Cory Pass and Edith Pass Trail

Posted April 26th, 2007 by Chris
in

Distance:
12.8 km
Difficulty:
Strenuous
Elev. gain:
915 meters
Time required:
4 - 7 hours
Bikes permitted:
No
Dogs permitted:
Yes
Download GPX

Directions to trail head

The trailhead is in the Fireside Picnic Area, the entrance for which is approximately 6 kilometers west of Banff on highway #1.

Hazards on trail

This is one of the most difficult hikes in Banff National Park, for strong hikers with good route finding skills. Take a map, lots of water and your time.

Hike Description

From the Fireside Picnic area follow the trail 1 km to the Cory pass junction. Over the next 5 kilometers the trail climbs the vast majority of the 915 meters of climbing that occurs on this hike. After going through Cory Pass a rough trail of about 3.5 kilometers takes you across scree fields and avalanche paths before you reach the main trail of the Mount Edith Loop. You will then descend through the forest between Mt. Norquay and Mt. Edith and ultimately arrive back at the Cory Pass junction before returning to the Trailhead. There are numerous opportunities to take some fantastic photos on this hike. It is one of the top hikes in this area.


Here is the view of the hike and surrounding area via Everytrail.



Click to view the full size version of the Cory Pass Trail Topographical map at flickr.


All photos used in this post were used with permission. The first is an award winning photo from justb and can be viewed at this link via flickr. The second is courtesy of fitgirl and is called A View from a Peak and can be viewed on flickr. The final is from OldDogNewTrick called Are we there yet? I appreciate being able to share these photos.



Hike Photos

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Cory Pass trail full of memories and memories to come.

On July 31st, 2008 greger says:

I absolutely love this hike. It was the first substantial hike I did with my brother after moving to Alberta...It marked a lot of great things for me. I suggest every hiker does this once. You can definitely make it into an overnight by going further down into the creek valley, camping out and then returning the next day. Great for bringing intermediate hikers who are visiting you in Alberta for a few days.

Greg Sadlier