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Big Bend Viewpoint in Banff National Park

Scenic pullout · Banff National Park

Big Bend Viewpoint

A quick pullout for the Parkway’s sweeping bend and mountain backdrop.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Type
Scenic pullout
Nearest trail
1.4 km
Audio stories
6 nearby
  • Pullout
  • Parking
  • Scenic viewpoint
DirectionsMap

Hear the audio tour

Big Bend and the Distant Bridal Veil Falls

Overview

About Big Bend Viewpoint

Why stop

  • The Parkway’s broad hairpin reads clearly against the mountain valley.

Heads up

  • A short stop on a remote route with limited services.
Big Bend Viewpoint is a roadside lookout above the Icefields Parkway’s sweeping bend at Big Hill. The road curls through a forested valley beneath steep mountain slopes, with Cirrus Mountain in the view. It’s a quick leg-stretch and photo stop; the Parkway winding through the mountains is the whole attraction.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy stop here

Map

Where it is

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Full map
Scenic pulloutBig Bend Viewpoint52.17706, -117.05531
Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Plan your stop

Before you go

8 active Banff alerts

  • ClosureJohnston Canyon Trail and Day Use Area closedJohnston Canyon Trail and Day Use Area are closed to all traffic and travel through December 11, 2026, because construction work requires protecting public and workers’ safety.Official details
  • ClosureBaker Lake and Hidden Lake campgrounds closed to campingCamping is prohibited at Baker Lake and Hidden Lake campgrounds through December 1, 2026, because a grizzly bear entered campsites and investigated tents and gear; the closures reduce risk to…Official details
See all 8 alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Banff Tour Guide

Your drive to Big Bend Viewpoint, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Banff National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

See the Banff audio tour

Recorded for this place

Big Bend and the Distant Bridal Veil Falls
0:00 / 0:27
“You're nearing Big Bend Viewpoint, where the Icefields Parkway curls through the valley beneath steep mountain slopes. Stop in a marked pullout for a few minutes and look for the bridge and broad curve below.”

Plays as you drive up to Big Bend Viewpoint in the Parkwolf Banff Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • The Whistle among the Rocks
  • When Castle Mountain Was Eisenhower
  • Nigel Pass by the Old Parkway
  • Fireweed, from Flowers to Fluff
  • 185 audio storiesacross Banff’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Brown Bear, Gray Wolf, and 13 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 162 trails, 90 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
★★★★★
“…Loved the commentary as you drove thru. I’m sure the app can do more than I know but the tips were very helpful. I’m gonna use it when we go to Banff next month.”
tesja22App Store review
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4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Guide

More about Big Bend Viewpoint

Get the bend in the frameLook for the highway dropping across the valley on a bridge and curling away beneath the…

Look for the highway dropping across the valley on a bridge and curling away beneath the ridgelines. Keep the road low in the frame with the peaks above it; that shows the scale of the bend better than a mountain-only shot.

Make it a planned stopUse a designated roadside pullout overlooking the curve.

Use a designated roadside pullout overlooking the curve. The Icefields Parkway is a remote road with limited services and no cell coverage, so download directions and sort out supplies before you set out. Parks Canada identifies more than one designated pullout here, so use a marked stopping area rather than stopping on the hairpin.

viewpointmountainsroadsidescenicdrive

Wildlife

Wildlife in Banff

All Banff wildlife maps
Grizzly Bear123 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapBrown Bear150 sightingsBrown BearMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapGray Wolf44 sightingsGray WolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapRiver Otter12 sightingsRiver OtterMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapMoose69 sightingsMooseMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapBlack Bear466 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 9 PMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Banff. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Big Bend Viewpoint

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

ModerateNigel Pass Trail15.8 km · 5.5 hr · 1.4 km awayAn old road leads to the rocky pass above Brazeau River Valley.ModerateParker Ridge Trail5.6 km · 2.5 hr · 4.5 km awayA steep ridge climb opens onto the Saskatchewan Glacier.

More stops nearby

Scenic pullout · 0.4 km awayBridal Veil Falls ViewpointA glacier-fed waterfall you can see from the Icefields Parkway.Sight · 4 km awayWeeping Wall ViewpointSnowmelt falls give way to winter ice columns on this cliff.Lodging · 5.4 km awayHI Hilda Creek Wilderness HostelA remote, off-grid base beneath Parker Ridge for hikers and skiers.

Parkwolf’s Banff ranking

Top sights in Banff

All 90 places
  1. 1Lake LouiseSight
  2. 2Moraine LakeSight
  3. 3Peyto Lake ViewpointSight
  4. 4Johnston CanyonSight
  5. 5Banff GondolaSight
  6. 6Cave and Basin National Historic SiteSight

Take Parkwolf to Banff.

The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

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