Tunnel Mountain, Mountain summit in Banff National Park, Canada

Tunnel Mountain is a summit in Banff National Park rising to about 1700 meters with views of Banff town, Bow Valley, and the surrounding Canadian Rocky Mountains. The peak sits close enough to town that it serves as a popular destination for day hikers of various levels.

In the 1880s, Canadian Pacific Railway surveyors planned to tunnel through the mountain for train tracks but chose a different route instead. This decision shaped how the area developed and kept the peak free for recreational use.

The Stoney Nakoda name Eyarhey Tatanga Woweyahgey Wakân and the Blackfoot Iinii Istako both refer to a sleeping buffalo, seen from the north and east. In September 2016 fifteen First Nations signed a resolution to rename the peak Sacred Buffalo Guardian Mountain; the name was granted ceremonially in November 2017 while the Geographical Names Board of Canada decision is pending.

The hiking trail to the summit takes about two to three hours for the full round-trip over roughly 4 kilometers with moderate climbing. The path is well-maintained with fixed steps and stairs in steeper sections, making it accessible for many skill levels.

Local resident Anne Ness climbed Tunnel Mountain more than 8,000 times over 40 years, averaging 200 ascents a year and sometimes summiting twice in one day. Wildlife artist Carl Rungius loved the view so much that his ashes were scattered on the mountain.