Best easy hikes near Banff
The 15 best easy hikes near Banff, out of 105 that we map, ranked by trail score.
How we rank trails Ranked by trail score and distance from Banff, so the score is one of two inputs.
- All hikes
- Moderate 110
- Hard 138
- Under 5 km 184
- Kid friendly 95
- Waterfalls 24
- Lakes 56
- Summits 79
- Views 196
- Canyons 9
- Loops 25
- Backpacking 28
- Wheelchair friendly 7
The list
Sorted by rank- 1Bow Falls TrailNear Banff · Banff National ParkEasy · 2.4 km · 54 m gain · 45 min · 1 km from BanffWaterfall · Views · River or creek · Passes Bow falls viewpoint and Bow Falls93score
- 2Vermilion Lakes RoadNear Banff · Banff National ParkEasy · 8.5 km · 58 m gain · 2 h 15 min · 4 km from BanffLake · Views · River or creek · Passes 3rd Vermilion Lake and Vermilion Lake Viewpoint91score
- 3Cascade PondsNear Anthracite · Banff National ParkEasy · 2.1 km · 31 m gain · 35 min · 5 km from BanffLake · Waterfall · Passes Cascade Ponds87score
- 4Bow River TrailNear Banff · Banff National ParkEasy · 3.7 km · 27 m gain · 60 min · 1 km from BanffViews · River or creek · Historic site · Hut or tea house · Passes Banff Pedestrian Bridge82score
- 5Marsh LoopNear Banff · Banff National ParkEasy · 2.7 km · 33 m gain · 45 min · 1 km from BanffViews · River or creek78score
- 6Johnston CanyonNear Moose Meadows · Banff National ParkEasy · 5.7 km · 218 m gain · 2 h · 20 km from BanffWaterfall · Views · River or creek · Canyon · Passes Johnston Creek Valley and Lower Falls97score
- 7Sanson Peak BoardwalkNear Banff · Banff National ParkEasy · 1.3 km · 53 m gain · 30 min · 3 km from BanffSummit · Views · Historic site · Alpine · Passes 2240 and 226075score
- 8Cave & Basin TrailNear Banff · Banff National ParkEasy · 1.8 km · 16 m gain · 30 min · 1 km from BanffCave · Historic site · Hut or tea house72score
- 9Grassi LakesNear Canmore · Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial ParkEasy · 3.0 km · 150 m gain · 1 h 15 min · 16 km from BanffLake · Waterfall · Views · Passes Lower Grassi Lake88score
- 10Two Jack LakesideNear Anthracite · Banff National ParkEasy · 3.2 km · 61 m gain · 60 min · 8 km from BanffLake · River or creek · Passes Two Jack Lake76score
- 11Bow Falls/ Banff Springs TrailsNear Banff · Banff National ParkEasy · 0.9 km · 43 m gain · 20 min · 2 km from BanffWaterfall · River or creek69score
- 12Water TowerNear Anthracite · Banff National ParkEasy · 7.9 km · 172 m gain · 2 h 30 min · 5 km from BanffLake · Passes Cascade Ponds and Johnson Lake72score
- 13Johnson Lake SouthsideNear Anthracite · Banff National ParkEasy · 2.6 km · 72 m gain · 50 min · 6 km from BanffLake · Passes Johnson Lake73score
- 14Johnson Lake LoopNear Anthracite · Banff National ParkEasy · 2.9 km · 65 m gain · 55 min · 6 km from BanffLake · Passes Johnson Lake73score
- 15Cascade Ponds BankheadNear Anthracite · Banff National ParkEasy · 3.1 km · 20 m gain · 50 min · 7 km from BanffWaterfall73score