Mount Rundle to the left with the Banff Springs Golf Course below

Tunnel Mountain is a great shorter hike close to Banff town…so close in fact that you can walk straight to the trailhead from town without the need to drive there. I mentioned it before in five super photo spots walking from Banff town, but I thought that it deserves a post of it’s own!

Snowy trees

There are two ways of getting to the trailhead. The first is via the Surprise Corner Viewpoint which looks towards the Banff Springs Hotel. The second is off St Julien Road – it’s a good idea to get a map of the town from the Parks Information Centre on Banff Avenue to make sure you’re headed in the right direction first!

Looking towards Sulphur Mountain

Once you’re on the marked trail, you just follow straight on up. There’s a few switchbacks, but you get good views along the trail so make sure to stop for water and photo breaks!

Super weather for a hike

On the way up you’ll get some excellent views of the area around Banff Town (if the weather’s good!). I think it’s a great way to get some perspective over the area, and locate the different mountainous landmarks in relation to each other.

Banff Springs Golf Course with the Fairholme Range in the distance

There are some super views of Mount Rundle, the Banff Springs Golf Course, and westwards over the Bow Valley. It’s perfect if you don’t have a lot of time for a long hike, or don’t want to drive to a trailhead.

The Bow Valley

In all the total return distance from the lower trailhead for the hike is approximately 2.5 km (1.6 miles) with an elevation gain of roughly 300 m (980 feet).

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