Banff National Park Pictures, Photos, Photography

Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885, in the Canadian Rockies. The Canadian Pacific Railway was instrumental in Banff's early years, building the Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise. The park is located 70-110 miles (110-180km) west of Calgary in the province of Alberta. Yoho and Kootenay National parks lie to the west and Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park borders on the southwest. The park is composed of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and icefields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine landscapes. The Icefields Parkway extends from Lake Louise, connecting to Jasper National Park in the north. Wildlife in the park include elk, caribou, moose, mule deer, white-tailed deer, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, grizzly bear, black bear, beaver, Rocky Mountain pika, hoary marmot, gray wolf, mountain lion, and wolverine.

The premier locations for photographing Banff National Park include Lake Louise and Moraine Lake at sunrise. Many of the most famous viewpoints are accessible from the highways and parkways that cut across the park, but most of the backcountry locations require overnight backpacking and camping skills.