Banff National Park

Banff National Park, established in 1885, is the first national park designated in Canada.  The scenic resort town of Banff attracts millions of tourists annually, for summer scenery and winter skiing.

From Banff we drove north through the park on the Trans-Canada Hwy (Hwy 1) to Lake Louise. The highway has some unique overpasses designed to allow large animals to cross the highway without getting hit by vehicles.


Lake Louise/ Victoria Glacier (left) are one of the most photographed locations in the Canadian Rockies.

After lunch, we drove further north along the Icefields Parkway (hwy 93N).  This drive takes you through ancient glacier fields, dramatic rocky spires, and emerald-color lakes.

Bow Lake (right) was especially scenic. Just north of the lake we crossed Bow Summit, highest point on the Icefield Parkway (2088 m/6849 ft elevation).  Late afternoon we drove back to base camp near Cochrane, Alberta (just west of Calgary).

To celebrate "Canada 150" anniversary, the park service is giving free admission passes to all visitors in 2017.