Overview

Banff National Park, in Alberta's Canadian Rockies, features some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in North America. Part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, Banff National Park stretches for 2,564 square miles with towering peaks, lush forests and verdant valleys plus rivers, glaciers, hot springs and lakes to enjoy year round.

Through 2010, Parks Canada celebrates Banff National Park's 125th anniversary and is Canada's oldest and first National Park. During the winter, Banff's home to three ski areas that together offer nearly 8,000 acres of skiable terrain. Off-the-slopes, you and the kids can seek out elk and other wildlife, ice fish for lake trout or put on ice cleats and walk along a frozen creek that cuts through a canyon laced with frozen waterfalls. During the summer months, the area's varied terrain affords ample hiking, canoeing, horseback riding, rock climbing, fishing and wildlife viewing adventures -- you can even walk on a 400-year-old glacier!

The town of Banff, a picturesque mountain center with shops, restaurants and lodging, lies within Banff National Park, as does Lake Louise, our favorite base for exploring the park. Renowned for its green lake backed by the snowcapped peak of Victoria Glacier, Lake Louise is 35 miles from the town of Banff.

Written by Candyce H. Stapen