Spray River Trail

Banff, of course, is a tangle of bewildered tourists and ridiculously overpriced restaurants. It all culminates along Banff Avenue, which is among the most traffic chocked six blocks of real estate in the entire Great White North. And it does not stop until the Banff Springs Hotel, a bastion of taste and idling tour buses at the south end of downtown. But behind the hotel, in a parking lot, the real park begins -- and it begins quickly. The Spray River Trail heads south along the stream, passing cascades and side trails, and leads for 12 miles to its end near Canmore. Don't expect to have this trail to yourself, but do expect to be surprised.