One of Canada's most popular national parks, Banff's notoriety is well-deserved: It includes 25 mountains with altitudes greater than 9,840 ft/3,000 m. It also offers 800 mi/1,300 km of hiking trails, 13 campgrounds, and plenty of attractions and services (the town of Banff and the popular sightseeing and skiing area of Lake Louise are both within the park). July and August mark peak traveling times for visitors to the park.
The park is noted both for its natural beauty—snowcapped mountains in every direction, evergreen forests, streams, lakes and rivers—and its recreational offerings throughout the year. Horseback riding, river rafting, rock climbing, hiking, backpacking and camping are all available in summer. In winter, there's downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, ice climbing and more. And the walking and hiking possibilities are nearly endless: A popular, exhilarating walk takes you into Johnston Canyon, where several waterfalls can be reached within an hour. If you're energetic, you can continue on to examine other geographic details, such as paint pots—deposits of red clay that were often used for ceremonial art by native peoples.
If you're a photographer, you will especially love walking in the park. The constantly changing weather and light allow endless opportunities to capture stunning visuals. And large animals are available for photo ops, too. Bighorn sheep, elk and deer are commonly seen from the main roads in the park. With a little more luck, you may encounter mountain goats, bears, moose and coyotes, though happening upon a bear, especially a grizzly, may be more bad luck than good. Be sure to get the lowdown from park officials about what you should do in the event that you do meet one. Locals carry bear spray when hiking in the park. The general rule of thumb is to make noise while you walk, so as not to surprise a bear.
If you're making the drive between Banff and Jasper National Park (immediately to the northwest), allow a whole day: The Icefields Parkway that runs through both parks is only 180 mi/290 km long, but it's such a beautiful drive, you'll be making frequent stops to take in the scenery crowned by these ancient glaciers. Although the park is open year-round, this is avalanche country; don't be surprised to find the highway suddenly closed for two to three days at a time in the winter months. The road winds past magnificent mountain vistas, glacial ice fields, waterfalls and roaming animals (moose, elk, sheep, goats and bears)—some may even roam on the road. You'll want to stop often for photos and perhaps even take a short hike.
Explore Sunwapta Falls as you head up the Sunwapta Pass. This is the official boundary between Jasper and Banff National Parks. One of the many glorious stops you won't want to miss is Bow Summit and Bow Lake, with its opaque, pale blue water edged by snowcapped mountains. The short trail to the lake is brightened by colorful wildflowers. Farther north, the parkway passes the Columbia Icefield, one of the largest glacial areas in the Northern Hemisphere outside the Arctic Circle. You can see the Athabasca Glacier from across the highway at the Icefields Interpretive Centre or, for a close-up view, take a walking tour or snow-coach ride across the glacier itself, where you can stop near the top and drink from an icy glacier-fed stream.
In winter, the mountains in Banff National Park provide excellent ski conditions. The largest ski resort in the park is Lake Louise, which covers 4,200 skiable acres/1,700 hectares and has 113 named runs in addition to bowl and glade skiing. The scenery is spectacular, and the season is long—typically, skiing starts in November and continues until May. The Lake Louise gondola and interpretive center is open in summer; take a ride to the top of Whitehorn Mountain for terrific views of the surrounding peaks.
In addition to the Lake Louise Ski Area, two other downhill ski resorts are located in the park. Only 4 mi/6 km from the town of Banff is Ski Banff at Norquay. It was long regarded as an experts-only resort but now offers slopes suitable for all levels of ability. Norquay offers night skiing on Friday January-March.
Sunshine Village has long been favored by families, partly because it offers convenient slope-side accommodations and individual outdoor hot tubs (it's the only on-mountain accommodation within Banff National Park). It has more than 3,100 acres/1,255 hectares of skiable terrain, including some wide-open bowls and a range of slopes for beginner, intermediate and advanced skiers. The runs cover three mountains. More experienced downhillers will want to concentrate on Goat's Eye, and real thrill seekers can try the Delirium Dive, which plunges off the peak of Lookout Mountain with an incline of up to 50 degrees. There's also a half-pipe and terrain park for boarders.
Just southeast of Banff National Park is Kananaskis Country, a lovely protected recreation area in the Rockies that was introduced to the world during the 1988 Winter Olympics. It has a 36-hole golf course (designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr.), three hotels and a village center, from which hiking, cycling and equestrian trails radiate. Adjacent Nakiska, the site of Olympic downhill, giant slalom and slalom events, offers excellent skiing. Though smaller than some of the area resorts, it's relatively inexpensive and offers a range of terrain, including some beginner runs in addition to the slopes that challenged the Olympians. A shuttle connects the mountain with the accommodations at Kananaskis Village. Nearby Canmore, just east of Banff, has experienced a building boom in recent years and is now home to art galleries, exceptional restaurants, golf and several large hotels. Banff National Park begins 55 mi/90 km west of Calgary.
