About Banff National Park
In the fall of 1883, three Canadian Pacific Railway
construction workers stumbled across a cave containing hot springs on the
eastern slopes of Alberta's Rocky Mountains. From that humble beginning was
born Banff National Park, Canada's first national park and the world's third.
Spanning 6,641 square kilometres (2,564 square miles) of
valleys, mountains, glaciers, forests, meadows and rivers, Banff National Park
is one of the world's premier destination spots. Visitors can tour our historic
sites, soak in hot springs, stroll along the shores of Lake Louise, spend a
night in the historic Banff Springs Hotel, and drive the Icefields Parkway into
adjoining Jasper National Park.
Banff National Park is a hiking wonderland, containing over
1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) of trails, more than any other mountain park.
Hikers can find anything from a one-hour jaunt up a mountain to a month long
backcountry excursion into the lonely wild regions of the park.
Banff is home to a number of outstanding geological and
ecological features. In addition to the hot springs, the Castleguard Caves in
the remote northwest corner of the park are Canada's longest cave system. The
park also contains Alberta's southernmost herd of the endangered woodland
caribou.
The park is in the Rocky Mountain natural life zone, with
terrain divided into three separate eco-regions: the montane, the sub-alpine
and the alpine. Each eco-region is characterized by a different plant and animal
regime, as well as a different climate and elevation.
The Trans-Canada Highway, the Banff-Radium Highway, the
scenic Bow Valley Parkway and the awe-inspiring Icefields Parkway are all major
travel routes that bisect the park, enhancing visitors' chances of seeing the
abundant wildlife inhabiting the mountain regions. Lucky travelers may see elk,
deer, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, moose, black bears, grizzly bears, wolves
and a host of other large and small mammals.
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