Parking
Use the Banff Sunshine base-area visitor lots; a Banff town shuttle also serves the base. Take the paid seasonal gondola to Upper Sunshine Village, where this route begins. The upper access road is restricted to resort vehicles.
Overview
About Howard Douglas Lake Trail
Why go
- The lake is a clear turnaround before the longer Citadel Pass route continues.
- Open alpine terrain and long-range mountain views run through much of the outing.
Heads up
- The direct version still covers about seven miles, with repeated climbing and descending at high elevation.
- Access depends on a paid seasonal gondola; ordinary dogs cannot reach the trail through the resort.
Howard Douglas Lake is a high-country turnaround on the Citadel Pass corridor, reached on foot from Upper Sunshine Village. This direct out-and-back covers about 3.6 miles to the lakeshore and 7.1 miles return along the same line; budget around 4½ hours. The route rises and falls through alpine meadows, with a high point near 7,740 feet before dropping to the lake at about 7,430 feet. It is a full high-elevation hike, not a short lakeside stroll. The listed distance follows the direct upper-village route; versions beginning at the Standish chairlift and crossing the Rock Isle network are longer.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Banff map
Full mapElevation2,171–2,359 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Banff Tour Guide
Your drive to Howard Douglas Lake Trail, 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 tourMore stories near here in the app
- Sunshine Village: Lifts to the Meadows
- The Grouse That Grows a Bigger Gut
- Two Ways to Ice a Branch
- The Rectangular Holes in the Tree
- 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.”
Trail guide
Hiking Howard Douglas Lake Trail
Reaching Upper Sunshine VillageUse visitor lots at the Banff Sunshine base; a Banff town shuttle also serves the base.
Use visitor lots at the Banff Sunshine base; a Banff town shuttle also serves the base. The direct route starts at Upper Sunshine Village, reached by the paid seasonal gondola. The upper access road is restricted to resort vehicles. The Standish chairlift is a separate starting point above the village and is not included in this route's mileage. Ordinary dogs cannot ride the resort lifts or enter the resort; registered service dogs are excepted.
Across the meadows and ridgeFollow the signed Citadel Pass trail southeast.
Follow the signed Citadel Pass trail southeast. The path crosses open meadows and rolls across ridges before descending to Howard Douglas Lake; the high point near 7,740 feet is by Quartz Ridge. Views open toward Balls Peak to the north and Mount Assiniboine to the south. Keep to the marked tread through the delicate alpine vegetation.
At the lakeThe mapped tread passes within a few feet of the lakeshore; the stored line ends at the nearest…
The mapped tread passes within a few feet of the lakeshore; the stored line ends at the nearest established point on the path. Nearby Su8 is a backcountry campground with five tent sites; an overnight stay needs a park backcountry reservation and permit. Day hikers use the lake as the turnaround. The Citadel Pass route continues onward, but that longer outing is not included here.
Take in the viewThe strongest perspective is from the descending path near Quartz Ridge, looking over the lake…
The strongest perspective is from the descending path near Quartz Ridge, looking over the lake toward the peaks. Keep a piece of rocky tread in the foreground to show the slope and the scale of the basin.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Banff
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.
