Cascade Valley Trail at Banff

more stats

9.1 miles

Distance

945 ft

Climb

-425 ft

Descent

01:21:59

Avg time

519 ft

Altitude change

4,851 ft

Altitude min

5,518 ft

Altitude max

4,896 ft

Altitude start

5,417 ft

Altitude end

1.1%

Grade

-22.9%

Grade max

27.4%

Grade min

5 miles

Distance climb

2 miles

Distance down

1 mile

Distance flat

01:21:59

Avg time

Cascade Valley Details

Activities
- Mountain Bike
- Gravel Bike
- Adaptive Bike
- Horse
- Hike
- Trail Running
- Snowshoe
- Backcountry Ski
- Nordic Ski
Riding Area

Banff
, Alberta
Difficulty Rating

Blue Rate
Local Popularity
15 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 5 in Trail Running
- 25 in Hiking
- 5 in Snowshoeing
- 5 in Backcountry Skiing
- 5 in Nordic Skiing
Global Ranking
#167077 in Mountain Biking [+]
- #136904 in Trail Running
- #120406 in Hiking
- #1916 in Snowshoeing
- #646 in Backcountry Skiing
- #3856 in Nordic Skiing
Trail Type

Singletrack
Bike Type

XC, Adaptive MTB, CX, Gravel
Direction
Both Directions[+]
- Both Directions for Horseback
- Both Directions for Adaptive Biking
- Both Directions for Gravel Biking
Climb Difficulty

Blue
Trail Visibility

Always easy to follow
Dogs Allowed

Yes
eBike Allowed

No
Land Owner

Parks Canada - Banff National Park

Cascade Trail is a true backcountry adventure as it takes you well away from civilization. Best ridden in the fall, Cascade is a scenic ride that can be enjoyed by novice riders and families. An out-and-back, one has the option to turn around at any point to return to the Upper Bankhead parking lot.

This ride is an enjoyable cruise along a former fire road, now doubletrack, taking you towards Stony Creek. The ride starts with a sustained climb, which eases at about the 4 km mark. The rest of the ride along the doubletrack is undulating with no huge elevation gain. Ride in groups and carry bear spray as the trail takes you well into the Cascade Valley, prime bear habitat.

source: bikepirate.com

Access Info

Trailhead: The trail starts at the Upper Bankhead parking lot. Drive North on Lake Minnewanka Road – do not turn right towards Two Jack – for about 3.5 km until you see a large sign indicating to turn left into the Upper Bankhead parking lot. The trailhead sign indicates the direction of Stony Creek, among other points of interest; there is no mention of Cascade Trail, but rest assured this is the direction of your ride.

Local Trail Association

Bow Valley Mountain Bike Alliance
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Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week

0 rides

6 Months

0 rides

All

14 rides
Last: Jun 25, 2026

c1	c2	c3	c4
January	February	March	April
May	June	July	August
September	October	November	December

update trails status or condition

Cascade Valley Trail Reports

status	date	description
	Jul 3, 2026 @ 10:19am (America/Edmonton) Jul 3, 2026	Approximately 1 km east of Stoney Creek Cabin, on Cascade Valley Trail, the trail has been washed out by one of the drainage off Spectral Peak,...
	Dec 5, 2021 @ 4:35pm Dec 5, 2021	Single trackset, skier trackset most of the time return. Single skier trackset and about 10 cm deep past the bridge. Not ideal as it is quite busy...
	Nov 27, 2021 @ 10:33am Nov 27, 2021	Icy for the first 1.5 km or so, then the snow was great. Double trackset to Cascade River Bridge, skier trackset (single) for 0.82 km past the...
	Jun 4, 2021 @ 4:52pm Jun 4, 2021	Water crossing trail before Cascade bridge, as shown in photo. Closed beyond Stoney due to prescribed burn in progress.
	Jun 16, 2020 @ 9:31am Jun 16, 2020	Minor flooding before Cascade Bridge Major flooding before Stoney Creek