Cascade Mountain Summit
Location
Banff National Park
Town of Banff
Difficulty
Hard
1750m Elevation Gain
Duration
8-10 Hours
16-17km
Cascade Mountain is another classic mountain surrounding the town of Banff – its peaks are iconic and are probably in the background of countless memories. Another summit, another memory. This time, I started out fairly early. The trail head starts at Mount Norquay parking lot where in the winter it is a ski hill. In the summer, it is where most of the hiking takes place and it is common to drive up or take the bus there. I started a little later than planned – around 7:00AM and finished later than planned as well – around 6pm. I was not feeling the best and was going through a slight food poisoning so take this hike review with a grain of salt.
The hike from the trail head to the base of the mountain is fairly simple, well marked and straight forward. Surrounded by dense forests and greenery, it is hard to make out any views of the mountains at all. As you pass a number of streams and rivers, eventually the steepness starts picking up and the road forks. On one side, the trail continues deeper into the valley where it reaches the end of a different hike: Cascade Amphitheatre. It is important you follow the other trail as it eventually will lead to the summit.
The path gets a lot steeper and eventually, the tree cover completely disappears and the views of the valley and the goal shows up. At this point, the trail also turns rocky, and is still well marked though not as obvious as before. The trail marks varies – from colorful flags on trees or branches, to painted rocks or tall cairns. Be mindful to closely follow these as it is easy to lose the trail – especially since the traverse turns into a boulder field. Personally, on the way down I had lost track of the path and gotten lost in this boulder field. I had to back track a fair ways up and waste some of my energy and time.
The views are unreal and as the hike progresses even further, some of the town of Banff and the amphitheater slowly comes into view. At this point, it is a hard and strenuous hike up to the mountain with astonishing views of the Rockies. The last kilometer before the summit push is a grueling scree with a small amount of scrambling at the top.
Recommendations
Make sure to use a hike app or map. It is quite easy to lose sight of the trail in the boulder field and in the dense forest especially as the path forks into other trails.
Wildlife: Did not see too many wildlife, other than the common birds. However, Moose, Elk, deer, bears and more are known to be in the area of the national park.
Equipment: Hiking poles,
Photos From the Trail
Cascade Mountain Summit
Location
Banff National Park
Town of Banff
Difficulty
Hard
1750m Elevation Gain
Duration
8-10 Hours
16-17km
Cascade Mountain is another classic mountain surrounding the town of Banff – its peaks are iconic and are probably in the background of countless memories. Another summit, another memory. This time, I started out fairly early. The trail head starts at Mount Norquay parking lot where in the winter it is a ski hill. In the summer, it is where most of the hiking takes place and it is common to drive up or take the bus there. I started a little later than planned – around 7:00AM and finished later than planned as well – around 6pm. I was not feeling the best and was going through a slight food poisoning so take this hike review with a grain of salt.
The hike from the trail head to the base of the mountain is fairly simple, well marked and straight forward. Surrounded by dense forests and greenery, it is hard to make out any views of the mountains at all. As you pass a number of streams and rivers, eventually the steepness starts picking up and the road forks. On one side, the trail continues deeper into the valley where it reaches the end of a different hike: Cascade Amphitheatre. It is important you follow the other trail as it eventually will lead to the summit.
The path gets a lot steeper and eventually, the tree cover completely disappears and the views of the valley and the goal shows up. At this point, the trail also turns rocky, and is still well marked though not as obvious as before. The trail marks varies – from colorful flags on trees or branches, to painted rocks or tall cairns. Be mindful to closely follow these as it is easy to lose the trail – especially since the traverse turns into a boulder field. Personally, on the way down I had lost track of the path and gotten lost in this boulder field. I had to back track a fair ways up and waste some of my energy and time.
The views are unreal and as the hike progresses even further, some of the town of Banff and the amphitheater slowly comes into view. At this point, it is a hard and strenuous hike up to the mountain with astonishing views of the Rockies. The last kilometer before the summit push is a grueling scree with a small amount of scrambling at the top.
Recommendations
Make sure to use a hike app or map. It is quite easy to lose sight of the trail in the boulder field and in the dense forest especially as the path forks into other trails.
Wildlife: Did not see too many wildlife, other than the common birds. However, Moose, Elk, deer, bears and more are known to be in the area of the national park.
Equipment: Hiking poles,
Photos From the Trail
Cascade Mountain Summit
Location
Banff National Park
Town of Banff
Difficulty
Hard
1750m Elevation Gain
Duration
8-10 Hours
16-17km
Cascade Mountain is another classic mountain surrounding the town of Banff – its peaks are iconic and are probably in the background of countless memories. Another summit, another memory. This time, I started out fairly early. The trail head starts at Mount Norquay parking lot where in the winter it is a ski hill. In the summer, it is where most of the hiking takes place and it is common to drive up or take the bus there. I started a little later than planned – around 7:00AM and finished later than planned as well – around 6pm. I was not feeling the best and was going through a slight food poisoning so take this hike review with a grain of salt.
The hike from the trail head to the base of the mountain is fairly simple, well marked and straight forward. Surrounded by dense forests and greenery, it is hard to make out any views of the mountains at all. As you pass a number of streams and rivers, eventually the steepness starts picking up and the road forks. On one side, the trail continues deeper into the valley where it reaches the end of a different hike: Cascade Amphitheatre. It is important you follow the other trail as it eventually will lead to the summit.
