Banff and its stunning beauty have opportunities and advantages to give you the time of your life. Below you’ll find the ten reasons to vacation in Banff. One guarantee: you won’t regret it.
Take this article as a nice first start at learning about Banff National Park and the various qualities it has to offer. You can digress to all kinds of in-depth articles on this site about a specific topic discussed here.
It’s absolutely worth checking out Banff (why else would I dedicate so many articles to the park?). In fact, I’m convinced Banff is one of the best locations in the world to have a truly magnificent vacation (I even assessed it). Let me explain why.
1. Natural Beauty
Banff’s natural beauty is the most obvious reason to visit the park. You’re probably reading this post because you know Banff is extremely beautiful and wanted to learn more about the park.
In case you haven’t seen the pictures: the lake above is Moraine Lake. Just look at the lake’s stunning beauty of the lake and its surroundings, especially the water’s color. Yes, most lakes in the park have the same mesmerizing turquoise color. And yes, that color is real.
But there’s so much more. The ubiquitous Rocky Mountains, rivers, endless forests, waterfalls and canyons provide days and days of wonder and amazement and never get boring.
2. Endless Outdoor Adventures
The Rocky Mountains are the perfect environment for the most diverging outdoor adventures. Of course you can do excellent activities like hiking, mountain biking, rafting, fishing, skiing, skating and snowshoeing. But did you know the park also provides the most unexpected diving experiences, helicopter tours, canyoning, horseback riding, dog sledding, ice walks and ice fishing?
And then there are the sheer endless camping possibilities. The park has quite a few front-country campgrounds and even more backcountry campgrounds, allowing you to discover the park on multi-day hikes.
Banff National Park is big and diverse enough to keep you occupied for weeks. Just scour this site to find out more about the possibilities.
One of the most extraordinary and thrilling outdoor adventures you can experience is dog sledding. If you want to know more about it, I recommend reading the post Dog Sledding in Banff, the Ultimate Rockies Winter Experience
3. Shopping
I get it; you don’t necessarily need to go to Banff to go shopping. But when you’re here, know there’s ample room for some interesting moonlight shopping.
Banff’s Banff Avenue is littered with shops and (mini) malls containing even more shops. There are some interesting ones like the Banff Christmas Store, which – you guessed it – exclusively sells products related to Christmas. It’s a big and beautiful shop right in the middle of Banff Avenue and it’s open year-round.
There are also several jewelry shops where you can buy the highly sought-after and rare ammolite gems and jewelry. It makes for a perfect gift that’s beautiful, precious and valuable and pertaining to the area.
Furthermore, many galleries sell local native art. Or what about visiting the Fairmont hotels in the park? The Banff Springs in Banff and Château Lake Louise are giant hotels with their own shopping section, containing many interesting boutique shops.
4. Wide Variety of Restaurants
Banff has a great number of restaurants at all price levels, from the most popular fast food to Michelin star quality food in the Rimrock Resort and the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel. Besides, the range of different cuisines is extensive, from pizza to Peruvian, ramen and Indian, just to name a few. I guarantee you you’ll also find food to your liking.
Lake Louise has several excellent and interesting restaurants. Its Fairmont hotel has several options for exclusive dining. The Post Hotel and the Station Restaurant are also interesting options.
If you want to know more about the restaurants in the park, I highly recommend reading the post the Ultimate Guide to Restaurants in Banff National Park.
5. Stunning Pictures
You can’t go wrong in Banff National Park for stunning holiday pictures. It simply means photography opportunities galore. It’s almost impossible to take a bad photo from the park’s many viewpoints and main attractions. Sure, you can take a photography course before your visit to make the most of your pics in the park, but without, you still can’t go wrong.
Moraine Lake, Lake Louise, Vermillion Lakes, the Bow Falls, Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, Castle Mountain, Johnston Canyon and Mistaya Canyon are just some of the beautiful locations that will provide you with some enviable Insta magic.
Some hiking will allow you to take some stunning material that is a bit more original and still jaw-droppingly beautiful. Just choose your hike; there are hundreds in the park and go shoot that photograph of a lifetime. If you make it anywhere, it’ll probably be in Banff.
