Banff National Park
Canada's first national park, spanning Spanning 6,641 square kilometres (2,564 square miles) of valleys, mountains, glaciers, forests, meadows and rivers.
Watch the sunset on a riverside stroll or feel the breath of glaciers in the alpine. Take your pick of over 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) of maintained trails. Many of the park’s most famous hikes are easily accessible from the Town of Banff and the village of Lake Louise.
Parking is extremely limited in Lake Louise. Booking a seat on a Parks Canada shuttle is the best way to see Moraine Lake and Lake Louise, and the only way to see both lakes in one day. Reserve your seat at ExplorethePark.ca
Banff National Park also incorporates historic sites such as Cave and Basin National Historic Site and Banff Park Museum National Historic Site of Canada.
Banff National Park Fast Facts
- Established in 1885 as Canada’s first National Park (third in the world) and was the birth of Canada’s vast national parks system.
- Banff is part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- The mountains are around 45 to 120 million years old.
- The park encompasses Banff, the highest town in Canada at an elevation of 1,384 m (4,540 ft).
- Banff is home to Alberta’s southernmost herd of the endangered woodland caribou.
For more information visit Banff National Park.