Parking
Park only in the small Mount Cory Trailhead pullout/bay along the Bow Valley Parkway (1A); parking is limited. The route begins at the barrier and follows the initial access corridor toward Mount Cory.
Overview
About Mount Cory Route
Why go
- Direct summit route with expansive views of the Bow Valley and surrounding Canadian Rockies
- A challenging, less-traveled scramble for experienced mountain parties
Heads up
- Steep loose rock, exposure, and route-finding make this unsuitable for beginners
- Limited trailhead parking and a long, demanding descent
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Banff map
Full mapElevation1,412–2,766 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
8 active Banff alerts
- ClosureRed Deer River valley bottom closed for ceremonial bison harvestThe Red Deer River valley bottom is closed to the public during an Indigenous ceremonial bison harvest taking place through November.Official details
- ClosureLake Minnewanka and Aylmer area closureLake Minnewanka Trail, Aylmer Pass Trail, and campgrounds Lm8, Lm9, Lm11, Lm20, Lm22 and Lm31 are closed to all users because black bears are displaying food-seeking behaviour.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Banff Tour Guide
Your drive to Mount Cory Route, 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.
Recorded for this trailhead
Cory Pass Loop: A Demanding ScrambleListen
“The trailhead you'll be passing is for the Cory Pass Loop. This is one of the most demanding day hikes in the Banff area, and it's definitely for experienced hikers only.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Banff Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Bear Smarts: A Practical Guide to Bear Country
- Healy Pass Trailhead: A Major Backcountry Hike
- Wildlife Crossings: Banff's Animal Bridges
- Making a Mule Shoe: Oxbow Lakes of the Bow
- 178 audio storiesacross Banff’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Brown Bear, Gray Wolf, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 177 trails, 236 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.”
Wildlife
Wildlife in Banff
122 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
67 sightingsMooseMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
465 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 9 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Banff. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
