The Top 3 Day Hikes Around Banff

Banff is easily a contender for one of the most beautiful places in Canada, and it is an ultimate playground for those who love the outdoors. All year round, Banff delivers stunning natural vistas and loads of outdoor activities for nature enthusiasts. In the winter, Banff is known for it’s skiing, and in the summer for it’s hiking.

We visited in the summer, and as you might already know, we absolutely love hiking. The first thing we did upon arriving in Banff from nearby Calgary was head to the national parks office and get maps of all the great family friendly day hikes in the region. The below list are our top 3 favourite hikes in the Banff region. These hikes are easily accessible, and can mostly be completed by all fitness levels. You can find a further bodybuilding guides on Training Science for those days of hiking. We did them with an 11 month old in a backpack carrier, and a 5 year old who was walking the entire way.

I have listed the walks in terms of difficulty (with the more strenuous one first and the easier ones last), and also in the order that I enjoyed them. So without further delay..

Lake Agnes Tea House Trail, Lake Louise

The Lake Agnes Tea House is one of the easier tea houses to access and therefore is one of the most popular tea houses to visit. It was built in 1901 by the Canadian Pacific Railway as a refuge for hikers, and has no running water or electricity. It is now a little gourmet tea house serving delicious teas and homemade baking. The tea house is only accessible by trail or helicopter, so other than the seasons supply of flour and sugar which is flown in once per year, the rest of the daily supplies are packed in by the staff who hike to the tea house each morning.

The tea house is situated on beautiful Lake Agnes which is worth the hike in it’s own right. The hike starts from just outside the Chateau Lake Louise, which is a good place to grab a coffee or a snack before setting off. The hike winds its way up the mountain on a relatively moderate trail for about 3.6 kilometers before reaching the tea house. The trail is wide and well maintained, but there is a moderate incline making this hike more difficult than the others I will discuss here. All in all though, people of all fitness levels should be able to complete this without too much issue.

We visited in early July and as we ascended the mountain we came across patches of snow and ice on the evergreen trees. At one point we even got a little sprinkle of snow, which only added to the magic.

Johnston Canyon and Waterfalls

The next two walks are tied for being very easy and very accessible. Any fitness level can easily complete these walks as they are more or less entirely flat. There are two waterfalls which you can visit in Johnston canyon, and getting there is via catwalks fixed to the canyon walls.

The first waterfall that you will come to, after walking for about 30 minutes, is lower Johnston falls. There is a narrow tunnel through the canyon wall which will take you to a viewing platform just meters from the waterfall itself. Expect to get wet. From there the catwalks slowly climb for about another 30 minutes towards upper Johnston falls. All the while, you walk just above the rushing Johnston creek. In total the return walk will take about two hours.

This walk is also accessible in both summer and winter, and in winter you have a chance of seeing the waterfalls in their frozen state.

The trail starts from next to the Johnston Canyon Lodge. They have a cute cafe/ restaurant in the lodge, making a great place to come and refresh after your hike. While the trail and catwalks are pretty much flat, they can be narrow in places, so we recommend using a child carrier instead of a pram if you are planning to do the walk with little ones.

Sundance Canyon Trail and Marsh Loop

This incredibly accessible and low impact hike is also walking distance from Banff town, making it a great option for days when you don’t feel like driving too much. The walk starts from the Cave and Basin Historical Site (which we unfortunately did not have time to visit), but you do not need to pay any entry fees if you only plan to do the hike.

There are two options, the shorter March Loop which is about a 45 minute return loop over boardwalks, or the Sundance Canyon which will take about 1.5 hours return. Or you can do what we did, and combine the two, to make a 2 hour return hike.

If you are pushing a stroller, this hike is a good option, as the path is wide and flat. It’s also a good option if you want to cycle instead of hike.

The marsh loop is pretty much self explanatory. The boardwalks take you through a marshy area where you can spot lots of wildflowers and birds. The Sundance Canyon path takes you to *surprise* a canyon, with a nice little picnic area. The path to the canyon is wide and more or less paved (making it great for cycling). Once you reach the canyon and picnic area, the path becomes a lot more narrow and wild. There are options to continue hiking along the bow river from here, but for us, the canyon was our destination, and we turned back at this point.

Have you been hiking in Banff National Park? Tell us about your favourite hikes in the comments!

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