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Banff National Park is located in the Canadian Rockies, 120-200 kilometers (80-120 miles) west of Calgary, Alberta, and includes the town of Banff, Alberta. Banff National Park covers 6,641 square kilometres (2,564 square miles) and was the first national park created in Canada.
Banff National Park has towering mountain peaks, hundreds of lakes, numerous large icefields and glaciers, as well as more than a dozen rivers and streams. Dense coniferous forests provide habitat for hundreds of species of mammals, birds, and other animals.
In 1887, the aboriginals signed Treaty 7, which gave Canada rights to explore the land for resources. At the end of the nineteenth and early in the twentieth century, coal was mined near Lake Minnewanka in Banff. The mine at Anthracite operated until 1904, while coal was mined at Bankhead until 1921.
In 1902, the park was expanded to cover 11,400 square kilometres (4402 mi²), encompassing areas around Lake Louise, and the Bow, Red Deer, Kananaskis, and Spray Rivers. Bowing to pressure from grazing and logging interests, the size of the park was reduced in 1911 to 4,663 km² (1800 mi²), eliminating many foothills areas from the park. The size of the park increased again in 1917 to 7,127 km² (2752 mi²), and subsequently changed boundaries several more times. In 1930, the size of Banff was fixed at 6,697 km² (2586 mi²), with the passage of the National Parks Act, and the park was renamed Banff National Park. Banff took its name from the Canadian Pacific Railway station, which was named after the Banffshire region in Scotland.
Early on, Banff was popular with wealthy European tourists who arrived in Canada, via trans-Atlantic luxury liner and continued westward on the railroad, as well as upper-class American and Canadian tourists. Some visitors partaked in mountaineering activities, often hiring local guides. Tim and Bill Brewster were among the first outfitters in Banff.
By 1911, Banff was accessible by automobile from Calgary. In 1920, access to Lake Louise by road was available, and the Banff-Windermere Road opened in 1923 to connect Banff with British Columbia.
In 1931, the Government of Canada enacted the Unemployment and Farm Relief Act which provided public works projects in the national parks during the Great Depression. In Banff, workers constructed a new bathhouse and pool at Upper Hot Springs, to supplement Cave and Basin. Other projects involved road building in the park, tasks around the Banff townsite, and construction of a highway connecting Banff and Jasper. In 1934, the Public Works Construction Act was passed, providing continued funding for the public works projects mainly in Alberta. New projects included construction of a new registration facility at Banff's east gate, and construction of an administrative building in Banff. By 1940, the Icefields Parkway reached the Columbia Icefield area of Banff, and connected Banff and Jasper.
In the 1930s, the first downhill ski resort, Sunshine Village, was developed by the Brewsters. Mount Norquay ski area was also developed during the 1930s, with the first chair lift installed there in 1948.
With the construction of the new east gate in 1933, Alberta transferred 0.84 km² to the park. This, along with other minor changes in the park boundaries in 1949, set the area of the park at 6,641 km².
Since the original Rocky Mountains Park Act, subsequent acts and policies placed greater emphasis on conservation. The 1979 Beaver Book was a major new Parks Canada policy, which emphasized conservation. The National Parks Act was amended in 1988, which made preserving ecological integrity a top priority. The act also required each park to produce a management plan, with greater public participation,
Since 1968, when Banff Springs Hotel was winterized, Banff has been a year-round destination.
During the 1980s, Parks Canada moved to privatize many park services such as golf courses, and added user fees for use of other facilities and services. In the 1990s, proposed expansion and developments at Sunshine Village were under fire, with lawsuits filed by Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS). In the mid-1990s, the Banff Bow Valley Study was initiated to find ways to better address environmental concerns, and issues relating to development in the park.
Geography
Banff National Park is located on Alberta's western border with British Columbia. Banff is about an hour and half driving distance from Calgary and four hours from Edmonton. Jasper National Park is located to the north, while Yoho National Park is to the west, and Kootenay National Park is to the south. The Trans-Canada Highway passes through Banff National Park, from eastern boundary near Canmore, through the towns of Banff and Lake Louise, and into Yoho National Park in British Columbia. The Banff townsite is the main commercial center in the national park. The village of Lake Louise is located at the junction of the Trans-Canada Highway and the Icefields Parkway, which extends north to the Jasper townsite.
