Photo: Andrew Patrick.
📍 Banff Difficult
13.6 km
Distance
+740 m
Elevation gain
6 h
Time
Difficult
Difficulty
✓
Dogs on leash
Cascade Mountain is the peak you see at the end of Banff Avenue. The maintained trail climbs to the Cascade Amphitheatre, a meadow surrounded by a natural rock amphitheatre on the mountain's face.
From the Mount Norquay day lodge, walk the gravel road to the third chairlift (Mystic Express); from there the trail enters the forest, with rock and root patches. It is 6.8 km one way, with 740 m of elevation gain and 200 m of loss.
The summit of Cascade Mountain is not a trail: it is a scramble for experienced people with proper equipment only, from the end of the maintained trail. Parks Canada offers route guidance at its visitor centres.
The trailhead is at the kiosk at the south end of the Mount Norquay Ski Area parking lot, at the end of Mount Norquay Road, 7 km north of downtown Banff. Parking is gravel and limited; you can also take the Norquay Shuttle.
📍 Cascade Mountain Scramble Route, Improvement District No. 9, Alberta, Canadá
Summer and early fall. Outside that season there can be snow and ice: check the trail status before you go.
This is bear country. Hike in a group, make noise, carry bear spray within reach and know how to use it. Keep at least 100 m from any bear. Keep dogs on a leash at all times.
User experiences, not official information. Always check the official status before you go.
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