TAKE
A
HIKE
TUNNEL MOUNTAIN / BOW RIVER
HI-BANFF ALPINE CENTRE
DIFFICULTY: easy/moderate
LENGTH: 3.7 km one way
ELEVATION CHANGE: 50 metres
ESTIMATE TIME: two hours return
This is a great spring, summer, and fall trail that is reasonably quiet and pleasantly diverse. The year
round views of Mt. Rundle and the Bow Valley along this trail are always impressive. In the spring and
early summer the wildflowers are rich and diverse. Species include prairie crocus, calypso orchid,
shooting star, and early blue violets. On hot summer days, there are easy access points to the Bow
River to soak your feet in the cold glacial water. In the fall, this is a good trail to hear and possibly
see male elk (stags) court females (hinds, pronounced “rinds”) and spar with other males (this is
called the rut). The fall colours along the river are vibrant for the Rockies.
Extra caution is advised on this trail from late August to early November due to the Elk rut, as the
animals are more aggressive at this time of year.
The trail begins directly across the street from the Banff International Hostel. Near the beginning,
the trail forks. Go right. (The left fork will take you to the hoodoos trail.) Follow the trail down
slope and towards the river. When in doubt choose the larger trail and stay to the right and you will
connect to the main trail. As long as you go down towards the river, you are on track. After 10-15
minutes the trail will reach a T-junction. This is the main trail and the first stop.
1. Trail Intersection Bow Valley Viewpoint
UTM Coordinates: 11 0601749E 5671157N
You can see through the trees a view of Mt Rundle and the
Bow Valley. This is one of the richest wildlife habitats in Banff
National Park. The warm lower valley floor allows for moderate summers and mild winters. Plants, animals, and visitors all
cherish this landscape.
Turn right at the T intersection and continue through the trees
until you reach the first large opening just a few minutes
down the trail.
2. First Meadow
UTM Coordinates: 11 0601749E 5670685N
This meadow offers some of the best views of the hike so be
sure to step off the trail and look around. Across the river
you see Mt Rundle. As you pan left the distant ridge is the
Fairholme Range. The next prominent mountain is Cascade.
As you continue looking left, the last and closest peak is Tunnel Mountain. If you look closely, you may see climbers on
the face of Tunnel ascending a route called Gooseberry.
The meadows are rich with wildflowers in spring and early
summer. The abundance of plants provides good grazing for
deer and elk. If you hike along the trail in autumn you may
be fortunate enough to see and hear the elk during their rut.
Every spring the male’s antlers fall off and every summer a
new pair grows back. The more the male eats and the better
the food, the bigger the antlers. This is basically advertising
for the rut. By late August, the antlers stop growing and the
males boldly advertise how successful they are at taking care
of themselves. So the ladies or hinds can do a little window-
shopping to see who has the right stuff to make it out here.
The males are taking a peak too. If an opponent has bigger antlers, then he will probably win any fight to capture
his harem. In the end only a few males acquire large harems of sometimes over 30 females to mate with. But it’s not
as glamorous as it sounds guys; after the rut the breeding
males are so spent from fighting, etc., that they often end up
food for wolves.
mt rundle
So come here in the fall and maybe you can hear the males
bugle. Perhaps see a harem, and if you are lucky watch
males spar, but do not approach them or come close to an
elk. They will attack!
3. Second Meadow Douglas Fir Tree
UTM Coordinates: 11 0601654E 5670302N
The meadow starts to fade then open up again. At the end
of the second meadow, you will see on the left side of the
trail a single tree that towers over the forest. This is a Douglas
Fir tree. Why is it so much taller? The answer lies in the bark.
Doug Firs have such a thick corky bark that they can survive
all but the hottest forest fires. This tree has withstood centuries of blazes while the forest has burned to the ground,
but fire is not necessarily a bad thing. The elk, deer, cougars,
bears and wolves all depend on the meadows. Elk and
deer find the best food here and predators find the tastiest
prey. Fire is essential to the long-term health of the valley.
Fire was also important to First Nations. Across the river on
the golf course are remnants of simple shelters that date
back over a thousand years. These people would have
burned the valley on a regular basis to improve the habitat
and quantity of game.
MT. RUNDLE
4. Staircase
UTM Coordinates: 11 601542E 5669972N
Much of this trail parallels the Bow River. If you follow the
river upstream, you will pass through the town of Banff, rich
wetlands and much of the best habitat in the park. Follow
it to its source and you’ll be standing on the Wapta Icefield
above Bow Lake. On a hot drought year the icefield acts as
a reservoir providing up to 50% of the water that flows downstream to Calgary and Southern Alberta.
CASCADE MOUNTAIN
5. End of Trail Banff Springs Hotel/Bow
Falls Viewpoint
UTM Coordinates: 11 0600692E 5669972N
The trail finishes up a set of stairs to a viewpoint. At or around
the viewpoint you can see the first hotel built in Banff. Some
people do consider it a step up from the hostel, but if you
stayed there just think of the great trail you would have
missed.
From here you have several options:
•
•
•
Retrace your route along the trail.
Follow the road uphill back to the hostel.
Follow the road uphill until you reach the trailhead leading to the summit of Tunnel Mountain.
TUNNEL MOUNTAIN