Parking
Use the Hoodoos Viewpoint and Day-use Area parking or the signed access from Tunnel Mountain Campground; these are the official trailheads for the loop.
Overview
About Tunnel Mountain Bench Trail
Why go
- Officially signed loop with minimal elevation gain
- Links varied singletrack and open views of Mount Rundle and the Bow Valley
Heads up
- Shared-use trail has narrow, winding sections and short exposed spots
- Can be muddy after rain and busy on summer weekends
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Banff map
Full mapElevation1,415–1,484 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
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 Tunnel Mountain Bench 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.
Recorded for this trailhead
Bow Falls, Surprise Corner, and the WaldhausListen
“The area you're entering has a few popular spots all close together, centered on Bow Falls.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Banff Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Banff Hoodoos Viewpoint and a Photo Tip
- Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court: RVs Only
- Tunnel Mountain Campgrounds and oTENTiks
- Hidden Ridge Resort: Hot Tubs with a View
- 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.”
Trail guide
Hiking Tunnel Mountain Bench Trail
The loop to chooseTunnel Bench Loop is a 9.7-kilometre (6.
Tunnel Bench Loop is a 9.7-kilometre (6.0-mile) loop from Hoodoos Viewpoint and Day-use Area or Tunnel Mountain Campground. Allow about three hours on foot, with only about 60 metres of official elevation gain. It is a moderate shared-use route, and it makes a good choice when you want a real outing without committing to a mountain climb.
Follow the benchThe usual clockwise circuit links The Spine, Coastline, Teddy Bear's Picnic, and Don's Bypass,…
The usual clockwise circuit links The Spine, Coastline, Teddy Bear's Picnic, and Don's Bypass, with the Hoodoos connection completing the loop. Expect packed dirt, narrow singletrack, short gravel or road connectors, and plenty of turns. Follow the blue route markers and yield as signed; bikes, hikers, and runners share the trail.
Views and footingOpen sections look toward Mount Rundle, the Bow Valley, and the Hoodoos' eroded pillars, while…
Open sections look toward Mount Rundle, the Bow Valley, and the Hoodoos' eroded pillars, while the campground side stays more sheltered in the trees. Include the trail in photos of the Hoodoos or Rundle so the landscape has some scale. The route is mostly rolling, but roots, blind corners, and brief exposed or technical sections deserve more attention than the modest elevation gain suggests.
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.
