Banff Facts
Banff facts tell us the Town of Banff has an elevation of 4,537 feet (1,383 metres). This makes it by and large the highest town in Canada.
Banff National Park was established in 1885 as Canada’s first National Park (third in the world). In addition this was the birth of Canada’s vast national parks system.
Banff National Park significantly covers 6,641 square kilometres (2,564 miles).
The tree line lies chiefly around 7,500 feet (2,300 metres) leading to glaciers as well as beautiful alpine meadows.
Banff National Park has in excess of 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) of hiking trails.
Canada’s longest cave system are the Castleguard caves in the Northwest corner of Banff.
Banff National Park has in excess of 2,468 campsites.
The Town of Banff has a population of 7,500.
Banff National Park is open all year round.
Banff National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a United nations designation. Consequently this protects over 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 square miles) of the Canadian Rockies.
All visitors coming to Banff National Park require a permit. This is available at the park entry gates and visitor centres. You can get more details here »
Banff National Park is managed by Parks Canada, a division of the federal department of Canadian Heritage.
The name “Banff” is derived from Banffshire, Scotland. Banffshire is the birthplace of two of the original directors of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Banff is home to Alberta’s southernmost herd of the endangered woodland caribou.
Highest Peak
The highest mountain in Banff National Park according to our research is Mt. Forbes which stands at 11,850 feet (3,612 metres). Recent information tells us that the summit of Mt. Assiniboine (Assiniboine Provincial Park, BC) actually crosses the Banff National Park border which should make Mt. Assiniboine the highest at 11,870 feet (3,618 metres).
Swiss and Austrian mountain guides introduced skiing to the Banff and Lake Louise area in 1909.
Banff National Park’s peak season is July and August accordingly.
Mountains in Banff National Park are 45 to 120 million years old.
Banff National Park has markedly in excess of 1,000 glaciers.
The Bow River in Banff flows as far as Hudson’s Bay.
Other Banff Facts
Banff National Park is home to seven National historic sites. These include Skoki Lodge, Abbot Pass Hut, Howse Pass, Cave and Basin, Banff Park Museum, Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel as well as the Cosmic Ray Station on Sanson Peak.
The largest dammed lake in Banff is Lake Minnewanka furthermore Hector Lake is the largest natural lake.
Banff National Park welcomes more than 4,500,000 visitors every year since 1996.
