Hiking the Cory Pass Loop: What You Need to Know

The Cory Pass hike offers intrepid day hikers a physical challenge and extraordinary views of the otherworldly Gargoyle Valley. Along the trail, you’ll find everything from aspen forests and wildflowers to alpine landscapes and huge rock faces. It may be one of our favourite hikes in Banff for a strong hiker, as it does not require advanced route finding or have any exposed scrambling.

Almost any hiker with good fitness can complete the route, which you will need, as it is difficult with over 1,000 meters of elevation gain. It’s no walk in the park, and it does come with some challenges, so it’s best saved for those with some hiking experience and proper equipment.

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Cory Pass/ Mt Edith Circuit Route Description

Cory Pass is a large loop hike that begins at the Fireside Day Use area along the Bow Valley Parkway. The ideal route is to complete the trail in a clockwise direction, which involves taking a left at the trail intersection and heading up Cory Pass first, then descending down into Gargoyle Valley, and around Mt Edith.

Right from the start, the trail starts with a creek crossing, which can be a challenge depending on the water flow. There are usually some logs or stones that sit a little higher than the car park, but even at its worst, the crossing is easy to do by just walking through barefoot – which is what we did.

After the creek crossing, the trail moves past an old picnic area and through a lovely grove of aspen trees. It’s the flattest section of the trail and only lasts for about 1.2 km, so enjoy it while it lasts. You’ll then reach the start of the loop trail, where you’ll need to take a left to gain a ridge. Here, the trail quickly begins to gain elevation and does not let up, except for one brief section, until you reach the summit of Cory Pass.

The good news is that the views start quick, back towards Vermilion Lakes, The Bow River, and Mount Rundle. It’s a long series of steep switchbacks that move through thin trees, open meadows, and loose dirt that receives a lot of sunlight, so it’s often dry. The good news is that the meadows and sunlight make for amazing wildflowers as you climb one of the steepest sections.

Once you’ve gained the ridge, after 1.4 km, the trail descends back down a short rock band that requires minor scrambling, Parks Canada has marked the proper route with a sign and paint.

The trail moves along the SW flank of Mt. Edith for 3 km. While steep, this section is more manageable than the initial climb and offers a nice gradient that remains largely the same to Cory Pass. Views through the pass are wonderful and a little more airy as the trail hugs fairly high on Mt. Edith.

Take care in small sections with erosion, as the trail can be a bit exposed with loose rock. It’s definitely not a slope where you’d want to take a tumble. After plenty of elevation gain in five kilometres, you’ll reach the summit of Cory Pass, which offers tremendous views in both directions. Most notable are the views back down into the aptly named Gargoyle Valley, where you’ll be heading if you followed the clockwise direction.

The descent into the valley is the crux of the hike, outside of the physical element, with loose, steep scree and rock bands. However, the valley itself is the highlight of the hike, with the huge rock face of Mt. Louis looming over it as you descend past rock gargoyles. Seeing the trail snake along through the valley is a wonderful sight and makes for some sweet photos.

A hiking pole is recommended for this section of the descent, as it’s pretty loose and steep. After the scree descent, you’ll head right and continue hugging along the slopes of Mt Edith. It continues as such for another 2.5 km until you reach a large avalanche path and the forest.

The section requires some minor route finding to ensure you’re on the Edith Pass trail—keep an eye on the tree line as Parks Canada has marked the trail with a hiking sign. It will require gaining some elevation to reach the trail, which can be arduous after the big climb up Cory Pass already.

Once on the trail, you’ll get your last mountain views before descending back down through the forest. The trail is technically easy and has little risk compared to the rest of the hike, but it is rough. There are an endless amount of roots and almost no surface feels level for over a kilometre.

However, with time, the trail levels off and turns into a pleasant forest trail with an easy descent back down towards the start of the hike. When we hiked it there were a dozen or so downed trees across the trail, so it required some navigating. Parks may have cleaned them up by now, but the trail definitely needed some love from the trail crew.

Regardless of trail conditions the forest trail out can feel a bit exhausting as it’s 6 kilometres of pretty mundane hiking once you reach the forest line out of Gargoyle Valley. The last four kilometres lack anything more than forest views, and we are sure you’ll be stoked to finally reach the creek crossing back to your car.

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When is the Best Time to Hike This Trail?

This trail should only be completed in the summer months, when all the snow has melted off the trail. Keep it on your radar for anytime between mid-June and mid-October. We completed this hike in mid-July, and it was snow-free.

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Trailhead Info

Start your hike at the Fireside Day Use area, where there is a small parking area. However, when Parks Canada closes the Bow Valley Parkway to vehicles, you’ll have to park near the closed gate and walk to the trailhead. You can stay up to date on the vehicle closure here.

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Trail Duration

This full-loop hike should take you between 5 and 8 hours. Five is on the fast side, and 8 hours would mean really taking your time.

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How Hard is the Trail?

While not technical and there is little to no scrambling involved, it’s safe to say that heading up Cory Pass is steep and grueling. The first few kilometers were the steepest, and until we reached the top of Cory Pass, it was a steady uphill climb. Dropping into Gargoyle Valley from the top of the pass is a steep descent and poles would be helpful. At over 15km and 1100 meters, it’s long and physically demanding.

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Trail Notes

We recommend going clockwise on this loop. Which means taking the Cory Pass trail up and the Edith Pass trail down.