About Banff National Park

Banff National Park covers 6,641 square kilometres of the eastern Canadian Rockies. It sits roughly 110 to 180 kilometres west of Calgary, anchored by the Bow River valley and the townsite of Banff. The terrain consists of sedimentary rock carved by Quaternary glaciation into cirques, hanging valleys, moraines, and U-shaped basins. Glacial meltwater feeds high-alpine lakes like Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, giving them a distinct turquoise color from suspended rock flour. The park borders Yoho National Park and provincial forests to the west, Kootenay National Park to the south, and Kananaskis Country to the southeast.

Most visitors spend two to four days here. They walk the flat, paved Lakeshore Trail at Lake Louise, drive the Icefields Parkway toward Jasper, and ride the gondola up Sulphur Mountain. A full exploration of the backcountry and the northern icefields takes seven to ten days. The park is open 24 hours a day, year-round (though visitor centre hours shrink in winter). Summer brings full access to high-elevation trails and the longest daylight hours. It also brings gridlock. Parking lots at major lakes cost $42.00 per day and fill within an hour of sunrise in July and August. You'll need to book Parks Canada shuttles weeks in advance to reach Moraine Lake, as the access road is permanently closed to personal vehicles.

Winter shifts the focus to skiing at Sunshine Village, Lake Louise, and Mt. Norquay. April and November are the low points. High trails remain buried in snow, lower paths turn to mud, and facilities shut down. Skip these months if you want to hike. For the best balance of weather and access, target September. The crowds thin out, and the alpine larches turn gold around Larch Valley. Buy your $12.25 daily park pass online before you arrive to skip the gate queues.

The park's topography runs from 1,400-metre valley bottoms to the 3,612-metre summit of Mount Forbes. Mount Assiniboine reaches 3,618 metres, but it straddles the southern boundary in adjacent provincial park land. Sedimentary rock formations—limestone, shale, and quartzite—date from the Precambrian to the Jurassic periods. Glaciers carved these rocks into sharp arêtes and deep U-shaped valleys during the Quaternary period. The Columbia Icefield, accessed via Highway 93N, feeds the Athabasca Glacier. Visitors can walk directly onto the toe of this retreating ice mass or ride massive Ice Explorer vehicles onto the surface. The wind coming off the glacier drops the ambient temperature by ten degrees, even in mid-July.

Water defines the lower elevations. Lake Minnewanka stretches 21 kilometres, making it the longest lake in the park. Bighorn sheep frequently block the loop road near its western shore. Further north, Johnston Canyon cuts through limestone cliffs 25 kilometres northwest of Banff. A steel catwalk is bolted directly into the canyon wall. It suspends hikers over the rushing creek, leading 1.1 kilometres to the Lower Falls and 2.7 kilometres to the Upper Falls. The metal grates vibrate underfoot when the water runs high in June. An optional extension leads 5.8 kilometres in to the cold-water Ink Pots springs.

Lake Louise and Moraine Lake sit at 1,750 and 1,884 metres, respectively. Their water stays near freezing year-round. Moraine Lake occupies the Valley of the Ten Peaks, backed by a wall of rock faces that hold snow through August. The best view requires a short, steep climb up the Rockpile Trail. The path consists of uneven stone steps. Wear stiff-soled boots, as the quartzite rocks are sharp and slippery after rain. If you want a quieter alternative, drive further up the Icefields Parkway to Bow Lake or Peyto Lake. Peyto Lake features a fox-head-shaped overlook and a handicap-accessible viewing section.