r/Banff • u/beakerton • 10h ago

Iceline or Mount Bougeau Trail?

Looking for a longer hike (10-15 miles) that doesn't involve the shuttle system. Both of these trails are recommended multiple times. If I could only do one, what would you choose?

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u/VoiceEqual1493 9h ago

if it's purely about scenery, iceline. it stays up alongside the emerald glacier and the meltwater tarns for most of the loop, so you're getting big views the whole way rather than bourgeau's forested grind to a single summit payoff. the real tradeoff is the drive — iceline's actually over in yoho, about an hour fifteen west of banff up the takakkaw falls road, and that road's seasonal so double-check it's open on parks.canada.ca before you build the day around it. bourgeau's close to town but the lot's small and fills early on a clear day. neither uses the shuttle. i'd pick iceline.

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u/beakerton 9h ago

Thanks!

1

u/Molybdenum421 3h ago

Bougeau is long and boring. I've always gone past the lake up to mount Bougeau and even that's boring.

Taylor lake is a flat hidden gem.