Welcome to the Park of the Week Newsletter for November 21, 2024. This week we’re featuring Canada’s first national park.
Banff National Park
Location
Rocky Mountains, Alberta, Canada
Claim to fame
Banff National Park, originally called Rocky Mountains Park, was the first national park established in Canada and the third national park created in North America, after Yellowstone and Mackinac National Parks in the United States. Federally protected since 1885, Banff is the cornerstone of the Canadian National Parks system and is the most famous and most visited national park in Canada, with over 3 million visitors a year.
Reason to visit
Known for its crystal clear lakes (like Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and Peyto Lake) amid breathtaking mountain peaks, Banff offers one of the most stunning landscapes in North America. Visitors can stay at one of the park’s famous lodges (like the palatial Chateau Lake Louise), hike nearly 1,000 miles (1600 km) of trails, and spy its abundant wildlife, which includes megafauna like brown and black bears, bighorn sheep, elk, wolves, and moose, along with over 280 species of birds.
Wild Fact
Two of the more popular hikes at Banff are the trails that lead to two historic tea houses where tea and other refreshments are still served to hikers. Only accessible by trail, Lake Agnes Tea House dates back to 1905 and perches above Lake Louise at the end of a 3.5 km (2.2 m) hike, while the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse is nestled in the trees near a row of glaciers.
Bonus Wild Fact: While many place names in Banff National Park retain their Stoney Nakoda names, Banff itself was named for a nearby train station, which was named after the Banffshire region of Scotland.
Want to learn more about Banff National Park? Check out the park’s website.
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