Banff Canada – Canadian Rockies Mountain Paradise can Take Your Breath Away
The small mountain town of Banff Canada can easily take your breath away. That can mainly be attributed to its extraordinary geographical location.
Tucked in the southwestern region of Banff National Park, the town is surrounded by the famous Canadian Rockies Mountains.
The spectacular natural surroundings of Banff make it one the most visited towns in Western Canada, attracting millions of visitors each year.
You will find it quite delightful just to walk around the Banff town site, which is only about four square kilometers in size. The town is so scenic that it seems like every section is a great spot to take postcard-worthy photos.
View of Banff Credit: Sesivany from cs
You can also visit interesting museums and galleries, as well as go for some serious shopping. Calgary International Airport is the nearest airport to the town. The city of Calgary is just an hour drive away.
The National Park
Banff Park Museum (Alberta). Credit: : Acroterion
As the first park established in Canada, it encompasses around more than 2500 square miles of land. The landscape is characterized by mountains, forests, meadows, rivers and valleys.
There are plenty of opportunities for you to engage in many of the adventures offered in the area.
Go for a hiking trip with family and friends. Get the chance to marvel at the wide variety of wildlife inhabiting the park. Banff National Park is divided into zones according to their main landscape compositions.
The Alpine Zone is the biggest section in the park. It is made up of fascinating ice and rock formations. If you love trees and lower valleys, then venture into the Sub-alpine Zone.
Winter Playground
Northern lights over Banff. Photo credit: Satoru Kikuchi – http://www.flickr.com/photos/10717364@N06 Click image for larger view.
Snowboarding, ice climbing and cross-country skiing are some of the other fun activities offered in the region. When it comes to choosing a ski resort, Sunshine Village Ski Resort, Nikiski and Norquay are some of the notable ones. They are in close proximity to the town.
Equally famous, Lake Louise (only 40 miles away) is another attraction that draws in a large skiing crowd in the winter. There are astonishing numbers of visitors in the summer season. They just marvel at the magnificent setting.
Hot Springs and Historic Hotel
Banff Upper Hot Springs is one of the town’s premier attractions, accommodating guests all year round. This bath house and spa facility allows you to experience the soothing and relaxing effect of hot springs flowing from the mountains.
Aside from an outdoor thermal pool, the facility is also equipped with cafeteria, gift shops and children’s area. The small mountain town of Banff can easily take your breath away.
It can mainly be attributed to its extraordinary geographical location. Tucked in the southwestern region of Banff National Park, the town is surrounded by the famous Canadian Rockies Mountains.
The spectacular natural surroundings of Banff make it one the most visited towns in Western Canada, attracting millions of visitors each year.
You will find it quite delightful just to walk around the Banff town site. The town is only about four square kilometers in size. It is so scenic that it seems like every section is a great spot to take postcard-worthy photos.
When it comes to facilities and accommodation, Banff has enough accommodation and commercial establishments to facilitate the visitors without disrupting the environment.
You can also visit interesting museums and galleries, as well as go for some serious shopping. Calgary International Airport is the nearest airport to the town. The city of Calgary is just an hour drive away.
Athabasca Glacier
If you venture to take the trip north to the Columbia Icefield you will see the Athabasca Glacier which is one of the six principal ‘toes’ of the Columbia Icefield, located in the Canadian Rockies.
The glacier currently recedes at a rate of 6.6–9.8 ft. per year and has receded more than 0.93 miles in the past 125 years. It has lost over half of its volume. The glacier moves down from the icefield at a rate of several centimeters per day.
Athabasca Glacier. Photo credit: Ben W Bell. Click image for larger view.
It is the most visited glacier in North America. The leading edge of the glacier is within easy walking distance. However, travel onto the glacier is not recommended unless properly equipped. Hidden crevasses have led to the deaths of unprepared tourists.
The Icefield Interpretive Centre, closed during the winter (mid-October to mid-April), stands across from the glacier. It is used as a lodge and for ticket sales for sightseeing on the glacier.
Standard buses transport tourists to the glacier edge. There they board specially designed snow coaches for transport over the steep grades, snow and ice part way up the glacier.
The glacier is approximately 3.7 mi long and covers an area of 2.3 sq. miles. It is measured to be between 300–980 ft. thick.
During the summer months visitors to the area can travel onto the glacier in the comfort of large “snowcoaches”. The Columbia Icefield is also a major destination for ski mountaineering in the winter months.
Columbia Icefield
The Columbia Icefield is an icefield also located in the Canadian Rockies.
It is alongside the Continental Divide of North America. The icefield lies partly in the northwestern tip of Banff National Park and the southern end of Jasper National Park.
View from Columbia Icefield Photo credit: Rufus Hawthorne. Click image for larger view.
The icefield feeds eight major glaciers, including:
- Athabasca Glacier
- Castleguard Glacier
- Columbia Glacier
- Dome Glacier
- Stutfield Glacier
- Saskatchewan Glacier
Have you been here? If so, add your insights below about this interesting travel destination.
Some of the highest mountains in the Canada Rockies are located around the edges; here are a few among many:
- Mount Andromeda (3,450 m)
- Mount Bryce (3,507 m)
- Castleguard Mountain (3,090 m)
- Mount Columbia (3,747 m)
- Mt. King Edward (3,490 m)
- Mount Athabasca (3,491 m)
The Athabasca River and the North Saskatchewan River originate in the Columbia Icefield. So do tributary headwaters of the Columbia River. Since the icefield is atop a triple Continental Divide, these waters flow ultimately north to the Arctic Ocean. They flow east to Hudson Bay (and therefore to the North Atlantic Ocean). They flow south and west to the Pacific Ocean.
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About the Author
Charles Harmon writes for his Ayurveda Health Tips.
