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The Banff Legacy Trail
By Liz Baker and Sandy Cummings Parks Canada
When was the Legacy trail built?
What can people do along the Legacy Trail?
The Banff Legacy Trail was built in honour of Banff National Park’s 125th Anniversary in 2010. The trail is a testament to and celebration of the values of the national park, encouraging visitors and Bow Valley residents to explore the landscape in an environmentally friendly way.
The Banff Legacy Trail is well suited to cycling, running, and roller skiing and offers:
The trail connects the Bow Valley Parkway with the Town of Banff via Vermilion Lakes Road and links the Town of Banff with Canmore through an additional 4.5 km of pathway outside the Banff National Park boundary, from the Banff Park East Gate to the Travel Alberta Visitor Information Centre. The entire trail is collectively referred to as the Rocky Mountain Legacy Trail – a distance of 26.8 km with a 30 m elevation gain and an estimated timeline of 2–3 hour round trip for cyclists. Although it was initially a Banff National Park Project, the Town of Banff, Province of Alberta, and the Town of Canmore all contributed to various connections, which is a great part of the success of the trail system. It connects people to the trail and communities.
• 22.3 km of paved pathway and parkway from the Bow Valley Parkway to the Banff Park East Gate ŰŰ The trail extends an additional 4.5 km from the Banff Park East Gate to the Travel Alberta Visitor Information Centre in Canmore • A multi-use recreational pathway accessible mid-April to mid-October (weather permitting) • Multiple rest spots and picnic areas along the way • Informative interpretive panels • Links to other trail networks Legacy Trail users are diverse in age and background. Anecdotally, it is not uncommon to find kids, parents, and grandparents on the trail. Regional visitors often bring bikes and bike rentals in Banff and Canmore make the trail popular with visitors from farther away.
Daily Legacy Trail Counts (Canmore Eco-Totem) - March to November 2016 2000
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Transportation Talk | Spring 2017
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