photo by gusto

Banff and Lake Louise have been welcoming international visitors for more than a century. In 1883 the attempts of three Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) workers to stake a claim to the natural hot springs they had discovered bubbling from the base of Sulphur Mountain led to the establishment of Canada’s first national park. Today, Banff National Park (6,641 square km / 2,564 square miles) is one of four adjoining mountain parks comprising more than 20,235 square km / 7,813 square miles of spectacular Canadian Rocky Mountain landscape. For current visitors, bathing in these same hot springs is but one of many activities offered in Canada’s foremost National Park. When you visit the Banff/Lake Louise area you will see why each year more than 4.5 million visitors come to enjoy the unique feeling of the Canadian Rockies and to experience why the United Nations in 1985 declared our area a “World Heritage Site”. Banff National Park is a year round playground in the Canadian wilderness. A four season recreational area that offers everything from 7,558 acres of downhill skiing/snowboarding terrain to hundreds of miles of mountain trails. Explore our landscape by bus or car, canoe or raft, on foot or skis. Enjoy the many sightseeing opportunities or photograph some of the most spectacular scenery and wildlife on Earth.