Banff

The town of Banff is located in the Banff National Park within southwestern Alberta. The town of Banff is located in the Rocky Mountains, 58 km east of Lake Louise, and just about 126 km west of Calgary.

The town of Banff sits at an elevation of 4,800 ft or 1,463 m, making it the second highest Canadian community behind Lake Louise. It is surrounded by mountains, particularly Mount Rundle, Sulphur Mountain, Mount Norquay, and Cascade Mountain. The town is located above Bow Falls near the confluence of the Bow River and Spray River.

The Town of Banff is the first municipality to incorporate within a Canadian national park. The town is a member of the Calgary Regional Partnership.

The resort town of Banff is a main tourist spot, famous for its mountainous scenery and hot springs. The area is likewise a place utilized for out door sports, with tourists partaking in biking, hiking, skiing and scrambling. Sunshine Village, Ski Norquay as well as Lake Louise Mountain Resort are the three neighboring ski resorts situated in the national park.

Banff was originally inhabited during the 1880s, following the transcontinental railway was constructed through the Bow Valley. In the year 1883, three Canadian Pacific Railway workers stumbled upon a series of natural hot springs on the side of Sulphur Mountain. During 1885, a federal reserve of 26 km2 was established by Canada throughout the Basin and Cave hot springs, and began advertising the area as an international spa and resort as a way to support the new railway. In 1887, the reserve area was increased to 673 km2 and named "Rocky Mountain Park." This was the start of the National Park system of Canada.

There are a number of well-known mountains located immediately near the townsite which comprise Mount Norquay, Mount Rundle and Mount Cascade. Mount Norquay has a ski slope as well as mountain biking trails on the Stoney Squaw section. A well-known tourist attraction, the Banff Gondola, is accessible to climb Sulphur Mountain where a boardwalk, called the Banff Skywalk, beginning from the upper terminal takes people to Sanson Peak. Sulphur Mountain is likewise the place of among Banff's most popular attractions, the Banff Upper Hot Springs.

Located a mere 6 minutes due north of the town of Banff is a widely well-known day location which features several outdoor activities. Some of the several activities that are allowed within this part of the park includes mountain biking, hiking and fishing. There is a really famous Lake Cruise and a small concession and motor boat rentals accessible at the marina.

Tunnel Mountain, that was previously called Sleeping Buffalo Mountain, sits within the townsite are and is a popular for quick hikes, as the summit of the mountain can be reached in less than half an hour. It was dubbed Tunnel Mountain as surveyors initially wanted to make a tunnel for the Canadian Pacific Railway all through the mountain, instead of following the Bow River Valley.

The town hosts numerous annual events including the Banff Mountain Film Festival, Banff World Television Festival, Bike Fest and Rocky Mountain Music Festival. The city is also the starting point of the 4417 kilometre Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, that ends at Antelope Wells, New Mexico within the United States.