Town of Banff
The town of Banff, established in 1883, is the main commercial center in Banff National Park. In 1990, the town was incorporated as a municipality of Alberta, though still subject to the National Parks Act and federal authority in regards to planning and development. As of the 2005 census, the town of Banff has a population of 8,352, of which nearly 7,000 are permanent residents. The Cave and Basin National Historic Site, Whyte Museum, Banff Centre, and Banff Springs Hotel are located in the town. The Bow River flows through southern sections of Banff National Park, including the Banff townsite.
Lake Louise
Lake Louise
Lake Louise, a small village located 54 km (32 mi) west of the Banff townsite, is home to the landmark Chateau Lake Louise at the edge of Lake Louise. Located 15 km (9.3 mi) from Lake Louise, Moraine Lake provides a scenic vista of the Valley of the Ten Peaks. This scene was pictured on the back of the $20 Canadian banknote, in the 1969-1979 ("Scenes of Canada") series. The Lake Louise Mountain Resort is also located near the village.
Icefields Parkway
Skiing on Parker Ridge, near the Columbia Icefield.
The Icefields Parkway extends 230 kilometres (143 miles), connecting Lake Louise to Jasper, Alberta. The Columbia Icefield, along the parkway, is on the border between Banff and Jasper National Park. The North Saskatchewan River traverses northern sections of Banff, flowing out of the Columbia Icefield, through Saskatchewan Crossing, and out of Banff into David Thompson country.
The Canadian Rockies consist of several northwest-southeast trending ranges. The Foothills are located between Calgary and Canmore. The Front Ranges are to the west of the foothills, and include mountains around the Banff townsite. Located west of the Front Ranges, the Main Ranges form the backbone of the Canadian Rockies. The Western Ranges pass through Yoho and Kootenay National Parks. The Rocky Mountain Trench is along the western edge of the Canadian Rockies region in British Columbia.
The Canadian Rockies are comprised of sedimentary rock, including shale, sandstone, limestone, and quartzite, that originated as deposits in a shallow inland sea. The geologic formations in Banff range in age from Precambrian eon to the Jurassic period.
The mountains were formed 80-120 million years ago, as a product of thrust faults. Over the past ~80 million years, erosion has taken its toll on the landscape. Differential erosion has eroded the foothills more than the front range and the main range. Structural geological features in Banff include hogback ridges, and dip slopes.
Geomorphology
Banff's landscape has also been marked by glacial erosion, with deep U-shaped valleys and many hanging valleys that often form waterfalls. A number of small gorges also exist, including Mistaya Canyon and Johnston Canyon.
Glaciers and icefields
Banff National Park has numerous large glaciers and icefields, many of which are easily accessed from the Icefields Parkway. As with the majority of mountain glaciers around the world, the glaciers in Banff are retreating. Photographic evidence alone provides testimony to this retreat and the trend has become alarming enough that glaciologists have commenced researching the glaciers in the park more thoroughly, and have been analyzing the impact that reduced glacier ice may have on water supplies to streams and rivers. The largest glaciated areas include the Waputik and Wapta Icefields, which both lie on the Banff-Yoho National Park border. Wapta Icefield covers approximately 80 km² (30.9 mi²) in area. Outlets of Wapta Icefield on the Banff side of the continental divide include Peyto, Bow, and Vulture Glaciers. Bow Glacier retreated an estimated 1,100 meters (3,600 ft) between the years 1850 and 1953, and since that period, there has been further retreat which has left a newly formed lake at the terminal moraine. Both Crowfoot and Hector Glaciers are also easily visible from the Icefields Parkway, yet they are singular glaciers and are not affiliated with any major icesheets.
The Columbia Icefield, at the northern end of Banff, straddles the Banff and Jasper National Park border and extends into British Columbia. Saskatchewan Glacier, which is approximately 13 kilometers (8 miles) in length and 30 km² (11.6 mi²) in area , is the major outlet of the Columbia Icefield that flows into Banff. Between the years 1893 and 1953, Saskatchewan Glacier had retreated a distance of 1,364 meters (4,474 ft), with the rate of retreat between the years 1948 and 1953 averaging 55 meters (180 ft) per year. Overall, the glaciers of the Canadian Rockies lost 25% of their mass during the 20th century.
