Posted on Oct 30, 2016 in
FEATURES
The clear blue water of Lake Minnewanka with
Mount Ashley as a backdrop.
COMMUNITY CULTURE | By Zeenat Kassam Mitha –
One of my favorite places to visit is the resort town of Banff in Alberta, Canada, located within Banff National Park. Banff is a mix of culture, so much so that for a while, street signs were in English, French and Japanese. Today, the street signs are in English and French, as the diverse population has grown, but business signage is in English and several other languages including Japanese, Korean and Mandarin. Banff is an oasis for nature lovers with hiking and biking trails, natural hot springs, great powder for skiing, aqua clear and green lakes and rivers for canoeing and boating, wildlife such as elk, moose and grizzly bears, and God’s brush stroke of painted beauty in every mile.
“Banff and Lake Louise are beautiful places to visit and offer so much,” said Angela Moore, regional director of public relations of the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Canada’s Western Mountain Region. The Banff Upper Hot Springs offers 100 percent natural mineral water, and water temperature is kept between 98 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Visitors to Banff can also soar to the top of Sulphur Mountain for a magnificent bird’s-eye view of six incredible mountain ranges and spectacular vistas in every direction via the Banff Gondola lift. Both are open year round.
Shanaz Hirji and Zeenat Mitha taking in the beautiful scenery and clear blue water of Lake Minnewanka and Mount Inglismaldie and Mount Girouard as the backdrop in Banff.
After the transcontinental railway was built through the Bow Valley, Banff was first settled in the 1880s. Three Canadian Pacific Railway workers came upon several natural hot springs on Sulphur Mountain. Canada established a federal reserve of 10 square miles around the Cave and Basin hot springs in 1885 and began advertising the area as an international resort and spa to generate income to support the new railway. By 1887, the federal reserve area was increased to 260 square miles and named Rocky Mountain Park. Thus, Canada’s National Park system began.
The president of the Canadian Pacific Railway, George Stephen, named the area Banff in 1884 after his birthplace in Banff, Scotland. The Canadian Pacific built a succession of majestic hotels to advertise the area as an international tourist resort, including the Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise, which are now both Fairmont Hotels. Banff remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in Canada. The United Nations declared Banff National Park a World Heritage Site.
The lovely Bow Falls in Banff, Canada.
Close to Banff are the towns of Lake Louise and Jasper. They are a must see on this trip, as they provide their own breathtaking scenery. Lake Louise offers spectacular views and water, and the Columbian Icefields in Jasper are a vision to see in the summer. Some hotels to consider in the area are The Fairmont Banff Springs, The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, The Delta Banff Royal Canadian Lodge, Banff Caribou Lodge and Spa and The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. Dining options include The Eden, Samurai Sushi Bar and Restaurant, Coyotes Southwestern Grill and Indian Curry House to please many diverse palates.
The ski towns of Banff and Lake Louise are home to three distinctive mountain resorts: Mt. Norquay, Lake Louise Ski Resort and Sunshine Village. These resorts claim nearly 8,000 acres of skiing, two gondolas, 26 chairlifts and offer approximately 30 feet of feather-light, dry powder annually.
“This unspoiled terrain of beauty at Banff National Park is a land to discover,” said Shanaz Hirji, a regular visitor of Banff and Lake Louise who lives close by in Calgary. With its breathtaking scenery and widespread appeal, Banff is a must-see mulitcultural destination.
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