Banff National Park
Canada's oldest national park, a huge area of mountains, glaciers, forests and turquoise lakes. Wildlife includes elk, bighorn sheep and bears, so visitors keep a safe distance.
Banff and the Canadian Rockies
Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, both turquoise, are among the lakes of this mountain national park, which also has wildlife and scenic drives.
Attractive locations
Sulphur Mountain
Mountain beside the town with a gondola to its summit. A boardwalk at the top gives sweeping views across the Bow Valley, and hot springs sit near the base.
Lake Minnewanka
Largest lake in the park, set among rugged peaks. Boat tours, lakeside trails and picnic areas make it an easy trip from town.
Bow Falls
Wide, low waterfall on the Bow River just below the town and near the Banff Springs Hotel. A short riverside path leads to good viewpoints.
Lake Louise
A glacier-fed lake in a bowl of mountains, vivid turquoise in summer. Walking paths and canoeing start at the shore, and a trail climbs to a tea house above the lake.
Moraine Lake
A small turquoise lake beneath the Valley of the Ten Peaks, a short drive from Lake Louise. The rockpile viewpoint beside the lake is one of the most photographed views in the Rockies.
Johnston Canyon
A narrow limestone canyon with a catwalk bolted to the walls that leads past waterfalls. The trail reaches the Lower and Upper Falls and, further on, a group of spring-fed pools called the Ink Pots.
Airports
Calgary International Airport YYC
It is about 109 km in a straight line from Banff and the Canadian Rockies.
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan-12.9 °C45 mm
- Feb-13.0 °C42 mm
- Mar-8.9 °C61 mm
- Apr-4.4 °C62 mm
- May3.2 °C83 mm
- Jun7.8 °C121 mm
- Jul11.6 °C70 mm
- Aug10.6 °C63 mm
- Sep5.6 °C69 mm
- Oct-1.4 °C61 mm
- Nov-9.1 °C60 mm
- Dec-14.2 °C48 mm
Driest months: Jan, Feb, Dec. Wettest months: May, Jun, Jul.
Costs
Prices here are about 83% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Who can help
Emergency
911 for police, fire and ambulance.
local government
Emergency number 9-1-1 (Royal Canadian Mounted Police page)
Helps with: The RCMP website tells people to dial 9-1-1 for emergency help. Canada has no national tourist police, so visitors use the local police through this number.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Canada who needs emergency help.
Phone: 911
embassy
Foreign representatives accredited to Canada (Global Affairs Canada)
Helps with: For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your own country's embassy or high commission. The Office of Protocol page links to a list of diplomatic missions in Canada and search tools.
Who qualifies: Citizens of each country, through their own embassy, high commission or consulate.
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Canada
Helps with: The UN migration agency's one Canadian office, in Ottawa. Its main work relates to Canada's refugee and humanitarian resettlement programme and to partnerships on migration.
Who qualifies: Refugees and migrants in resettlement programmes, and partner organisations. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +1-613-237-0651
Email: iomottawa@iom.int
Address: 280 Albert Street, Suite 800, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5P3, Canada