Banff National Park

Banff: Canada’s First National Park, and Still Its Most Photographed

Established in 1885 after railway workers stumbled on natural hot springs and the Canadian government decided to protect them from private development, Banff was Canada’s first national park. The decision was more commercial than conservationist in the beginning – the Canadian Pacific Railway wanted a destination to sell to tourists – but the result is 6,641 square kilometres of the Canadian Rockies protected at the height of the industrial era. The turquoise lakes, the glacier-capped peaks, the wildlife wandering into town in October: all of it persists because of that 19th-century railway economics decision.

The water in Lake Louise and Moraine Lake is that colour because of rock flour – fine glacial sediment suspended in the meltwater that reflects specific wavelengths of light. No filter required and no reasonable explanation makes the colour less surreal when you are standing at the shore.

The Essential Sights

Lake Louise is iconic for reasons earned through a century of photographs, and the photographs are accurate. The Victoria Glacier at the far end and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise at the near end frame a view that does what it is supposed to. In peak summer, mandatory shuttles run from the Park and Ride because the parking lot fills by 7am. Take the shuttle. Canoes are rentable on the lake.

Moraine Lake is the stronger photograph for most people: the Valley of Ten Peaks behind a lake of even more saturated turquoise than Louise, accessible by a short walk from the lake shore viewpoint above. The same mandatory shuttle system applies in summer. The road to Moraine Lake closes October through June for snow.

Icefields Parkway is the 232-kilometre scenic drive connecting Banff to Jasper National Park. It passes the Athabasca Glacier (accessible and walkable via a guided ice walk from the Icefield Centre), multiple hanging glaciers visible from the road, and a series of viewpoints that justify stopping frequently. Allow a full day minimum.

Johnston Canyon is a hike on catwalk bridges through a limestone canyon to a lower waterfall in about 1 kilometre and an upper waterfall in about 2.7 kilometres. Crowded on summer weekends; go early morning or on a weekday. The canyon walls in winter become an ice climbing venue.

Wildlife

Grizzly and black bears, wolves, elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and moose are all present in the park. Elk wander into Banff townsite in autumn during rut; the dominant bulls treat the main street as their territory during this period, which is exactly as dramatic as it sounds. Carry bear spray in the backcountry and keep it accessible. The spray works and the bears do not.

Food and Where to Stay

The Bison Restaurant in Banff townsite does wild game and Canadian-sourced ingredients well – bison, elk, Alberta beef. Park Distillery, a few doors down, makes spirits on site and does food that goes with them. For a serious mountain lodge experience, the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in the valley has been hosting guests since 1888 and the scale of it is as theatrical as the Rocky Mountain setting.

Book accommodation months ahead for July and August. The parks are genuinely busy; the experience of arriving without a reservation in summer is not recommended. The Banff townsite has the full range from budget hostel to five-star hotel.

Practical Notes

The park entry fee is CAD $21.50 per adult per day or covered by the Parks Canada Discovery Pass ($75.25 per adult annually, which pays for itself on a visit longer than three days). Cell service is unreliable in the backcountry; download offline maps before entering remote areas. Altitude ranges from about 1,400 to over 3,600 metres; acclimatise for a day before serious hiking.