The Minnewanka Loop is a 10.2 mile drive with a speed limit of 50 km/hr (31mph). The loop starts west of the Banff town from Banff Avenue. Heading out of town, after crossing under the Trans-Canada Hwy 1, you’ll begin to climb along the lower flanks of Cascade Mountain. Waterfalls tumble down the mountainside in the spring and after heavy rains. The loop offers great views of the Palliser Range and the Fairholme Range. You can break up the drive with hikes such as C-Level Cirque or Stewart Canyon (described below).
Lake Minnewanka’s boat ramp
Lake Minnewanka
You will pass Cascade Ponds with its picnic area and Lower Bankhead, where you can wander among the ruins of an abandoned coal mining town circa 1903-1922. Upper Bankhead offers the C-Level Cirque trailhead which takes you past the old mine shafts (fenced off). After 3.7 miles you arrive at Lake Minnewanka. You can take a boat tour of the lake through Brewster Tours. Near the boat ramp are the trailheads for several hikes, including the Stewart Canyon trail.
Stewart Canyon
The Stewart Canyon trail is a 3.5 mile roundtrip hike. It begins near the boat ramp from the Lake Minnewanka day-use area off of Lake Minnewanka Road. This low-elevation trail leads to the north shore of Lake Minnewanke while passing a bridge spanning the smooth walls of Stewart Canyon, through which the Cascade River flows into Lake Minnewanka. Along the way are pebbly beaches strewn with driftwood and a number of enticing picnic sites. The trail is packed dirt with minimal elevation change.
Lake Minnewanka from the Stewart Trail
Lone flower amid pine cones along the Stewart Trail
From the Lake Minnewanka boat area, head further along the loop by crossing the top of the lake dam and continue toward Two Jack Lake. Behind Two Jack is Mount Rundle. At 6.8 miles, you will reach the turn off for Johnson Lake. From here the road heads back downhill to rejoin with the beginning of the loop.
This loop is an excellent place to look for wildlife, with early morning and evening being the best time to look. We spotted a nursery herd (mothers and young) of mountain sheep bedded up on the hill shortly before Two Jack Lake and several deer around the loop. Keep your eyes open.
