Picnic area · Banff National Park
Take a picnic break where the Bow River bends through Banff.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Banff Tour Guide
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 tourRecorded for this area
A Movie Camera and Sixteen Horses“A mountain photography trip once meant taking sixteen horses. In nineteen twenty-four, Banff photographer Byron Harmon set out to photograph and film the Columbia Icefield.”
Plays on the road 0.4 km from Temple Viewpoint in the Parkwolf Banff Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“…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.”
Guide
Temple Viewpoint is a picnic area on the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park. It is the Temple day-use stop beside the Bow River, not Mount Temple itself; make it a brief break in the drive for a river view and a picnic.
The listed facilities are picnic tables and outhouses. Food service and potable water are not listed, so bring what you need rather than counting on a meal stop here.
The defining scene is a bend in the Bow River framed by conifers, with mountains beyond. For a photo, keep the river in the foreground and the tree line behind it; the curve gives the view its shape.
Wildlife
123 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
150 sightingsBrown BearMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
44 sightingsGray WolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
12 sightingsRiver OtterMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
69 sightingsMooseMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
466 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 9 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Banff. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingParadise Valley and Giant Steps Trail19.6 km · 7.5 hr · 4.7 km awayA full-day valley hike to Lake Annette and Giant Steps waterfall.
ModerateLake Annette Trail11.4 km · 4 hr · 4.7 km awayFollow Paradise Creek to a lake beneath Mount Temple.
ChallengingSentinel Pass from Paradise Valley Trail28.4 km · 9.5 hr · 4.7 km awayA long climb to the saddle above the Ten Peaks.
ChallengingMoraine Lake Highline Trail9.3 km · 4 hr · 5.1 km awayA rugged one-way traverse to Moraine Lake below Mount Temple.
EasyConsolation Lakes Trail5.8 km · 2 hr · 7 km awayFrom talus and forest to a meadow beneath Quadra Glacier.
EasyRockpile Loop0.7 km · 30 min · 7.1 km awayA short climb for Moraine Lake’s classic Ten Peaks view
EasyLouise Creek Trail2.4 km · 1 hr · 7.1 km awayA short creek path linking the Bow River and Tramline trails.ChallengingSentinel Pass via Larch Valley Trail11.2 km · 5 hr · 7.1 km awayGolden larches, steep switchbacks, and a high pass between two valleys.
Sight · 2.9 km awayMorant’s CurveA river, railway curve and high peaks in one frame.
Picnic area · 4.2 km awayCorral Creek Picnic AreaTables and outhouses make a useful Bow Valley Parkway pause.
Lodging · 4.2 km awayBaker Creek by BasecampCreekside cabin stays come with firepits and a grab-and-go café.
Picnic area · 4.4 km awayBaker Creek Picnic AreaA shaded creekside pause for lunch and a short leg-stretch.
Campground · 5.7 km awayLake Louise Hard-sided CampgroundRV base with electric sites near Lake Louise; trains run nearby.
Campground · 6.3 km awayLake Louise Soft-sided CampgroundA fenced, unserviced tent base for Lake Louise outings.
Visitor center · 7.3 km awayLake Louise Visitor CentreGet local advice and shuttle options before heading to the lake.
Campground · 7.5 km awayProtection Mountain CampgroundOpen mountain camping, with flush toilets but no showers.Parkwolf’s Banff ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
