Why Is Banff National Park Important

Kevin Shane Cantley
Dorothy Dimeling
English Composition 101
March 7, 2007
Banff National Park, the oldest National Park in Canada, is located in the Canadian Rocky Mountains in the province of Alberta. “There are many resorts and lodges for tourists, one being an upscale accommodation designed in the likeness of a Scottish baronial castle.” (Mobile 5) Banff National Park is 6,641 square kilometers of mountain landscape. “The snow-capped mountains of the Canadian Rockies reflect mirror images on glacier fed lakes and rivers and form a spectacular backdrop for endless forests.” (Hempstead 295) Banff National Park is also “the home of two of North America’s most famous resort towns, Banff Township and Lake Louise.”(Hempstead 295) Another
Roads connecting Banff Township and Lake Louise were built, and a road extending north of Jasper was completed in June of 1940 making transportation in and out of the area easier.
In 1985, 100 years after it original founding, Banff National Park is declared a World Heritage site by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). UNESCO was formed by the United Nations to help protect 20.000 kilometers of the Canadian Rockies. “Today, Banff is visited every year by over 5 million people and the hot springs of Sulphur Mountain are looked upon as an international mecca.” (Byers 64)
The natural environment of Banff National Park consists of three distinct zones. The first of these is “The Alpine Zone. The Alpine zone is the highest elevation zone and accounts for 40% of Banff National Park and is mostly rock and ice. Temperatures here average below freezing. Strong winds and short summers force vegetation to adapt by growing low to the ground and having long roots.” (Hempstead 300) Mt. Forbes, the highest point of elevation in Banff National Park, stands 3,612 meters high. Scenery is best viewed in the alpine regions by helicopter or small plane tours. The Banff Gondolas are another way to view scenery from above the town. “Gondolas are small bus-like cars attached to a cable that can lift visitors, two-at-a-time, 700 meters in eight minutes. Banff
“Lake Louise is the most photographed lake in the world.” (Hempstead 320) Lake Louise was named for Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, a daughter of Queen Victoria. The Majestic Mt. Victoria Glacier feeds Lake Louise’s emerald green sparkling waters with ice cold run-off. Although swimming is not possible at Lake Louise, canoeing, kayaking and just strolling along the boardwalk of the waters are favorite pastimes of visitors. Lake Louise, like Banff Township, has its own Gondola system. The Lake Louise gondola carries visitors effortlessly up the side of Mount Whitehorn for a spectacular view. “Lake Louise also offers a day-long outing to the Plain of Six Glaciers, a glorious assemblage of peaks and ice. The upscale Chateau Lake Louise adds an imposing style to this mountain grandeur.”(Byers 65)
Lake Moraine is another of the lakes within Banff National Park. Not as famous as Lake Louise, Lake Moraine is just a fifteen-minute drive from Lake Louise. “For years, Lake Moraine was featured on the back of the Canadian Twenty-Dollar bill. It is surrounded by a palisade of mountains and forms the shape of an emerald heart in the Valley of the Ten Peaks.” (Byers 65) Lake Moraine offers a variety of hiking trails that include a six hour guided hike to Eiffel Lake or a self-paced hike through the Larch