A popular 2.8 km nature loop trail that winds through natural marshlands and along the Bow River. We enjoyed this as a nice, early morning stroll while waiting for the Banff Gondola to open. Don’t forget to take along your binoculars! The trail includes wooden boardwalks, fish viewing platforms and a bird hide (blind). The area is known for birds including green-winged teals and yellowthroats, butterflies and dragonflies. Exotic plant species such as orchids also thrive here. There is a hotsprings outlet flowing out of the lower slopes of Sulphur Mountain that runs into the wetland. The garter snake is the only snake in Banff, and can only be found in the area around the hot spring run off. There are also several species of small fish that are only found in this marsh. It’s an interesting small ecosystem that exists surrounded by the rest of Banff National Park.
Small fish unique to the area were found in the marsh
This trail begins at the Cave & Basin National Historic Site. For those wanting a longer hike, you can continue on the trail to Sundance Canyon. South of the Marsh Loop a band of forest has been designated as a Wildlife Corridor to allow large mammals (including bears, wolves, and cougars) to migrate across the valley with out having to enter the townsite. This area is permanently off limits to people, but animals don’t always respect the boundary, so look out for trail closures and wildlife warnings.
Views along the Bow River during the Marsh Loop
