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Valleyview Picnic Area in Banff National Park

Picnic area · Banff National Park

Valleyview Picnic Area

Tables and bike racks make a useful stop on the eastbound drive.

Type
Picnic area
Nearest trail
4.2 km
Audio stories
4 nearby
  • Picnic tables
  • Restrooms
  • Parking
  • Scenic viewpoint
DirectionsMap

Hear the audio tour

The Flower with Flypaper Leaves

Overview

About Valleyview Picnic Area

Why stop

  • A convenient break with picnic tables, outhouses and bike racks.

Heads up

  • Eastbound-only access makes it a poor stop for westbound travel.

Map

Where it is

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Full map
Picnic areaValleyview Picnic Area51.16599, -115.45172
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 Valleyview Picnic Area, 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 area

The Flower with Flypaper Leaves
0:00 / 0:30
“A little purple flower in a wet patch can belong to an insect-eating plant. Common butterwort grows a flat rosette of pale green leaves, with a violet-like flower held above them.”

Plays on the road 0.1 km from Valleyview Picnic Area in the Parkwolf Banff Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • Tunnels Beneath the Bark
  • The River’s Stone Drill
  • The Specks That Jump on Snow
  • An Evergreen at Ankle Height
  • 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 Valleyview Picnic Area

An eastbound picnic stopValleyview is a day-use picnic area beside the Trans-Canada Highway at Banff National Park’s…

Valleyview is a day-use picnic area beside the Trans-Canada Highway at Banff National Park’s eastern edge. It works as a short stop to eat outdoors or stretch your legs, rather than a destination for a long visit. The site is reached from the eastbound lanes only, so westbound drivers cannot pull in directly.

Tables and bike racksParks Canada lists picnic tables, outhouses and bike racks, with biking trails in the area.

Parks Canada lists picnic tables, outhouses and bike racks, with biking trails in the area. The nearby Rocky Mountain Legacy Trail makes this a useful pause for cyclists too. Bring your own picnic; no food service is identified here.

A mountain breakThe picnic area sits in an open clearing among conifers, with mountain scenery beyond the fence.

The picnic area sits in an open clearing among conifers, with mountain scenery beyond the fence. You can take in the view from the tables themselves; no hike is needed to reach the picnic facilities.

picniccyclingroadsidemountains

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 Valleyview Picnic Area

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

ModerateRundle Riverside Trail13.9 km · 4.5 hr · 4.2 km awayA rooty river traverse that needs a pickup in Canmore.EasyJohnson Lake Loop2.9 km · 1 hr · 4.6 km awayOld Douglas firs and Cascade views frame this easy lakeshore loop.ModerateTunnel Bench Loop9.7 km · 1.8 hr · 5.4 km awayA rolling loop with exposed edges and broad Cascade Mountain views.EasyHoodoos Interpretive Trail1 km · 45 min · 5.5 km awayShort paths bring pale hoodoos into view above the Bow River.EasyTunnel Campground Loop6.3 km · 1.5 hr · 7 km awayA firm gravel loop circles campgrounds beneath mountain views.ModerateSpray River East Trail11.2 km · 3.5 hr · 7.1 km awayA rolling forest track follows the river to its bridge.ModerateTunnel Technical Trails Loop2.7 km · 45 min · 7.3 km awayA compact lap with bridges, berms and narrow wooden features.ChallengingTopp Notch–Return of the Jedi Loop5.1 km · 1 hr · 7.3 km awayA technical mountain bike circuit of wooden features and tight switchbacks.

More stops nearby

Beach · 4.5 km awayJohnson LakeAn easy lakeshore loop beneath Mount Rundle, with summer swims.Campground · 5.4 km awayTunnel Mountain Village I CampgroundForest camping near Banff with showers and mountain views.Sight · 5.4 km awayHoodoos ViewpointPale hoodoos above a turquoise bend in the Bow River.Campground · 6.4 km awayTunnel Mountain Trailer CourtFull hookups, mountain views, and a bus stop for town.Campground · 6.9 km awayTunnel Mountain Village II CampgroundMountain views and year-round transit make a practical campground base.Campground · 7.3 km awayTwo Jack Lakeside CampgroundCamp beside Two Jack Lake, with Banff close by.Sight · 7.5 km awayBanff GondolaEight minutes up, then six ranges in every direction.Sight · 7.5 km awaySurprise CornerA raised platform looks onto Banff's grand hotel and forested mountains.

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.

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