ascent) from the southwest from Tunnel Mountain Drive, culminating in great views over the townsite, Bow River and flanking mountains.
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