Cascade - Novice - 6.4 km one way

JASPER AREA | LAKE LOUISE AREA | BANFF AREA | Carrot Creek | Johnson Lake | Cascade | Golf Course | Spray River | Cave & Basin | Sundance | Forty Mile Creek | Redearth Creek | Johnston Creek and Ink Pots | CANMORE NORDIC CENTRE | KANANSKIS COUNTRY

Access and parking: Upper Bankhead picnic area on the Lake Minnewanka, road, 3.5 krn from the interchange outside Banff.

Length and classification: 6.4 km (one-way), Easy.

Description: From the parking lot, ski north to the far comer of the meadow and follow a roadway through the spruce forest. About half a kilometre down the road, the ski trail branches. Either branch takes you to the Cascade fire road, a short distance away. The left branch climbs over the ridge in front of you while the fight branch circles round the end of it on level ground. Once on the fire road, the ski trail stays on it and soon begins a long uphill climb. At the top of the climb, there are several kilometres of skiing over flat terrain, past swamps and meadows, before the road winds downhill to the Cascade River. From here you can see the river flowing into the upper reaches of Stewart Canyon. The canyon was formed eons ago when glaciers filled the Cascade River valley.