Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies

Banff National Park is located in the Canadian Rockies in Canada and it is said to be the oldest national park in the country as it was established in 1885. The national park covers a total area of 6,641 square kilometers and has a huge terrain of mountains, glaciers, ice fields and dense forest as well as alpine landscapes. The ice field of the Banff National Park extends and connects to another national park called the Jasper National Park. It also has some neighboring national parks to its west called the Yoho National Park. Another one towards the south is the Kootenay National Park and the one towards its east is Kananaskis Park. Out of all the national parks in the locality, the main commercial park is the Banff which also includes the Banff town in the Bow River Valley.
During the earlier days, a lot of hotels were opened in the locality and huge amounts of money were spent in attracting tourists to the park and the town. It was in 1960 when the Banff National Park was open throughout the year and almost five million visitors paid a visit to the park. Today, the Banff National Park is one of the most visited parks in the world. However, one of the biggest dangers that it is facing today is the unbalance in its ecosystem. A lot of research and study was conducted to identify measures that could help in the preservation of its ecosystem.

View of Banff National Park from the summit of Sulphur Mountain
Photo by: Amateria1121, Creative Commons

Moraine Lake at Banff National Park
Photo by: Satoru Kikuchi, Creative Commons