Things to do in Banff

Banff, most famous for its magnificent national park with soaring snow-capped mountains, lush forests, tranquil lakes and variety of wildlife, is undeniably the jewel of the Canadian Rockies. Although the town is quite small, it is buzzing with tourists and is a popular holiday destination. The towns main street is lined with souvenir shops, outdoor equipment stores and upmarket outdoor clothing stores as well as restaurants and quaint cafs.

Banff is an interesting town to experience, but the surrounding areas, especially the national park and hot springs, are the main draws for visitors to the area.

Banff National Park

This is Canadas leading tourist attraction, because of its sublime scenery, which includes valleys, glaciers, forests, meadows, rivers and mountains, spread over more than 6,600 square kilometres. There are many hiking and walking trails that allow visitors to enjoy the beauty of the park, with trails leading into the inner areas of the park.

Banff Park Museum

The museum is located within the Banff National Park grounds and chronicles the changes in attitudes to wildlife in the park. There are two floors of stuffed animals including polar bears and moose, which once lived in the park. There is a lovely wood-panelled reading room at the museum, which is full of magazines and books on the indigenous wildlife.

Gondola rides

These gondolas are not like the ones you will find in Venice, but instead are cable cars that offer great views of the mountains and the surrounding country. The best time to see wildlife is on an early morning ride, when such sightings are more likely. There are two routes available; the Sulphur Mountain Gondola and the Sunshine Gondola.

Lake Minnewanka

This is the largest lake in the national park and its name means lake of the water spirit. This is a good area to enjoy the splendid scenery and perhaps a boat ride or a fishing trip in the tranquil lake area.

Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies

This museum houses old photographs and paintings that depict early expeditions to this area. There are many interesting photographs, and visitors will be able to see how attitudes towards the animals in the park have changed over time. The museum houses the largest collected works of artistic and historical information relating to the mountains.

Cave and Basin National Historic Site

The caves and hot springs were discovered in 1883, and this discovery led to the founding of the Banff National Park. The underground caves and hot springs were discovered by three railway workers on their day off, but the government, on hearing of the discovery, quickly paid the three workers off and began promoting the area to help subsidise the cost of building the railway.

Visitors here will be able to view the caves which the three railway workers discovered, but the strong smell of sulphur can make viewing them quite unbearable. There is also a short film show that illustrates the area at that time through the use of old photographs. Visitors are not allowed to enter into the hot springs here, although there are commercialised hot springs in other areas where visitors can have a long dip.

Upper Hot Springs

Visitors to these hot springs are allowed to swim and relax in the warm mineral waters. The springs are located about five kilometres from town. There is a fairly pungent sulphurous smell around the area, but some say this only adds to the magical atmosphere.

Columbia Icefield

Here, visitors can view the largest collection of ice and snow in the entire Rockies. Tourists can walk on the glaciers, but at their own risk, as the several crevasses and the highly abrasive ice can cause serious damage if you slip. Tourists should join one of the several guided trips that will take them to spots on the glaciers where it is safe to walk around.