50 Walks and Hikes in Banff National Park
Brian Patton
and Bart Robinson
Preface
When we set out to write
the first edition of the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide in 1970, the
hiking trails of Banff National Park were the ones we knew best and were
the inspiration for our book covering all of the Canadian Rockies. We’d
hiked enough at that point in our young lives to know that this park
contained more great short hikes and day trips than any similar area in
North America.
While our initial plan
to publish a trail guide to Banff National Park was soon replaced by the
more grandiose
Canadian Rockies Trail Guide, we knew
the section on Banff would be the most-used chapter. In addition to being
Canada’s most-visited national park, it contains more than 1,500
kilometres (930 miles) of trail, much of which is devoted to walks and
short hikes that can be completed in a day or less. More than 20 of these
trips include lakes along the way or as a primary destination—a big plus
for most hikers. Other trails lead to high viewpoints overlooking rugged,
glaciated peaks or into the treeless alpine zone. And all of the trails
display a variety of wildflowers and wildlife throughout the hiking
season.
So, many years after
originally planning a guidebook dedicated to Banff, we have created 50
Walks and Short Hikes of Banff National Park. This book contains more
elements of value to the walker and day-hiker than the Canadian Rockies
Trail Guide, including useful and interesting facts about each trail,
colour topographical maps, and colour photographs. Most importantly, for
us personally, this book is an opportunity to highlight the trails that
have been a special part of our lives for almost four decades. There isn’t
a single trail in this book that we haven’t hiked on numerous occasions
and at all the months of the hiking season. We hope you receive as much
pleasure from these trips as we have.
-Brian Patton and Bart
Robinson |
