Top 10 Banff Hikes
There’s so many hikes to choose from in Banff National Park – it can get overwhelming to choose which ones to do. Hopefully this will help you choose which are best for you on your next trip to Banff!
Here’s a few of my favourites hikes/trails I’ve done in the area – ranging from easy walks to difficult summit scrambles:
- Big Beehive – Lake Louise
- Peyto Lake Lookout – Jasper
- Tunnel Mountain – Banff
- Ha Ling Peak – Canmore
- East End of Rundle – Canmore
- Emerald Lake Loop – Emerald Lake B.C.
- Barrier Lake Lookout- Kananaskis
- Sulphur Mountain – Banff
- Moraine Lake Rockpile – Lake Louise
- Mist Mountain – Kananaskis
1. Big Beehive
Location: Lake Louise
Duration: 4.5 hours roundtrip (10.9km)
Difficulty: hard
Let’s start it off with my favourite hike – the Big Beehive in Lake Louise!
This is such a great hike because you get to visit multiple lakes on your way up to the viewpoint.
The trailhead starts just a few steps from the beautiful Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. The first leg of the trail consists of steep switchbacks all the way up to beautiful Mirror Lake.
The switchbacks continue up to Lake Agnes – here you will find the infamous Lake Agnes Tea House where you can get some delicious tea and scones while you rest your legs before the most difficult part of the trail.
The final leg of the trip takes you around to the back of Lake Agnes, where you will then ascend even steeper switchbacks to get to the top. When you reach the top, there is a long flat trail with multiple viewpoints along the whole cliff where you can get insane views of the turquoise lake below.
2. Peyto Lake Lookout
Location: Icefields Parkway
Duration: 30 minutes roundtrip (2.4 km)
Difficulty: easy
This is my favourite lake in all of Banff National Park. It’s not really a hike, but I’ll keep it on the list because it is my favourite spot. It’s known for it’s ‘fox-like’ lake shape!
It could be easily missed when driving – it’s labelled Bow Summit Lookout on Google Maps and on the signs on the highway, so don’t miss it like I did the first time!
This hike is about a 15 minute ‘walk’ up to the newly built lookout point. It’s steep in some spots, but totally doable for any athletic level. Once at the top, you can walk beneath the wooden deck to get a little more off the beaten track (and get pictures without anyone in them!)
3. Tunnel Mountain
Location: Banff Town
Duration: ~1.5 hours roundtrip (4.5 km)
Difficulty: Moderate
If you’re looking for an easier hike without travelling too far from Banff Town.. Tunnel Mountain is a great hike! You can park along the road for free at the entrance of the hike.
This hike is perfect for the shoulder months of summer, as it’s not very high elevation so the snow clears quickly off the trail.
The trail consists of moderately steep switchbacks for the first 30 minutes, followed by an easier trail with multiple lookouts to the top.
At the top, you get views on each side of the mountain – one side overlooks the town and the other side overlooks the golf course and Mr. Norquay.
4. Ha Ling Peak
Location: Canmore
Duration: 4 hours roundtrip (7.2 km)
Difficulty: hard
This hike is one of the most popular hikes in the Canmore area, so start it early in the morning to miss the crowds (the parking lot fills up quick!).
The first part of the hike consists of moderate switchbacks, followed by multiple wooden staircases to get to the start of the scramble.
Once you’re past the stairs, the most difficult part of the hike begins. The last part of the hike is an intense, sketchy scramble with no real trail laid out. Be extremely cautious, as the rocks are very loose and lots of people were slipping and falling! The top of the hike gives you views overlooking the multiple surrounding peaks and the whole town of Canmore. It’s EXTREMELY windy at the top, so pack a sweater and hat – you’ll need it!
5. East End of Rundle
Location: Canmore
Duration: 5-6 hours roundtrip (4.8km)
Difficulty: hard
The trailhead is a bit difficult to find and isn’t labelled – look for the end of the power line near Whiteman’s Pond for the starting point.
The first uphill section was moderate difficulty – lots of big steps ascending quickly overlooking the valley!
Once you get halfway, to the right you will begin to overlook Ha Ling Peak!
This is as far as we went as the scramble was very sketchy and we didn’t have poles. It was very windy and felt unsafe without the proper equipment. HOWEVER, going halfway was definitely worth it, as this is the view you get!
6. Emerald Lake Loop
Location: Emerald Lake, BC
Duration: 1 hour 20 mins (5.1 km loop)
Difficulty: easy
This easy loop track is perfect for a day where your legs need some rest. The trail is flat and goes around the entirety of the lake! You can go either direction – the best views are along the left side of the lake! (The right side can get quite muddy and less views of the iconic mountains)
Side note: This is also a great place to rent a canoe – much cheaper than renting one at Lake Louise!
7. Barrier Lake Lookout
Location: Kananaskis
Duration: 2-4 hours (13.8km)
Difficulty: moderate
This Kananaskis trail starts at the Barrier Lake parking lot and is one of the most beautiful hikes I’ve done. The trail is relatively steep with moderate switchbacks and no scrambling involved. The main portion of the trail is through the forest, but once at the top you are rewarded with a gorgeous view overlooking Barrier Lake from above!
8. Sulphur Mountain
Location: Banff
Duration: ~4 hours (10.8km)
Difficulty: hard
This is one of the most popular hikes in Banff- at the top you get one of the most scenic views overlooking Banff town and the surrounding mountains!
This hike brings you to the top of the gondola – so it’s a much cheaper option to get the views if you are on a budget (~$70 roundtrip now)! This also means that the top is very busy – so I’d recommend doing this one early in the day to avoid crowds at the summit.
The trailhead begins at the Banff Gondola Parking lot. and consists of moderate switchbacks going up the whole mountain – not for the faint of heart!
Once at the top you can enjoy the restaurants or coffee shops, as well as walk along the new boardwalk that runs along the whole summit! This is one of those hikes you could spend hours at the summit!
9. Moraine Lake Rockpile
Location: Lake Louise
Duration: 15 minutes (0.8km)
Difficulty: easy
This isn’t so much a ‘hike’ but it is one of my favourite places in the area! It’s a quick little trail with spectacular views over Lake Moraine and it’s surrounding mountains. It’s a much better vantage point than just staying down by the lake.
FYI: They’ve made it much more difficult to get to Moraine Lake – the parking lot usually fills up by 6am, so often the only way to get here is by taking the shuttle from Lake Louise! (Or you just get lucky like me and manage to drive by right when someone is leaving!)
10. Mist Mountain
Location: Kananaskis
Duration: 5-6 hours (9.5km)
Difficulty: hard
This is one of the most unique and picturesque hikes I’ve ever done!
The trailhead starts right off Highway 40 in Kananaskis – save your map on your phone as there’s no service out here to find the start of the trail!
The first part of the hike brings you through the woods bringing you to a wide open meadow. Once in the meadow, the trail is easy to follow up to the top of the ridge.
Once on the ridge it’s a little sketchy scree trail to get to the hot springs – be careful as the rocks move!
Bring your bathing suit for a quick change to enjoy the natural hot springs! The trail continues up to the summit, but we opted to just enjoy the hot springs and then head back down!
Hope this helps you plan your hiking trip to Banff National Park 🙂 Banff is my favourite spot in all of Canada because there’s so many things to do and hikes to choose from! There’s way more but these are some of my favourites 🙂
Thanks for reading,
xo steens
