Forty minutes – the options were 40 winks (tempting) or a fine walk outdoors. Attending a recent conference at Buffalo Mountain Lodge in Banff, Alberta, I found myself with short blocks of free time – perfect for checking out some of the shorter town trails that riddle this historic mountain town.

First choice was a stroll right from the lodge itself, hooking onto the trail system paralleling Tunnel Mountain Road. It was a delightful downhill saunter towards the Hoodoos Trail and the path leading towards the Bow River. Crisp mountain air filled my lungs and rejuvenated my spirit as the trail opened to vistas of Mount Rundle. Picking up pace, I kept heading downhill – and stopped suddenly at the edge of a grassy clearing. My ears hadn’t been playing tricks on me – it was an elk bugling and not just my imagination. Pausing in the shelter of the trees I could see a female elk staring in my direction, the bull obscured by a stand of spruce. He bugled again – and I knew that it was time to turn back rather than step rudely into his courtship of the ladies. Evening sunlight bathed the peaks as I strode back up the hill.

Day two found time to trek along the ever-popular Tunnel Mountain Trail. Less than 2 ½ km long with a scant 300 metres of elevation gain, Tunnel Mountain is none-the-less Banff’s “most accessible summit”. It’s an easy climb with an overview of the town, the Bow and Spray River Valleys, and the slopes of Mount Rundle. If you’d rather not “climb” a peak, you might opt for a stroll around the flat Fenland Trail. This 2-km loop trail includes interpretive signage highlighting a variety of nature nuggets along the way.

Short but scenic also describes the 1.2 km Bow Falls Trail leading from the Bow River Bridge down to Bow Falls. Another 1.5 km trail heads from the bridge to the Cave and Basin – birthplace of Canada’s first national park. Interpretive signs and boardwalks take walkers through the cultural and natural history behind these warm water springs.

If You Go:
Be sure to pick up a free copy of Explore Banff’s Trails from the front desk of your hotel. Produced by the Town of Banff, this handy little pocket guide describes 12 town walks referenced on the fold-out, colour-coded map inside the pamphlet.