Banff National Park - by travel authority Howard Hillman

Banff National Park

travel wonder in Canada

Why Banff

is special

Banff National Park in Canada has a stunningly beautiful landscape. It has snow-capped jagged mountains, impressive glaciers, evergreen forested mountain slopes, serene alpine meadows, surging streams, therapeutic hot springs, emerald-hued lakes, and scenic drives, all set in the Canadian Rockies.

Banff National Park also boasts interesting wildlife including grizzly and black bears, wolves, cougars, coyotes, caribous elks, and bighorn sheep.

Tips and insights on

Banff National Park

in Canada

The two most picturesque Banff National Park locales are Lake Louise (see photo) and Lake Moraine. These lovely blue-green lakes have mountain backdrops.

Summer tourist activities include hiking, climbing, camping, fishing, boating and windshield sightseeing.

Banff National Park has several top-flight ski resorts. Other winter sports include cross-country skiing, snowboarding and ice skating.

The several hour drive on the Icefields Parkway from Banff town to Jasper to the north has spectacular mountain scenery. There are pull-in overlooks along the way.

Banff National Park is open 12 months a year and receives about 5 million visitors per year. Most people come from mid-June through August, which causes crowding, especially in Banff town (it's best to come on weekdays). The finest overall time for your vacation trip is mid-May to Mid-June. Next is September.

The average summer high temperature is around 24°C (80°F), Mid-winter average highs are just below or above the freezing point. Those temperatures are for Banff town in the valley. Temperatures noticeably drop as the elevation rises.

The altitude of Banff town is 1383 meters (4537 feet). The tallest peak in the park is 3612 meters (11,850 feet).

Banff was named for Banffshire in Scotland.

The nearest major city in Calgary (in Alberta Province). It is 90 minutes away by auto on the modern Trans-Canada Highway.