Animal Footprints of the Canadian Rockies

By DH Wall

The Banff National Park Information Centre in downtown Banff has an interesting wildlife footprints display.

It is fun for kids and grown-ups alike to try to guess what animal has which footprint.

Can you guess which is an elk, a bighorn sheep, a wolf or a bear?

Sometimes similar footprints can be spotted while out hiking in Banff National Park and surrounding Canadian Rockies. When hiking, try to look for tracks in the dirt. But don’t forget to look up every now and then. The tracks in the dirt may be from an animal just up ahead.

Animal footprints in the Canadian Rockies display at the Banff National Park Information Centre

Knowing the type of footprint can come in handy. Seeing fresh bear footprints in the mud could be helpful when trying to avoid face-to-snout encounters.