Completing The Gorgeous Sundance Canyon Hike In Banff

The Sundance Canyon hike in Banff is a popular trail year round. Located just outside of the main downtown area in the town of Banff and being rated as easy for the majority of it, means it makes it on to many people’s to do lists when they come to town. It’s also popular with locals because of its easy access and great views along the trail.

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The Sundance Canyon Hike

Distance: 3.7km one way, plus a 2.1km loop at the end

Elevation: 155m gain, 60m loss

The Sundance Canyon hike is a year round multi user trail so expect to encounter other users while using the trail. In winter The trail is groomed for cross country skiing with a wide middle path between the ski tracks for hikers and fat bikers to use. Make sure to keep off of the trackset, we saw many footprints ruining a fresh trackset when we did the Sundance Canyon hike. In summer the trail is used by horses, cyclists and hikers. Make sure you are prepared to share the trail when you head out on the Sundance Canyon hike, regardless of the time of year.

The trail starts wide and paved as it leaves the backside of the Cave and Basin, it is clearly signposted and the trail descends very gently. Shortly after the trail has two sides, one is paved, the other is a lower dirt trail, they run side by side. In winter it is snow covered so it isn’t as noticeable, other than the different levels. 

Shortly after the trail levels out and the trail runs along beside the river, providing awesome views of the mountains on the other side of the valley. This is one of the most beautiful parts of the Sundance Canyon hike before reaching the canyon itself. You’ll find some benches to sit on an enjoy the view. Take a moment here because after this point the trail starts to slowly climb through the forest.

As the Sundance Canyon hike gains elevation there are off shoots to other trails, on the left a well marked trail will take hikers up to Sulphur Mountain. On the right hand side is the trail which goes to Healy Creek and the Sunshine Village access road. There is also a ‘camp’ just after the junction. This is used by the horse stables for their Cowboy Cookout rides and isn’t open to the public.

After the junction it is a slow and somewhat boring hike through the forest. We did the Sundance Canyon hike a few days after the trackset it for cross country skiing so the snow was really soft and it made the going slow! In summer many people chose to cycle up to the canyon in order to make this section go a little faster.

As the Sundance Canyon hike comes close to the end, there is a picnic shelter and benches on the right hand side. A short distance ahead is a washroom before coming to the end of the paved trail. There is a bike rack here, so if you cycled the trail you can lock them up as they aren’t allowed any further.

Follow the trail down to the river and cross the wooden bridge, from here the Sundance Canyon hike reaches its peak, the trail climbs up beside the waterfall before crossing another bridge towards the top. This is as far as many people appear to go in the winter as the stops past this looked rather difficult to navigate covered in packed snow. We chose to turn around in winter at this point. However for the brave or during summer the trail continues through the woods for around two kilometres and eventually comes back out down by the bike racks. Ready to head back down the trail towards the Cave and Basin.

You can add on the part of the Marsh Loop trail to the Sundance Canyon hike. It is clearly signposted on your way back, on the left hand side. It will bring you out near the stables and the recreation ground and can be a nice way to get back into downtown if that’s where you started the Sundance Canyon hike.

Where Is The Sundance Canyon Hike Trailhead?

The trailhead for the Sundance Canyon hike is easy to find. It is located at the Cave and Basin National Historic Site. Drive through Banff and across the one road bridge, turn right and follow Cave Avenue until it terminates at the parking area of the Cave and Basin. From here walk around the outskirts of the main building and the trailhead is behind the main building. 

What You Might Need To Complete The Sundance Canyon Hike

To complete the Sundance Canyon hike in the winter, you’ll want some waterproof boots, we found the snow soft so we often sank a ways in, boots helped us not get shoes full of melting snow. I wore my La Sportiva Raptor 2 boots, they were perfect.

Once off the groomed ski trail the packed hiking trail was quite hard to stay upright on, it was steep and slick beside the waterfall and the stairs towards the top were difficult to navigate. I used Yaktrax to stop me from slipping around. A pair of poles may also come in handy here.

Pack plenty of layers, while walking along beside the river it can get quite windy and cold. I needed my toque, gloves and synthetic down jacket to stay warm, although once on the uphill I quickly warmed back up!

Places To Stay In Banff

If you are coming to Banff for the weekend to do the Sundance Canyon hike, you have a number of accommodation options for your stay. For those happy to camp, parts of the Tunnel Mountain Campground are open year round! 

If you are looking for something a little better, the Mount Royal Hotel is located right on Banff Avenue in downtown. This recently modernized hotel is the perfect spot to enjoy everything the town has to offer. It’s a short walk to the Sundance canyon hike from here as well as the Tunnel Mountain trail.

A little outside of the downtown core is the Fox Hotel, this gorgeous hotel is beautifully decorated and has a cave inspired hot pool, perfect for after a hike.