Surprise Corner

Cross carefully to the viewing platform and frame the hotel above the trees with the mountain slopes behind it. Morning is a good bet for light on the hotel. The steep cliffs above Bow Falls are unstable and off-limits; stay on the trail and platform instead of following loose edges for a river view.

There is a small parking lot at the corner, and visitors often find it difficult to use when the area is busy; its exact capacity and fees are not established. From downtown, the Bow River trail is a walking approach, followed by stairs up to Buffalo Street. Longer local routes continue from the viewpoint: 3 km to Tunnel Mountain Road (about an hour, with 60 m of elevation change) or 4.6 km to Hoodoos Interpretive Trail (about 1.5 hours, also with 60 m of elevation change).

The name describes the sudden hotel-and-mountain view from Buffalo Street. The composition has been familiar from Banff paintings and postcards since the late 1800s. Part of its appeal is the contrast between the grand hotel, the evergreen canopy and the high, snow-marked slopes behind it.