Banff Facts

The Town of Banff has an elevation of 4,537 feet (1,383 metres) making it the highest town in Canada

Banff National Park was established in 1885 as Canada’s first National Park (third in the world) and was the birth of Canada’s vast national parks system

Banff National Park covers 6,641 square kilometres (2,564 miles)

The tree line lies approximately around 7,500 feet (2,300 metres) leading to glaciers and beautiful alpine meadows

Banff National Park has in excess of 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) of hiking trails

Castleguard caves in the Northwest corner of Banff are Canada’s longest cave system

Banff is home to Alberta’s southernmost herd of the endangered woodland caribou

Banff National Park is open all year round

Banff National Park’s peak season is July and August

Banff National Park has in excess of 2,468 campsites

The Town of Banff has a population of 7,500

Banff National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a United nations designation which helps protect over 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 square miles) of the Canadian Rockies

A permit is required for all visitors to Banff National Park and is available at the park entry gates and visitor centres

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, the birthplace of two of the original directors of the Canadian Pacific Railway

Banff National Park is home to the following seven National historic sites: Skoki Lodge, Abbot Pass Hut, Howse Pass, Cave and Basin, Banff Park Museum, Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, and the Cosmic Ray Station on Sanson Peak

Our research showed the highest mountain in Banff National Park to be Mt. Forbes which stands at 11,850 feet (3,612 metres), but 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).

Skiing was introduced to the Banff and Lake Louise area in 1909 by Swiss and Austrian mountain guides.

Mountains in Banff National Park are 45 to 120 million years old

Banff National Park has in excess of 1,000 glaciers

The Bow River in Banff flows as far as Hudson’s Bay

The largest dammed lake in Banff is Lake Minnewanka and the largest natural lake is Hector Lake

More than 4,000,000 visitors travel to Banff National Park every year since 1996