3-4 km depending on options and quite a nice ride. 150 m total cumulative climbing if you do it end-to-end-and-back. Some riding through cool alpine forests, one technical bit over some rocks was great, nice flow through trees, not real long in itself but a good way to link up all the other trails to the Surprise Point parking. Riding back up (West) along HooDoos will make the tecnique junkies happy, some of you can make the climb up the gnarly section and over the rocks near the top of the stairs. The stairs though, not great spacing to ride down, doable, but uncomfortable with a big risk for the limited reward.
The west end is Surprise Corner parking lot. The East end has a couple / three options to get up to Tunnel Mountain Drive / TM Loop singletrack so any of them will work. And you can tie HooDoos trail in with Tunnel Mountain Loop (singletrack & doubletrack trail) and into the top of Star Wars and more if desired. The west end has a connector to a lower part of Star Wars trail.
You can park in the Surprise Point parking lot and ride East and up to Tunnel Mountain Drive, or park in one of the spots along TMD to ride back towards SP. To get to Surprise Point parking, drive all the way along Banff Avenue and turn left just before (N side) of the Bridge to the Park Admin building/Banff Springs onto Buffalo Street. Take Buffalo to where it turns into Tunnel Mnt Drive at a sharp left corner and there is free public parking there.
This and 6 other trails (Hoodoos, Tunnel Mountain Loop Singletrack, Star Wars, The Toe, Snake and Water Tower) form a buncha new mountain bike trails within Banff Park. In the past, there were *very* limited options for riding in the woods of National Parks. But thanks to a philosophy change by Parks Canada and some *VERY* hardworking volunteers at the Bow Valley Mountain Bike Alliance (BVMBA), we now have these to enjoy. And you WILL enjoy them, they're good!. And even better, there are more coming, the BVMBA tells me late spring 2012 should have another new, technical trail open near Star Wars. Support you local MBA, BVs trail building night is Wednesdays, bring boots & gloves, they have a Pulaski with your name on it.
Directions:
You can park in the Surprise Corner / Point parking lot and ride East and up to Tunnel Mountain Drive, or park in one of the spots along TMD to ride back towards SP.
To get to Surprise Corner parking, drive all the way along Banff Avenue and turn left just before (at N side) of the Bridge to the Park Admin building/Banff Springs onto Buffalo Street. Take Buffalo to where it turns into Tunnel Mnt Drive at a sharp left corner and there is free public parking there.
Tunnel Mountain Drive runs from Buffalo Street (as above) to the far North end of Banff Avenue (900m South of Hiway 1 overpass).
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