Found a way to shave 2 miles off a popular trail near Banff

Honestly, I was getting tired of the standard route up to the summit near Banff because it adds this long boring switchback section through the trees. Ngl, I tried cutting straight up a dry creek bed one time and it was a mess of loose rocks and deadfall. But last weekend I noticed a faint game trail that bypasses most of that section and connects back to the main path about 1.5 km further up. It saved me almost 45 minutes and my knees felt way better at the top. Has anyone else found unofficial shortcuts that actually work on well-known routes?

3 comments

3 Comments

sageburns18d ago

Wait 45 minutes? That's CRAZY how much time you saved just by finding a game trail.

ben40218d ago

Yeah I dunno, sometimes those game trails lead you way off course.

mitchell.terry14d ago

Jumped on a similar thing last summer on a trail near Canmore. There's this miserable grind up a ridge where everyone just follows the switchbacks, but I found a old logging skid road that cuts the distance damn near in half. It's a bit overgrown in spots and you have to watch for loose rock, but man it saves so much time and my knees don't scream at me. Now I never take the main route anymore, just hop on that skid road and boom you're up top way faster. It's wild how many old trails are hiding out there if you just look a little.

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