Banff National Park

Banff is Canada's oldest national park and the jewel of the Rocky Mountains, a UNESCO wonderland of soaring snow-capped peaks, glaciers, dense forests and lakes of an unreal turquoise. Roamed by elk, bears and bighorn sheep and centred on the charming alpine town of Banff with its hot springs and gondolas, it offers world-class hiking, wildlife and scenery in summer and superb skiing in winter.

History

Finds at Vermilion Lakes show people in the Banff area as early as 10,300 years ago, and before European contact it was home to the Stoney Nakoda, Ktunaxa, Tsuut'ina, Kainaiwa, Piikani, Siksika and Plains Cree; fur traders and surveyors followed, among them David Thompson in 1807 and the Palliser expedition of 1857-1860. In 1883 workers building the Canadian Pacific Railway came upon the hot springs, and in 1885 Prime Minister John A. Macdonald set aside 26 square kilometres around the Cave and Basin springs as the Banff Hot Springs Reserve; the Rocky Mountains Park Act of 23 June 1887 enlarged it to 674 square kilometres as Rocky Mountains Park, Canada's first national park, and the railway built the Banff Springs Hotel and the Lake Louise Chalet to draw visitors. Between 1890 and 1920 the Stoney Nakoda were removed from the park (Wikipedia, Banff National Park).

Highlights

• The turquoise lakes - Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, jewels of the park.
• The Banff Gondola - the ride up Sulphur Mountain for a panorama.
• The wildlife - elk, bighorn sheep, and bears in the forests.
• The town and hot springs - the alpine town of Banff and its thermal springs.

When to go

Summer, June to September, for hiking, the lakes at their most vivid and open high roads; winter for skiing and frozen lakes. Spring and autumn are quieter shoulder seasons, though snow lingers on the high trails into early summer.

Good to know

It is extremely popular, so Lake Louise and Moraine Lake overflow in summer, with parking full by dawn and shuttles or booked buses now often the only way in; go very early or use transit. Wildlife is wild, so keep your distance and carry bear spray on trails. It is busy and can feel crowded at the honeypots.

Nearby

Jasper National Park lies north along the Icefields Parkway; Yoho and Kootenay parks adjoin.

Key facts