A "Trilegy" in Banff National Park

Sun. 2 May: Castle Lookout


What’s the word for three hikes in a day? A trilogy on foot? A tripedy? Anyway, today I headed for Banff National Park, making use of my annual Parks pass, to conquer two more lookouts plus one other trip I had been meaning to do for many years. A watery sun was shining through the clouds as I left Calgary behind me. As I headed west, the clouds started to thin out, and there was hope for a sunny day in the mountains. There had been showers earlier this morning, and the road through Banff Park was still damp. Traffic was very light.

Turning off the TransCanada Highway at Castle Junction, I crossed over the railway line, then turned left on the old 1A highway. Soon I was in the empty Castle Lookout car park, hidden in the trees below Castle Mountain. This mountain dominates the skyline as you drive west from Banff, and here I was directly underneath the towering cliffs.

My hike today would take me 1800 vertical feet up the lower forested slopes to the site of an old fire lookout, directly under these cliffs. Being an old fire access road, the grade was ideal for hiking, but climbed relentlessly up the forested mountainside. The pathway was wide and obviously well used. With a few minor exceptions, the path was dry and snow/ice free. After about 1.5 km I came across the ruins of an old cabin, which apparently dates back to the late 1800’s. It is now sadly just a pile of wood.

Soon the road ended, and the narrow trail started to switch-back up the mountain, up a cliff-band, and across a rocky gulley.

Then up on more switchbacks, across steep, open slopes, until finally the path emerged from some trees onto an open ledge, directly below the vertical mountainsides. Here the lookout building once perched, on the edge of a cliff, with an unobstructed panorama of the Bow River valley below. It surprised me how small this flat space was. The foundation of the building was still there, but there were no other signs of the old lookout, which was abandoned in the 1970’s then accidentally burned down by hikers in 1983.

A pathway ran up through the trees to the bottom of the towering cliffs, where there is apparently a climbing hut. Some light snow was spitting down, and there was a light snow cover on the ground up here.

All around were mountains smothered in layers of cloud, but there was some sunshine too. It seemed as if a shower might be sweeping in from the west, so I did not stay very long.

Soon I was racing down the switchbacks, with the confidence that only MICROspikes can give you that I would not slip and fall over the cliffs below! I met one guy close to the top, who had hoped to catch the sun, but now thought it would snow. In fact it stayed dry all day. It didn’t take me long to get back to the car. Except for that one hiker, I had Castle Mountain to myself this morning. That was the end of my solitude for the day.



Sun. 2 May: Johnston Canyon



A short 6 km drive east along route 1A from Castle Mountain Lookout brought me to one of the tourist hot-spots of the Canadian Rockies: Johnston Canyon. The guidebook warns that the only time to get any solitude here is early in the morning. But it was already late morning, and there were quite a few cars and a mini-bus parked, with a handful of warmly clad tourists heading up the path to the canyon.

As it turned out, this was never overpowering, as it would probably be in the summer. I suspect that today was almost the first day that the path was entirely ice-free and safe for people to walk along.

And what a path! It follows the canyon for over two kilometers, largely clinging to the sides of the canyon on metal walkways connected to the rock walls.

The views of the river below are grand. And there are two awesome waterfalls. Everyone makes it to the lower falls. This is a worthy destination. A hole has been drilled in the rock to allow you to stand directly in front of the falls.

As I continued up the path towards the upper falls, the tourists started to thin out. The upper falls can be viewed from below and from above.

By the time I reached the upper viewing platform, I was on my own! Simply spectacular! The water plunges down into a deep pool far below, with a great thundering roar. There was still plenty of snow and ice clinging to the cliffs all round. Here the interpretive trail ends, and the hikers path carries on up to the Inkpots, some bubbling springs in a meadow a further 3 km up the valley.

I turned back and followed the path all the way down to the start. By now there were several groups of tourists enjoying the views, but never too many to become overwhelming.

It was a perfect day to visit this popular destination. To this point, I had always avoided Johnston Canyon as simply another tourist destination, to be missed because of the crowds, but I am glad to say that I have now “been there and done that”!



Sun. 2 May: Tunnel Mountain Lookout

Now for the final hike of the day. It doesn’t take long to get from Johnston Canyon to Banff, along the scenic forested route 1A, then onto the Trans-Canada Highway. I was lucky enough to be stopped by a goods train at the crossing in Banff. The town was bustling with shoppers as I drove along Wolf St., crossing Banff Avenue, up to Grizzly St. A car park on St. Julien Road is the official starting point for the Tunnel Mountain hike. Elk were happily grazing on the grassy slopes just above the parking area.

The Tunnel Mountain path is one of the oldest in Banff, and popular with the locals. It switchbacks at a gentle angle up the wooded hillside to the site of the old fire lookout on the rounded summit. Today it felt almost Mediterranean, with the wind now warm, and the smell of the pines. There was a steady flow of people enjoying this beautiful trail: someone with a baby stroller, older couples, family parties with young kids and dogs, people jogging up the hill. But well spaced out, so I still felt as if I almost had the place to myself.

Reaching the forested summit ridge, the views of Banff and the Bow Valley were already superb. This hill sits right in the middle of the wide Bow Valley. It was called Tunnel Mountain as the railway builders originally thought they would have to tunnel through it, but then found a way around its flanks. The back side of the mountain is a steep cliff. Here the views of Rundle Mountain, the river, and the golf course spread out below, are fine.

Soon I was on the summit, where a large family party was enjoying a lunch in the warm wind.

Here a lookout tower once stood, long since removed. Apparently back in the 1930’s, Queen Elizabeth (The “Queen Mother”) and King George VI stood on this summit, which seems rather surprising!

The Tunnel Mountain trail has remained one of Banff’s most popular trails – for very good reason.

The smooth rocks are ideal for sitting on and admiring the views directly down into Banff townsite, as well as to the Banff Springs Hotel, standing all alone in the forest.

My return journey was speedy! It took only 22 minutes to whizz back down to the car, an enjoyable fast hike! Plenty of people were still making their way up the hill on this warm, mostly sunny afternoon. A shower was always a possibility, but I stayed dry all day.

More traffic on the road as I returned to Calgary, but beautiful blue sunny skies. The clouds over Calgary showed that there were showers over the city and prairie. I had made the best of this narrow weather window, and had managed to climb over 3000 ft today on my “Trilegy”! YES – that’s the word.

Statistics
Total for all 3 Banff Hikes
Sun. 2 May

Total Dist. 17.6 km (hike)

Height Gain 3047 ft.
Max. Elev. 6600 ft.
Time on Trail 4 hr. 33 mins.