A Short, Easy, And Unbelievably Scenic Mountain Hike Is One Of Banff's Most Accessible

Located just outside of downtown Banff, Canada, the Tunnel Mountain Trail is the perfect "warm up" for newcomers, a way to get acquainted with the Canadian Rockies. From its official starting point, the hike is only 3 miles in total and well-trodden, so there shouldn't be loose rocks or dangerous pitfalls. Through the curtain of evergreens, the views get better and better as you march your way up.

When you reach the top, you'll see why visitors stop here first: the trail leads to a spectacular lookout point, and on a clear day you can see all the way across the valley. Mountains surge all around. Wetlands and ponds spread out below. Douglas fir forests extend as far as the eye can see. At 5,551 feet above sea level, Tunnel Mountain is the shortest peak in the area, but that'll be the last thought on your mind as you gaze at all that open landscape. And this view is just one reason adventure seekers love this budget-friendly Canadian destination.

Banff National Park is one of the most beloved destinations in western Canada, encompassing 2,564 square miles of forest, lakes, rivers, and shale and limestone mountains. This is a land where elk, moose, wolves, and bighorn sheep roam almost as freely today as they did before the arrival of Europeans. It's also a place where outdoorsy visitors can indulge in any sport they can imagine. They can snowboard at local resorts, skate on frozen ponds, snowmobile along backcountry trails, learn how to dogsled, rock climb epic cliffs, ride horses, trail-run with new friends, and on and on. If you love mountain biking, you can ride trails for weeks in the summer. After the first snowfall, you can throw on some fat tires and keep riding until spring — and you'll find platoons of amateur athletes doing all these things as well. If you're avoiding big cities, Banff makes a perfect stop on a trans-Canadian road trip.

Like a rite of passage, Tunnel Mountain is the natural starting place. A walk from the middle of town to the trailhead takes about 20 minutes. You can test your boots on this well-marked trail and cross paths with plenty of other hikers. The trek is definitely uphill, with an elevation gain of 859 feet, and most visitors should budget at least an hour and a half of hiking time to summit and return. But this is pretty tame by Banff standards, and the rewards are immediate. In the unlikely event that something does go wrong, there should be plenty of people around, and you're close to Banff Mineral Springs Hospital.

The natural base camp for Banff National Park is the town of Banff itself, an energetic community of about 8,300 permanent residents. The town's main industry is outdoor tourism: You can plan your activities at Banff Adventures, gear up at Banff Cycle & Sport, grab gifts at Cool as a Moose, and stock up on provisions at Spiritleaf Banff. Accommodations range from hostels and simple cabins to luxury hotels like the Banff Springs, which many visitors liken to Hogwarts. There's also easy access to three different ski resorts from town. If you visit in the spring, you can witness one of Banff's natural wonders, "candle ice."

Part of Banff's appeal is its isolation; one way or another, you'll have to drive the TransCanada Highway to get here, even if you fly into Calgary International Airport, some 90 miles away. Despite its location, though, the town and park are extremely busy year-round; the Banff calendar is packed with activities, such as farmers markets, gear swaps, the Winter Solstice Community Lantern Skate, and the Banff Marathon. One of the area's most famous legacies is the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival, an annual lineup of outdoor and adventure films. You don't have to visit Banff to enjoy this event; a touring version of the festival makes the rounds to cities around the world. After watching a dozen or so documentaries about free-climbing and whitewater kayaking, there's a good chance you'll be booking tickets to Calgary.