The path gets a lot steeper and eventually, the tree cover completely disappears and the views of the valley and the goal shows up. At this point, the trail also turns rocky, and is still well marked though not as obvious as before. The trail marks varies – from colorful flags on trees or branches, to painted rocks or tall cairns. Be mindful to closely follow these as it is easy to lose the trail – especially since the traverse turns into a boulder field. Personally, on the way down I had lost track of the path and gotten lost in this boulder field. I had to back track a fair ways up and waste some of my energy and time.
The views are unreal and as the hike progresses even further, some of the town of Banff and the amphitheater slowly comes into view. At this point, it is a hard and strenuous hike up to the mountain with astonishing views of the Rockies. The last kilometer before the summit push is a grueling scree with a small amount of scrambling at the top.
Recommendations
Make sure to use a hike app or map. It is quite easy to lose sight of the trail in the boulder field and in the dense forest especially as the path forks into other trails.
Wildlife: Did not see too many wildlife, other than the common birds. However, Moose, Elk, deer, bears and more are known to be in the area of the national park.
Equipment: Hiking poles,
Photos From the Trail
Cascade Mountain Summit
Location
Banff National Park
Town of Banff
Difficulty
Hard
1750m Elevation Gain
Duration
8-10 Hours
16-17km
Cascade Mountain is another classic mountain surrounding the town of Banff – its peaks are iconic and are probably in the background of countless memories. Another summit, another memory. This time, I started out fairly early. The trail head starts at Mount Norquay parking lot where in the winter it is a ski hill. In the summer, it is where most of the hiking takes place and it is common to drive up or take the bus there. I started a little later than planned – around 7:00AM and finished later than planned as well – around 6pm. I was not feeling the best and was going through a slight food poisoning so take this hike review with a grain of salt.
The hike from the trail head to the base of the mountain is fairly simple, well marked and straight forward. Surrounded by dense forests and greenery, it is hard to make out any views of the mountains at all. As you pass a number of streams and rivers, eventually the steepness starts picking up and the road forks. On one side, the trail continues deeper into the valley where it reaches the end of a different hike: Cascade Amphitheatre. It is important you follow the other trail as it eventually will lead to the summit.
The path gets a lot steeper and eventually, the tree cover completely disappears and the views of the valley and the goal shows up. At this point, the trail also turns rocky, and is still well marked though not as obvious as before. The trail marks varies – from colorful flags on trees or branches, to painted rocks or tall cairns. Be mindful to closely follow these as it is easy to lose the trail – especially since the traverse turns into a boulder field. Personally, on the way down I had lost track of the path and gotten lost in this boulder field. I had to back track a fair ways up and waste some of my energy and time.
The views are unreal and as the hike progresses even further, some of the town of Banff and the amphitheater slowly comes into view. At this point, it is a hard and strenuous hike up to the mountain with astonishing views of the Rockies. The last kilometer before the summit push is a grueling scree with a small amount of scrambling at the top.
Recommendations
Make sure to use a hike app or map. It is quite easy to lose sight of the trail in the boulder field and in the dense forest especially as the path forks into other trails.
Wildlife: Did not see too many wildlife, other than the common birds. However, Moose, Elk, deer, bears and more are known to be in the area of the national park.
Equipment: Hiking poles,
Photos From the Trail
Cascade Mountain Summit
Location
Banff National Park
Town of Banff
Difficulty
Hard
1750m Elevation Gain
Duration
8-10 Hours
16-17km
Cascade Mountain is another classic mountain surrounding the town of Banff – its peaks are iconic and are probably in the background of countless memories. Another summit, another memory. This time, I started out fairly early. The trail head starts at Mount Norquay parking lot where in the winter it is a ski hill. In the summer, it is where most of the hiking takes place and it is common to drive up or take the bus there. I started a little later than planned – around 7:00AM and finished later than planned as well – around 6pm. I was not feeling the best and was going through a slight food poisoning so take this hike review with a grain of salt.
The hike from the trail head to the base of the mountain is fairly simple, well marked and straight forward. Surrounded by dense forests and greenery, it is hard to make out any views of the mountains at all. As you pass a number of streams and rivers, eventually the steepness starts picking up and the road forks. On one side, the trail continues deeper into the valley where it reaches the end of a different hike: Cascade Amphitheatre. It is important you follow the other trail as it eventually will lead to the summit.
The path gets a lot steeper and eventually, the tree cover completely disappears and the views of the valley and the goal shows up. At this point, the trail also turns rocky, and is still well marked though not as obvious as before. The trail marks varies – from colorful flags on trees or branches, to painted rocks or tall cairns. Be mindful to closely follow these as it is easy to lose the trail – especially since the traverse turns into a boulder field. Personally, on the way down I had lost track of the path and gotten lost in this boulder field. I had to back track a fair ways up and waste some of my energy and time.
The views are unreal and as the hike progresses even further, some of the town of Banff and the amphitheater slowly comes into view. At this point, it is a hard and strenuous hike up to the mountain with astonishing views of the Rockies. The last kilometer before the summit push is a grueling scree with a small amount of scrambling at the top.
Recommendations
Make sure to use a hike app or map. It is quite easy to lose sight of the trail in the boulder field and in the dense forest especially as the path forks into other trails.
Wildlife: Did not see too many wildlife, other than the common birds. However, Moose, Elk, deer, bears and more are known to be in the area of the national park.
Equipment: Hiking poles,
Travellers Pursuits 