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Banff National Park is a national park that was established in 1885, making it Canada’s oldest. It is located along the old railway line between Calgary and Vancouver, and the 6,641 km² park is an easily accessible with entrances from Calgary in the east, from Rocky Mountain House in the northeast, from Jasper National Park in the north, and from two roads in the west from, for example, Vancouver and Kamloops.
In the early years, the Canadian Pacific Railway was crucial to the development of the tourism into the national park. The railway company built the Banff Springs Hotel and Château Lake Louise and attracted tourists to the luxurious hotels in the stunningly beautiful surroundings. In the early 1900s, roads were built in the park, and access became easier for many over the years.
The main roads in Banff National Park are the Trans-Canada Highway, which comes from Calgary in the east and crosses the park. In Lake Louise, the Icefields Parkway exits north to Jasper and Jasper National Park. There are many popular tours and excursion destinations in the large park, and there are almost beautiful views everywhere.
Starting the tour in the park from the east in the direction of Calgary, you quickly reach the town of Banff, which was established in 1885. The name Banff was given to the area by the president of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1884. The surroundings reminded him of his birthplace, which was Banff in Scotland. In Banff you can see the Banff Springs Hotel, which opened in 1888 as a fashionable resort hotel.
The Bow River flows through the town of Banff, and in the middle of the town you can enjoy the sight of the Bow River Falls, which are some beautiful waterfalls in the mountainous surroundings. You can see more of the vast nature northeast of the city at Lake Minnewanka or south of the city on a trip with the Banff Gondola. It is a cable car that takes guests to the top of Sulfur Mountain with a beautiful view of the area.
From Banff, you can drive northwest along the Bow Valley Parkway to Johnston Canyon, where a hiking trail leads through a beautiful gorge with several waterfalls. You park on the main road and can head out for the hike or parts of it from here. If you drive further, you come through the national park’s impressive landscape on the way to the town of Lake Louise.
Lake Louise is a small town that has the same name as perhaps the most famous lake in Canada’s Rocky Mountains. At the lakeside you can see the luxury hotel Fairmont Château Lake Louise and a breathtaking view. From Lake Louise you can continue to Moraine Lake south of the city, which complements Lake Louise in the most beautiful way.
Icefields Parkway is the name of the road that connects the town of Jasper in the north with Lake Louise in the south. The road is used by countless tourists every summer who are on a road trip to experience the beautiful Canadian Rocky Mountains. The Icefields Parkway is 233 kilometers long and it connects Jasper National Park and Banff National Park.
If you drive south from Jasper, there are many places of interest on the way to Banff, and you can stop at several viewpoints and parking options at hiking trails to beautiful places in nature. Athabasca Falls and Sunwapta Falls are good spots on the northern part of the road. Athabasca Falls is 24 meters high, 46 meters wide and with large volumes of water pouring over the edge. Sunwapta Falls is similarly impressive and has a drop of 18.5 meters.
If you drive further south, you come to the Icefields Centre, where you can see the Athabasca Glacier, which is one of six glacier fronts from the Columbia Icefield. The glacier has retreated considerably over the past hundred years, but you can still see it and walk to it on the interesting hiking trail that has been established here.
After the Icefields Centre, you cross the border between Jasper National Park and Banff National Park when you drive further south. Here you come to a stop where there is a short hiking route to Mistaya Canyon, which is a nice walk through the forest to a beautiful gorge.
The next major natural attractions are the beautiful lakes Peyto Lake and Bow Lake with crystal clear water and views of majestic mountains. You can enjoy the scenery and the view from the viewpoints along the Icefields Parkway or take a walk in the area along the northern shore of Bow Lake. The hiking trail goes all the way to Bow Glacier Falls.
The beautiful lakes continue along the Icefields Parkway to the south with first Hector Lake and Herbert Lake before reaching the town and Lake Louise. The lake is perhaps the most famous in Canada’s Rocky Mountains, and it is here that you find the luxury hotel Fairmont Château Lake Louise. From Lake Louise, you can continue to Moraine Lake south of the city, which complements Lake Louise in the most beautiful way, or drive on to the town of Banff to the southeast.
Jasper National Park is the northernmost national park in the Rocky Mountains, and it is a natural starting point for tours in the mountain range, as the Trans-Canada Railway stops in the town of Jasper. The park’s area covers 10,878 km² and consists of glaciers, hot springs, large forests, lakes, waterfalls and of course a varied landscape of mountains and valleys.
Jasper’s and the national park’s name derives from Jasper Haws, who was a fur trader from Maryland who worked for the North West Company. In 1815, Haws took command of a North West Company trading post at Brûlé Lake, and the site became known as Jasper House. The house was destroyed in 1910, but it gave its name to both the national park and the town of Jasper.
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Calgary is the southernmost of the two major cities of the province of Alberta; Edmonton to the north is the other one. The town is beautifully set at the confluence of the Bow River and Elbow River. The surroundings are prairie and the impressive Rocky Mountains start in the horizon to the west.
The city is one of Canada’s largest and it is one of the country’s economic centers. Tourism is also great in Calgary, which is well located for on road to and over the Rocky Mountains, which is high on many tourists’ bucket list for Canada. The mountains and the winter weather of the area also made the city host the Winter Olympics in 1988 as the first city in Canada.
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