Tunnel Mountain Summit
Kaylee
If you want to get up high and see some beautiful views quickly and easily, I recommend you take the gondola up Sulphur Mountain and save yourself some time and effort but with a price. If, however, you want to put in some effort and actually hike up a mountain and are willing to take a little more time doing so, then Tunnel Mountain Summit is the hike for you. Not as painful as the hike up Sulphur Mountain, not as long, and with beautiful views to top it all off, for an amateur hiker, this is a good place to start if you’ve never hiked up a mountain before and would rather test the waters before diving straight in. If you simply mosey along trails and take pictures like I do, this hike takes about an hour to go up and around forty five minutes to come down. For others that like to trail blaze at break neck speeds like our one and only Sophie, you could cut that time in half. The beginning of the trail simply follows the switchbacks through the forest but once you reach the first plateau near the top, you are already rewarded with some beautiful views on both sides of the mountain and if you keep your eyes peeled, you can see some intriguing wildlife activity such as the paw print of a bear left behind in the snow.
Kim
This was one of the first hikes that we did as a group for part of our preliminary research so we did this in early spring. We went on a day when it was sunny out and the weather wasn’t too bad but we came prepared with layers anyways. It didn’t take long for us to strip the layers as the hike quickly goes into an uphill climb of switchbacks. At the time, there was still quite a bit of snow on the trail and it made parts of the path quite muddy. I personally enjoyed this hike a lot and didn’t find it too difficult once you got a good pace going. Sophie and Jack powered their way up the mountain while the rest of us took our time and enjoyed the views. Through the trees you got a great view of the town and it got better the further we climbed. On the backside of the mountain you also got a great view of the golf course too. Closer to the top there were some chairs where you could take a rest and enjoy the view for a little while and you could continue up further past this point too. When we got up here it actually started snowing a little bit too and the trek down was quite slippery. Jack decided that it was a good idea to run down the hill thinking that it would lessen his chance of falling. I was waiting to find him covered in snow and mud honestly. I don't think this is a super challenging hike, but it definitely isn't a leisurely stroll either. I love the view of the town that you get from this hike, and even if you're not up for the hike, there's places nearby where you can still get a good view of Banff.
Sunali
Tunnel Mountain was one of my favourite hikes to do. Although the switchbacks made me want to die a little, the view at the top is worth it. It was important to pace myself and take small breaks when I needed to and to stay hydrated. It was nice that Kaylee and I moved at the same pace because we encouraged one another and kept up with each other. If you are like Sophie and Jack, you will barrel up the mountain in no time at all. If you’re like me, however, you’ll find yourself heaving and bent over at times wishing you just stayed home where it’s safe. Nature and I have an interesting relationship – this means I usually end up screaming and wishing I never left my couch. During the spring hike, I almost fell off the edge of the mountain – if Keegan didn’t catch me, I probably would have tumbled all the way down to my death. Little Kass nearly had a heart attack because literally 2 minutes before, she told me to be careful and not step off the edge. After that, I had one person in front of me and one behind to make sure I made it all the way to the top and all the way back down with few casualties, plus, they helped with data collecting. Yay friendship!
Sophie
This has got to be one of the best starter hikes I’ve tried. The summit is quick compared to all the other mountains. It’s a quick hike up where the elevation doesn’t kill your legs and it give you a beautiful view of the town of Banff. If you want to say, ‘I climbed a mountain!’, but you don’t want to die of exhaustion this is the one for you. The trail is long switchbacks that really don’t make them feel like switchbacks. You have a fairly good chance of seeing a deer along this trail during the spring and summer. In early spring and winter this trail is ridiculously slippery so take lots of caution with that. Good hiking shoes are a must for this trail. There is a false peak so don’t let it fool you! The first time we went it up it was like "great we made it!" until we noticed people walking around the corner and disappearing. Naturally we followed them only to find the true peak. The actual peak is actually only like ten minutes up. It has these two adorable red lawn chairs on the peak looking out to the town below. It is a great photo opportunity with the town below, the river to the side, and the mountains in the background.