Banff National Park

Banff National Park, established in 1885 as Canada's first national park, spans 6,641 square kilometres in the Alberta Rockies and anchors one of the world's great mountain landscapes. The park's two signature lakes — Lake Louise and Moraine Lake — draw millions of visitors annually for their impossibly turquoise glacial waters set beneath ranks of high peaks, though both require early arrivals or Parks Canada shuttles due to road-capacity controls in peak season. The Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) runs 232 kilometres from Banff to Jasper and is regarded as one of the world's most scenic drives, passing the Columbia Icefield, Peyto Lake, Bow Lake, and numerous roadside waterfalls. The town of Banff itself sits inside park boundaries at 1,383 metres and offers restaurants, hotels, and the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies within walking distance of wilderness trailheads. Sulphur Mountain Gondola ascends to a ridge boardwalk for panoramic views of the Bow Valley; the Banff Upper Hot Springs pools near the gondola base provide a soak after a day of hiking. Wildlife is abundant — elk wander the townsite regularly, and grizzly bears, wolves, and bighorn sheep inhabit the valleys. Winter transforms the park into one of North America's premier ski destinations, with Ski Banff incorporating three mountains. A Parks Canada day pass or Discovery Pass is required for all private vehicle access.