Sightseeing/Attractions

Lake Louise | Moraine Lake | Maligne Lake | Bow Falls | Emerald Lake | Johnston Canyon | Banff Gondola | Museums | Cave Tours | Columbia Icefield

Lake Louise

Moraine Lake

Maligne Lake

Bow Falls

Emerald Lake

		Johnston Canyon Your journey up Johnston Canyon begins in the shelter of towering lodgepole pine trees along the edge of Johnston Creek. As you saunter by the small chalets and lodge you begin a gentle climb on a wide and smooth path away from the Bow Valley Parkway. This first section of the walk along the creek's edge takes you through a typical montane forest in Banff National Park. Aspen trees, with smooth white bark and green leaves, contrast with the lodgepole pine and Douglas fir trees that have rougher brown bark and needles instead of leaves. Highlights: Seven waterfalls, trail inside a deep canyon, easy walking. Activities: Walking, hiking, photography, sightseeing, backpacking. Location: On Bow Valley Parkway, one half-hour west of Banff and one half-hour east of Lake Louise. Time: One hour return to Lower Falls, two hour return to the Upper Falls.
		Banff Gondola When visiting Banff National Park in the heart of the Canadian Rockies.... see More Mountains in a Moment than Most see in A Lifetime. Ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain to experience a bird's eye view of six mountain ranges. Banff Gondola is located just 5 minutes from the Town of Banff, on the shoulder of Sulphur Mountain, in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. The 360o view from the upper gondola terminal, view-decks and Summit Ridge interpretive boardwalk, is the very best vantage point in the west. Safely seated in 4 passenger gondola cabins, visitors are transported in 8 minutes to the summit at an elevation of 2,281m (7,486 ft) above sea level. At the summit. The gondola upper terminal offers restaurant options, a gift shop and a spectacular roof top observation area with interpretive material giving directions and distances to major cities of the world and commemorating the area's designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit the boardwalk. There are more view-decks on the main level, as well as the start of a 1km long elevated board-walk that leads visitors along Sulphur Mountain's summit ridge to the Cosmic Ray Station National Historic Site of Canada, and the historic Sanson's Peak Meteorological Station.

Museums

Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies
Instituted in 1968 to house materials conserving the heritage of the Rockies, this museum is now one of Banff's best and most comprehensive. With extensive collections of literature and art, the Whyte Museum houses thousands of items, including journals, oral histories, photographs, and artifacts relating to mountain climbing and exploration in general. The exhibitions provide a fascinating insight into the history of the region, as do the log structures on the grounds. Art displays change regularly, and the archives are open for public research and interest.

Banff Park Museum
Set in a rustic pagoda near the Bow River, this museum dates from the turn of the last century. It houses a collection of native creatures that have been stuffed and mounted for display. Most of the specimens date from 1890 to 1930 and were acquired when hunting was permitted in the area. The museum, which has the distinction of being western Canada's oldest natural history museum, provides a glimpse of both the diversity of the Rockies and the Victorian conception of a wilderness. A reading room and a hands-on discovery room for children are also part of the complex.

Buffalo Nations Luxton Museum
Commemorating the contributions and presence of native Americans in the area, this museum has been in operation since 1952. Named for a local shopkeeper and friend of the Indians, the facility maintains displays on hunting, culture, and domestic activities. Clothing, a teepee, and quilts are among the many items available for perusal. A gift shop offers related merchandise, showcasing the heritage of a society who lived close to nature in a time before Europeans inhabited Canada's western plains and mountains.

Walter Phillips Gallery
This spare, intimate space, located on the grounds of the Banff Centre for the Arts, is home to a variety of exhibitions throughout the year. A substantial permanent collection is also available, much of which is displayed throughout the campus. Dedicated to contemporary art, the gallery represents national and international artists. In addition to the exhibitions, there are also lectures and other events that help to elucidate and inform the issues that the art addresses. Video and performance art are cultivated, along with more traditional media, such as photography, painting, and sculpture.

		Cave Tours Visit the world of caving. You will descend a cave on Grotto Mountain near Canmore, Alberta. Experienced cave guides will interpret the fascinating natural history of the cave. Huge quantities of water were pumped through this 4 km long limestone cave system from extinct glaciers of the last million years. In this Canadian Rockies cave, guiding goes on year round. As you walk up to the cave through the lodgepole pine forest, you will look down on the Bow River as it flows along the impressive glacial valley that once contained the cave-forming glaciers. Now the glacial waters have drained from the cave leaving glacial deposits, fossil animal bones, pools and glistening calcite formations, all of which you can view on our wild cave tours. Adventure Tour Rappel/abseil an 18m (60-ft) drop, climb and traverse both large and narrow passages. Tours last approximately 6 hours. Explorer Tour Similar to the adventure tour but no rappel . Tours last approximately 4 hours. Each Tour Group: Minimum 2, maximum 8 people per guide. The minimum age is 9 years.
		Columbia Icefield The Columbia Icefield is located on the boundary of Banff and Jasper National Parks. One of the largest accumulations of ice and snow south of the Arctic Circle, it covers an area of nearly 325 square kilometres. The continuous accumulation of snow feeds eight major glaciers including the Athabasca, Dome, and Stutfield Glaciers, all visible from the Icefields Parkway. The Columbia Icefield is a true "hydrological apex," for its meltwater feeds streams and rivers that pour into the Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans. Facing the Columbia Icefield Visitors' Centre lies the Athabasca Glacier - a tongue of ice 6 kilometres long and one kilometre wide. Take time for Brewster's Ice Age Adventure, a tour onto the icy slopes of the Athabasca Glacier. You will travel in a specially designed Brewster Ice Explorer to the middle of the glacier, on a 5 kilometre round trip journey. Your driver/guide will explain how glaciers are formed and point out interesting geological features as you travel in safety and comfort. At the mid-point, you will have the option of stepping out onto ice formed from snow falling as long as 400 years ago. After this unique adventure, you can retire to the Columbia Icefield Centre to relax over lunch or dinner and watch the light change over the ancient rock and ice.