Tunnel Mountain hike is short, easy and readily accessible from downtown Banff. The summit, 300 m above the town, offers excellent views of the Banff environs, the north ridge of Mount Rundle, and a 30 km stretch of the Bow Valley. The trail is one of the oldest in the park and a popular outing for Banff residents.
After climbing 0.4 km from the St. Julien Road trailhead, the trail crosses Tunnel Mountain Road at a viewpoint-parking area (an optional starting point if you want to shorten the hike).
Above the road a series of sweeping switchbacks make a gradual ascent through a thick forest of lodgepole pine and Douglas fir. There are occasional glimpses of the town and valley culminating at a good viewpoint beside a series of limestone slabs near the summit ridge.
On the summit ridge, the trail doubles back and runs above the mountain’s sheer east-facing cliffs. Views along the ridge extend over the Banff Springs Golf Course and down-valley to the park’s eastern boundary. (Stay well back from these dangerous cliff-edge viewpoints.)
The trail ends on the sparsely forested 1690 m summit, which was once the site of a fire lookout tower. Limestone outcrops just west of the summit provide the best views of Banff, the Vermilion Lakes and Massive Range.
Access: Drive or walk from downtown Banff on Wolf St. to St. Julien Road. Follow St. Julien 0.3 km to the trailhead parking area. To shorten the hike by 0.4 km, drive to the viewpoint-parking area on the Tunnel Mountain Road above the Banff Centre.
Map: Banff Up-Close (Gem Trek).