6. Presence of Wildlife
Banff National Park is extremely beautiful and to add to this already extraordinary beauty; the omnipresent wildlife makes the experience even better. Okay, this doesn’t mean that you’re actually guaranteed to see any wildlife, but it’s strange if you don’t. In other words: you’re highly likely to spot wildlife.
The park has elk, moose, deer, brown bears, grizzlies, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, wolves, coyotes, lynxes, and even cougars. Sure, you don’t want to get too close to any of them, especially bears and cougars, but seeing wildlife on your path is an exhilarating experience that thoroughly enhances your experiences in the park.
Wanna read more about the wildlife you may encounter? Read the Comprehensive Guide to Wildlife in the Park.
7. Interesting Museums
Banff is the birthplace of Canada’s national park system, which makes for some interesting historical facts. You can find all about it at the Cave and Basin site.
It’s one of the several interesting museums that Banff National Park offers. They are mainly found in the town of Banff, with museums about the area’s history, the history of the area’s first nations and museums on the town’s history.
Lake Louise also has a museum, a wildlife interpretive center.
8. Easy to Get Around
One of the most significant advantages of Banff National Park is the accessibility of its main attractions. Most famous mountains, lakes, waterfalls and canyons are (very) easy to get to. It makes the park well accessible to seniors and, in many cases, for people with a disability.
Moreover: many of the park’s major attractions are reachable by public transport. Roam Transit has several routes that take you to many of the most popular spots in the park.
The Trans-Canada Highway runs through the Bow Valley and is a wide and well-maintained highway that makes traveling by car a breeze. Even in winter, it’s doable to traverse the park relatively safely. The Icefields Parkway, connecting Lake Louise and Jasper, is not as wide, but this two-lane highway (one on each side) is maintained well and leads you past many awe-inspiring viewpoints and natural wonders.
If you want to know more about the many attractions the Icefields Parkway offers, I recommend reading the Ultimate Guide to the Icefields Parkway article.
9. Lots of Opportunities Just Beyond the Park’s Boundaries
If Banff’s not big enough for you, there are plenty of possibilities in the park’s direct surroundings.
It borders the national parks of Jasper and Yoho and Kananaskis Country is nearby. The attractive Rocky Mountain town of Canmore is just outside the park at only 20 minutes driving from the town of Banff, and Calgary, at 130 kilometers (80,6 mi), is also not far.
Even Waterton Lakes National Park near the US border is within reach if you don’t mind driving a few hours. It’s 362 kilometers (224 mi) to get there from the town of Banff.
10. Spending Your Vacation in Luxury
While Banff is about the wilderness of the Rocky Mountains and the adventures it encompasses, Banff undeniably has a luxury edge to it. With two Fairmont hotels (Banff Springs and Château Lake Louise) and the Rimrock Resort inside the park’s borders, there are many opportunities to dwell in luxury during your vacation.
We’re obviously talking about very luxurious hotel rooms here, but also about luxurious restaurants with high-end food and high teas. We’re talking about massages and several other wellness options to ensure you’ll enjoy the ultimate relaxing vacation in the park.
Striking Facts about Banff National Park
To stress the ‘specialness’ of Banff National Park: here are some striking facts about Banff National Park:
- It is Canada’s first national park and the third in the world.
- It’s Canada’s most visited park, with annually more than 4 million visitors
- It’s home to the Castleguard caves, Canada’s longest cave system
- Banff is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, declared in 1984
- Lake Louise is the world’s most photographed lake
- Lake Minnewanka, the park’s biggest lake, is man-made and even has a submerged resort town
Want to know the 15 things to avoid in Banff to have an unforgettable holiday? Click the link and get the most out of your stay.
Other articles you might be interested in:
• How to Make Sure Mosquitoes Don’t Ruin Your Stay in Banff
• Plan Your Banff Itinerary – Know the Distances
• How Much Does a Banff Vacation Cost in 2023? (Crazy Numbers)