Sights in Banff & Jasper National Parks
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Banff Gondola
In summer or winter you can summit a peak near Banff thanks to the Banff Gondola, whose four-person enclosed cars glide you up to the top of Sulphur Mountain in less than 10 minutes. Named for the thermal springs that emanate from its base, this peak is a perfect viewing point and a tick-box Banff attraction. There are a couple of restaurants on top plus an extended hike on boardwalks to Sanson Peak, an old weather station. Some people hike all the way up on a zigzagging 5.6km trail. You can travel back down on the gondola for half price and recover in the hot springs.
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Cave & Basin National Historic Site
Aboriginals have known about this hot spot for 10,000 years. The Cave & Basin is a great place to sniff around and discover how Banff National Park came into being. In 1883, three railway workers found the hot springs and discovered a thermal gold mine. Quickly throwing up a shack to charge bathers for their thermal treatments, the government soon stepped in and decided to declare Banff Canada's first national park in order to preserve the springs. You can't swim here any more, but there's an indoor museum (temporarily closed at the time of research) and an interpretive walk along boardwalks to the springs and cave vent. The 2.5km Marsh Loop Trail across the park's only…
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Museum
Be sure to join Babe Ruth as one of the visitors who've signed the guest book at the Banff Park Museum - he did so in 1922. Near the Bow River Bridge at the southern end of town, this lodge-style wood building was built by the CPR in 1903. Check out the surprising inner atrium.
Before trails first led curious wildlife watchers into the bush, the museum housed a zoo and aviary, so Victorian visitors to Banff could catch a safe glimpse of the park's wildlife. The museum, a National Historic Site, contains a collection of animals, birds and plants found in the park, including two small stuffed grizzlies and a black bear, plus a tree carved with graffiti dating back to 1841.…
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Whyte Museum Complex
The Whyte Museum complex features an art gallery and a vast collection of photographs telling the history of early explorers, artists and the CPR. Many of the exhibits rotate, but be sure to check out the Heritage Gallery with its story of the unlikely romance of Peter and Catherine Whyte, the museum's founders. On the property are four log cabins and two Banff heritage homes, one dating from 1907 and the other from 1931.
The museum conducts tours of the complex and walking tours of the town year-round.
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Buffalo Nations Luxton Museum
The Luxton Museum tells the story of the first inhabitants of the Banff area with some interesting displays and artifacts. Traditional clothing and historic photographs populate the display cabinets, and there's a life-sized replica of a sun dance ceremony and a few other well-put-together displays.
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Canadian Ski Museum West
Scattered throughout the Cascade Plaza Mall, Canadian Ski Museum West exhibits chronicle Banff's ski history through bronze statues of skiers and panels describing the evolution of the sport and its growth in Banff. If you can survive the smells of potpourri from the boutiques, you can learn about everyone from the charming Swiss guide Bruno Engler to modern national ski greats such as Ken Read and Karen Percy.
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Banff Center
Banff Centre, off St Julien Rd east of downtown, contains one of Canada's best-known art schools, complete with facilities for dance, theater, music and the visual arts. Exhibits, concerts and various other events take place regularly. During the Banff Summer Arts Festival, which happens throughout the season, students and internationally recognized artists present pieces in workshops and performances.
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Lake Minnewanka
The largest reservoir in Banff National Park, Lake Minnewanka is 11km (7mi) east of the Banff town. Forests and mountains surround this scenic recreational area, and there are plenty of hiking, swimming, sailing, boating and fishing opportunities. The easy trail around the lake is a good option for a walk; the path is easy to follow and popular.
There is no public transport to the lake.
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Canada Place
You'll want to wave a maple leaf - or rent the South Park movie with the 'Blame Canada' song - after you visit this unusual, almost jingoistic location. Various exhibits and interactive displays celebrate all things Canuck. You can sit in a birch-bark canoe but try as we might, we couldn't find a Tim Hortons doughnut anywhere.
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Cascade Gardens
The Cascade Gardens, south across the Bow River Bridge, burst with flowers. A stream, ponds and a few benches dot the gardens. In summer the Siksiki Nation erects a tepee with displays of traditional culture and dance exhibitions.
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World Heritage Park
World Heritage Park houses displays about Unesco. It is also a good place to pause for air while negotiating Banff's main drag: Banff Ave. There are plenty of cafes nearby if the mountain air makes you hungry.
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Canada House Gallery
A large private gallery that sells work by Canadian artists and those from the Rockies in particular, Canada House Gallery is an excellent place to see recent trends and works.
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Central Park
Toward the south end of Banff Ave is Central Park where you can stroll along the mellow Bow River. From here you can follow the signed nature path north along the river.
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Walter Phillips Gallery
The Walter Phillips Gallery shows changing displays of contemporary art that are often provocative.
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Banff Park Museum
Occupying an old wooden Canadian Pacific Railway building dating from 1903, this museum is a national historic site. Its exhibits – a taxidermic collection of animals found in the park, including grizzly and black bear, plus a tree carved with graffiti dating from 1841 – have changed little since the museum opened a century ago.
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Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies
The century-old Whyte Museum is more than just a rainy-day option. There is a beautiful gallery displaying some great pieces on an ever-changing basis. The permanent collection tells the story of Banff and the hearty men and women who forged a home among the mountains. Attached to the museum is an archive with thousands of photographs spanning the history of the town and park; these are available for reprint. The museum also gives out leaflets for a self-guided Banff Culture Walk.
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Moraine Lake
The scenery will dazzle you long before you reach the spectacular deep-teal colored waters of Moraine Lake. The lake is set in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, and the narrow winding road leading to it offers views of these distant imposing summits. With little hustle or bustle and lots of beauty, many people prefer the more rugged and remote setting of Moraine Lake to Lake Louise. There are some excellent day hikes from the lake, or rent a boat at the Moraine Lake Boathouse and paddle through the glacier-fed waters.
Moraine Lake Rd and its facilities are open from June to early October.
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Lake Minnewanka
Lake Minnewanka, pronounced mini-wonka, as in Willy Wonka, not mini-wanker, as Australian visitors enjoy saying, sits 13km east of Banff Town, making it a popular escape from downtown. The scenic recreational area features plenty of hiking, swimming, sailing, boating and fishing opportunities. The nonchallenging trail around the lake is a good option for a walk; the path is easy to follow and popular. Minnewanka Lake Cruises offers a 60-minute interpretive cruise on the lake giving plenty of insight into the region's history and geology. You can also fish here or hike to the Alymer Lookout trail for spectacular lake and mountain views. A Brewster bus can transport you to…
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Lake Louise Sightseeing Gondola
To the east of Hwy 1, this sightseeing gondola will lever you to the top of Mt Whitehorn, where the views of the lake and Victoria Glacier are phenomenal. At the top, there's a restaurant and a Wildlife Interpretive Centre where you can partake in 45-minute guided hikes.
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Lake Louise
Named for Queen Victoria's otherwise anonymous fourth daughter (who also lent her name to the province) , Lake Louise is a place that requires multiple viewings. Aside from the standard picture-postcard shot (blue sky, even bluer lake), try visiting at six in the morning, at dusk in August, in the October rain or after a heavy winter storm.
You can rent an unethically priced canoe from the Lake Louise Boathouse and go for a paddle around the lake. Don't fall overboard – the water is freezing.
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