Climate
Located on the eastern side of the Continental Divide, Banff National Park receives 472.3 mm (18.6 in.) of precipitation on average annually. This is considerably less than received in Yoho National Park on the western side of the divide in British Columbia, with 884.2 mm (34.8 in.) annual precipitation at Wapta Lake and 616.4 mm (26.3 in.) at Boulder Creek. 234 cm (92 in.) of snow falls on average falls each winter in the Banff townsite, while 289.7 cm (114 in.) falls in Lake Louise.
During winter months, temperatures in Banff are moderated, compared to Edmonton and other areas of central and northern Alberta, due to chinook winds and other influences from British Columbia. The mean low temperature during January is -14.6 °C (6 °F), and the mean high temperature is -4.6 °C (24 °F) for the town of Banff. Weather conditions during summer months are pleasant, with high temperatures during July averaging 21.9 °C (71 °F), and daily low temperatures averaging 7.4 °C (45 °F).
Banff National Park spans three ecoregions, including montane, subalpine, and alpine. The subalpine ecoregion, which consists mainly of dense forest, comprises 53% of Banff's area. A small portion (3%) of the park, located at lower elevations, is in the montane ecoregion. 27% of the park is located above the treeline, in the alpine ecoregion.
Lodgepole pine forests dominate the montane region of Banff, with Englemann spruce, willow, and aspen interspersed. Englemann spruce are more common in the subalpine regions of Banff, with some areas of lodgepole pine, and subalpine fir. The treeline in Banff lies approximately at 2,300 meters (7,544 feet), with open meadows at alpine regions and some areas covered by glaciers.
Wildlife
The park has 56 mammals species that have been recorded. Grizzly and black bears inhabit the forested regions of the park and sightings of black bears are relatively common. Mountain lion, lynx, wolverine, weasel, river otter and wolves are the primary predatory mammals. Elk and deer are common in the valleys of the park, including around the Banff townsite, while moose tend to be more elusive, sticking primarily to wetland areas and near streams. In the alpine regions, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, marmots and pika are widespread. Other mammals such as beaver, porcupine, squirrel, chipmunks are the more commonly observed smaller mammals.
In 2005, a total of 5 caribou where counted, making this species one of the rarest mammals found in the park.
The population of bull trout and other native species of fish in Banff's lakes has dwindled, with the introduction of non-native species including brook trout, and rainbow trout. Due to the harsh winters, the park has few reptiles and amphibians with only one species of toad, three species of frog, one salamander species and two species of snakes that have been identified.
Mountain pine beetles have caused a number of large-scale infestations in Banff National Park, feeding off of the phloem of mature lodgepole pines. Alberta's first known outbreak occurred in 1940, infecting 4,300 hectares (10,625 acres) of forest in Banff. A second major outbreak occurred in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Banff and the surrounding Rocky Mountains region.
Tourism
Banff National Park is the top tourist attraction in Alberta and one of the most visited national parks in North America, with 3,927,557 visitors in 2004/2005. During summer, 42% of park visitors are from Canada (23% from Alberta), while 35% are from the United States, and 20% from Europe. Tourism in Banff contributes an estimated $6 billion annually to the economy.
A park pass is required for stopping in the park and permit checks are common during the summer months, especially at Lake Louise and the start of the Icefields Parkway. A permit is not required if travelling straight through the park without stopping. Approximately 5 million people pass through Banff on the Trans-Canada Highway without stopping.
The impact of human activity on Banff National Park has been an increasing concern. [[Citing sources citation needed]] With the Trans-Canada Highway passing through Banff, concerns have arisen about the hazards posed for wildlife, due to vehicle traffic and as an impediment to wildlife migration. Wildlife underpasses have been constructed at a number of points along the Trans-Canada Highway to help alleviate this problem.
Canmore, located just outside the Banff boundary, has grown rapidly to serve increasing demands of tourists. The Banff townsite has also developed significantly. Concerns have arisen over the rapid pace of development. [[Citing sources citation needed]]
