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1.2 miles
Distance
106 ft
Climb
-5 ft
Descent
01:11:46
Avg time
101 ft
Altitude change
4,923 ft
Altitude min
5,024 ft
Altitude max
4,923 ft
Altitude start
5,023 ft
Altitude end
1.6%
Grade
-1.8%
Grade max
9%
Grade min
3,819 ft
Distance climb
676 ft
Distance down
1,739 ft
Distance flat
01:11:46
Avg time
Minnewanka Details
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Activities
- Mountain Bike
- Winter Fat Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
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Riding AreaBanff National Park
Banff, Alberta -
Difficulty Rating
-
Voted DifficultyBlue (2 votes)
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Local Popularity65 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 65 in Trail Running
- 75 in Hiking
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Global Ranking
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Provincial Ranking#1,120 in Mountain Biking · Alberta [+]
- #2,158 in Trail Running
- #1,242 in Hiking
- #783 in Winter Fat Biking
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Trail TypeSingletrack
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Bike TypeAM, XC, Fat
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Climb DifficultyGreen
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Physical RatingModerate
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SeasonSept 15 - July 10
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Dogs AllowedYes
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eBike Allowed
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Land Owner
Out and back trail along Minnewanka lake. Usually opens up early in the season for riding. The hardest climb is near the beginning, the rest is up and down along the lake shore. The riding is not super-technical, but it is singletrack with roots and rocks. It's also fun in the winter, where you can ride on the frozen lake [studded tires recommended - make sure it's frozen - ride at your own risk].
Note that Minnewanka is one of the most popular trails in Banff. There can be HUGE crowds of hikers on weekends. Start and finish early on the weekends, or ride on weekdays to avoid the masses. If you are riding the trail, don't stop for a rest on the narrow exposed sections - keep moving until you can find a spot to stop where others can pass you.
Seasonal Restriction for bicycle is in effect from July 10 - September 15.
Access Info
Public Transit - Route 6
From the Minnewanka parking lot, the trail starts at the northeast end past the picnic tables.
Disclaimer
Seasonal Closure to bikes is from July 10 - September 15
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
Recent Activity on Trail
Past Week
- 1 rides
- 14 miles average
6 Months
- 9 rides
- 16 miles avg distance
All
- 187 rides
- Last: Oct 16, 2026
| c1 | c2 | c3 | c4 |
|---|---|---|---|
January | February | March | April |
May | June | July | August |
September | October | November | December |
Minnewanka Trail Reports
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3D
Trail Conditions
- Unknown
- Snow Groomed
- Snow Packed
- Snow Covered
- Snow Cover Partial
- Freeze/thaw Cycle
- Icy
- Prevalent Mud
- Wet
- Variable
- Ideal
- Dry
- Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
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The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
- > 96%
- > 90%
- > 80%
- > 70%
- > 50%
- < 50%
- bi-directional trail
- no data
Trail Last Used
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- < 2 days
- < 1 week
- < 2 weeks
- < 1 month
- < 6 months
- > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
- Downhill Only
- Downhill Primary
- Both Directions
- Uphill Primary
- Uphill Only
- One Direction
Contribute Details
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- Photos
- Description & Photos
- Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans activity logs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months.
Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades.
Think of this as a heatmap, more activities = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
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- popular
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Activity Recordings
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Activity Recordings
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Winter Trails
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Trails are colored based on popularity. The more popular a trail is, the more red. Less popular trails trend towards green.
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BC Backroad Status
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Directions to minnewanka trailhead
(51.247730, -115.500600)
Photos
115 more »
Videos
6 more »
mtb
50:42 |
92 |
Sep 1, 2025 , Banff
mtb
14:21 |
368 |
Mar 19, 2023 , Banff
mtb
6:38 |
990 |
Sep 19, 2019 , Banff
mtb
0:00 |
19 |
Aug 20, 2022 , Banff
Trail Lists
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2018 Shred List85 trails
Routes with this trail
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15 Reviews & Comments
LisaBiffin
June 6th - Rode most of this. Dry and in good shape. After you cross the first bridge and reach the top of the hill there are a lot of rocks and it is quite exposed for a bit. Then the trail is very nice but does have a lot of roots. There was a grizzly bear spotted near Aylmer pass and when we told the Parks people they said it was not surprising. 22km round trip and we felt tired but great.
LisaBiffin
June 6th - Rode most of this. Dry and in very good shape. Grizzly was spotted up the
Eenzamefietser
Path is dry with just a few creeks to cross on foot. Apparently the rain keeps the tourist away, great biking today
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Nearby Trails
- Cascade Valley 2,710 ft
- Minnewanka 5,095 ft
- Cascade Valley 1 mile
- Johnson Lake Road 2 miles
- Lake Minnewanka Road 3 miles
Banff National Park
- By danny
& contributors - #5946 - 36,113 views
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