Cory Pass in Banff
The optimal speed at which to appreciate Banff National Park is between 3.2 and 4.8 kph (2 and 3 mph).
How do I know this? I recently consulted the Walk the Earth Institute. Membership in this highly exclusive think tank is limited to me and my wife, Kathy.
Both of us are self-appointed experts on everything to do with foot travel, and our methods are rigourously scientific: if we agree, it must be so.
At the Institute's last convention (yesterday's hike), we were speculating about the speed at which most tourists stroll the sidewalks of Banff Avenue: 1.6 kph (1 mph) or less, we decided.
Optimal hiking pace was the Institute's next topic of discussion. We then asked ourselves, "In the unlikely event these tourists are capable of maintaining minimum speed requirements, and assuming they really want to see Banff Park, where should they be walking?"
"Cory Pass," Kathy said. I agreed. So it was unanimous and therefore indisputable.
Here are the statistics for the Cory Pass hike:
Round trip
11 km (6.8 mi) to Cory Pass
Circuit
12.9 km (8 mi) around Mt. Edith
Elevation gain
900 m (2952 ft) to Cory Pass
1000 m (3280 ft) on circuit
Key elevations
trailhead 1460 m (4789 ft)
Cory Pass 2360 m (7741 ft)
Edith Pass 1950 m (6396 ft)
Hiking time
4.5 to 6 hours for circuit
Difficulty
challenging
For everything else you need to know about Cory Pass, read Done in a Day Banff, The Ten Premier Hikes. It will guide you not only to Cory Pass, but to all the area's most rewarding dayhiking destinations.
Go to http://www.hikingcamping.com/hike-banff.php to learn more about Done in a Day Banff, The Ten Premier Hikes.
