Banff National Park: an essential wilderness experience

THINGS TO DO, CANADA Updated : Nov 30, 2016, 03.18 PM IST

Abhishek Maniktala

The indelible urge to wander, sets forth plans to some well trodden and some not so well trodden paths. The decade and a half passion for traveling has built up a healthy repertoire that spans North American cities, exquisite Canadian wilderness, extensive Europe chronicling historic metropolis, resort towns, Aegean sea & Mediterranean sea towns, majestic alps as well as medieval towns and villages, urban Australia, a tryst with New Zealand’s cities, towns and untamed wilderness, the best of South Africa and a sojourn in Asian countries. The glacier treks of New Zealand, lakes of the Banff National Park (Canada), the medieval towns near Florence, the photo-worthy bridge city of Ronda (Spain) are just some ventures whose memories kindle a desire to write!

Credit: Getty Images

Banff National Park is an essential wilderness experience, a fairy town dwelling, blue lakes, sun-kissed towering mountains, cascading waterfalls, clear skies teeming with twinkling stars, well it’s not imagination at all because mirroring heaven on earth, there is Banff National Park.

Located in Alberta, surrounded by the burgeoning Mount Rundle, Sulphur, Norquay & Cascade, Banff is a resort town in the Canadian Rockies. An hour and a half from Calgary, or half a day from Jasper, the road to Banff National Park is every motorists dream.

Spend a day canoeing the inviting waters of Lake Louise, saunter through the lively streets of the dreamy Banff Town, gaze at stars on the shores of the Vermilion Lake, and finally, simply soak your weary souls in the Banff Upper hot Springs. Banff is what I would call a perennial magnet. If the calling of forest trails, splendid lakes, and accessible glaciers is strong enough in summers, winters pulls crowds for frozen lakes, Canyon Icewalks, and winter sports galore. July and August are the busiest, and get sold months in advance, a bit of diligent planning, and you are on course to visit Banff when it’s at its best. Banff town offers myriad accommodation options, still not enough to satiate the peak demands of summers, a gap aptly filled by its quieter neighbour, Canmore.
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SIGHTSEEING, BANFF

Banff

Set at an elevation of 1,383 m, the town of Banff is the highest in Canada, and I would say the prettiest in the whole wide world. Exquisitely surrounded by mountains in all directions, and further accentuated by the Bow...more

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Nature

SIGHTSEEING, BANFF

Bow River

Glacier fed Bow River, slices through the town of Banff, rendering a magical charm and hosting the activities avalanche. Sitting on the edge of the downtown, the Bow River waterfront provides a fairly long Nature walk. B...more

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THINGS TO DO, BANFF

Banff Upper Hot Springs

Just on the edge of the town, housed in a heritage building is Banff Upper Hot Springs. Whether to begin your day afresh, as the locals say, or to immerse your beat souls at night, as I would say, the Upper Spring Waters...more

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Lake

SIGHTSEEING, BANFF

Lake Louise

Visiting Lake Louise needs a bit of deliberation, a day trip from Banff, a night in palatial Fairmont Chateau, or a week or more in the quaint Lake Louise Village. Forty minutes out of Banff, and your first hit is the La...more

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Lake

SIGHTSEEING, BANFF

Moraine Lake

Up a winding road, 14 km apart from Lake Louise, is the object of longing for travellers: the Moraine Lake. Disengaging from the embarrassing comparisons to its more visited neighbour Lake Louise, I will rather use this ...more

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THINGS TO DO, BANFF

Banff Gondola

At 5 minutes drive from town, with Banff Upper Spring as its neighbour, sits the Banff Gondola, your aerial drive over the Sulphur Mountain. You must take some warm clothing as the temperature drops significantly with th...more

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THINGS TO DO, BANFF

Wildlife

They call it the Bear Country, and I can’t find reasons to hold them back for doing so. An Estimated 380,000 Black Bears and 26,000 Grizzlies on the Canadian Soil, compared with a resident population of 8,000 fellow bein...more

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Lake

SIGHTSEEING, BANFF

Lake Minnewanka

Every lake in the Rockies has its own character, its own story, and the story of Lake Minnewanka goes back to 10,000 years when the aboriginals inhabited its banks, and called it Minn-waki or the Lake of Spirits. Today t...more

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Lake

SIGHTSEEING, BANFF

Vermillion Lakes

Do visit the Vermillion Lake at dusk and dawn, and let me tell you why. Located just 5 minutes outside of town, the Vermillion lakes are a series of 3 lakes in the Bow River Valley beneath the Mount Norquay. Vermillion L...more

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SIGHTSEEING, BANFF

Johnston Canyon

Made accessible by Parks Canada what otherwise would have been a climber’s ambitious dream, the very deep Johnston Canyon is half an hour drive from the Banff town on the Bow Valley Parkway. The excursion at Johnston Can...more

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