Town of Banff

Fast Facts for Visitors

The Town of Banff

• the Town of Banff sits at an elevation of 1,383 metres (4,537 feet) making it the highest town in Canada
• our town has a population of 8,721 (2007 Municipal Census)
• the Town of Banff is incorporated and offers all basic services, including grocery outlets, a hospital, an RCMP detachment, a post office, a public library, churches of several denominations, municipal government offices, and a provincial court of law
• accommodations in the townsite include hotels, lodges, hostels, bed & breakfasts, and camp sites
• numerous local tour operators offer sightseeing and other types of organized tours
• outdoor equipment ranging from town bikes to snowshoes is available for purchase or rental
• Banff runs a local bus service year-round, with stops throughout town including the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and the Sulphur Mountain attractions (Upper Hotsprings and Banff Gondola)
• in the winter, shuttles are available to and from three world-class ski destinations: Mt. Norquay, Sunshine Village, and Lake Louise Ski Area
  
• there are several car rental agencies in Banff
• the resident community is active in many organized associations and leagues representing a wide variety of interests: see Our Town Directory for details
• mountains surrounding the townsite include Tunnel Mountain (1,690 m / 5,545 ft), Mount Rundle (2,949 m / 9,675 ft), Cascade Mountain (2,998 m / 9,836 ft), Mount Norquay (2,134 m / 7,001 ft), and Sulphur Mountain (2,281 m / 7,484 ft).

Banff National Park

• Banff was established in 1885 as Canada's first national park
• Banff National Park is open year-round
• Banff National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a United Nations designation which helps protect over 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 square miles) of the Canadian Rocky Mountains
• Banff National Park is managed by Parks Canada Agency, a division of the Canadian government's Department of Canadian Heritage
• a permit is required for all visitors to Banff National Park and is available at the park entry gates and visitor centres
• Banff's peak season is July and August, when warm temperatures average between 21º - 22º Celsius (70º - 72º F)
• in the winter, temperatures can be as low as –30 º C (-22 º F); however, in the coldest months (December and January) average winter temperatures range from highs of -6ºC (22ºF) to lows of -15ºC (5ºF)
• more than 4,000,000 visitors have traveled to Banff National Park every year since 1996
• Banff National Park covers 6,641 square kilometres (2,564 square miles)
• Banff has in excess of 2,468 campsites, not including backcountry campgrounds
  
• Banff has in excess of 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) of hiking trails
• mountains in Banff National Park are 45 to 120 million years old
• Banff National Park has has more than 1,000 glaciers
• The Bow River, whose source is the Bow Glacier and Bow Lake (located along the Icefields Parkway, Highway 93 North), flows through Banff and continues as far as Hudson's Bay
• Banff is home to Alberta's southernmost herd of the endangered woodland caribou
• the highest mountain in Banff National Park is Mt. Forbes, which stands at 3,612 metres (11,850 feet)
• Castleguard Caves in the northwest corner of Banff National Park is Canada's longest cave system
• the largest man-made lake in Banff is Lake Minnewanka and the largest natural lake is Hector Lake
• the name "Banff" is derived from Banffshire, Scotland, the birthplace of two of the original directors of the Canadian Pacific Railway