Introduction to Banff National Park

Banff is Canada's oldest national park, its fabulous and dramatic landscapes the first, best argument that Canada's abundant, spectacular wilderness was worthy of federal protection. Its 6,641 sq. km (2,564 sq. miles) of incredibly dramatic mountain landscape, glaciers, high moraine lakes, and rushing rivers make it clear no argument was to be made at all; this is one of the most gorgeous places on earth.

If there's a downside, it's that everybody knows it. In the towns of Banff and nearby Lake Louise (though much less so in Louise), a walk on main street can have the odd sensation of walking in midtown New York at rush hour, and it's not because if the urbane sophistication the towns have cultivated; it's crowded, and the sidewalks can be shoulder to shoulder.

Happily, the wilderness offers respite from the crowds and congestion. Banff Park is blessed with many great outfitters who make it easy to get on a raft, bike, or horse and find a little solitude. Alternatively, consider visiting the park off-season, when prices are lower, the locals are friendlier, and the scenery is just as stunning.

For more information on the park, contact Banff National Park, P.O. Box 900, Banff, AB T1L 1K2 (tel. 403/762-1550; www.pc.gc.ca).

Banff Townsite

So gorgeous is Banff Townsite, it can sometimes seem surreal: quaint buildings, some of them historic, line a bustling main street, over which loom the peaks of the Rockies so close you feel like you could reach out and touch them. Mount Rundle, the town's signature peak, towers over Banff Avenue from the south; its appearance lends support to the tectonic plate theory of mountain creation, as one side, smooth as the plains, crests at a point and gives way to a jagged underside. To the south, the Bow River Bridge traverses the fast-rushing Bow in the shadow of massive Mount Cascade.

It's postcard perfect -- exactly why the Banff Springs Hotel was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway company in 1888 (it's now owned by the luxurious Fairmont hotel chain), to draw tourists to the rugged beauty of the Rockies, providing all the comforts including geothermally heated hot springs. The plan worked: visitors flocked and the town grew rapidly to accommodate.

The setting may be unreal, but in some cases so is the town; in between the remaining historic buildings are high-end contemporary shopping malls, with luxury international brands and inflated prices. Banff also has an alarming surfeit of fudge shops -- the international symbol for "tourist trap." Banff is vibrant and cosmopolitan, its sidewalks crowded with people from all over the world year-round; what it isn't, though, is peaceful -- especially in summer.

Banff Arts Festival -- One of Banff's non-natural wonders is the Banff Centre, an outstanding international cultural development facility that helps host one of the world's biggest TV industry events, the Banff Television Festival, every summer. Some of the Banff Centre's most outstanding arts events include:

• The Banff Arts Festival, which runs from June to August and includes live outdoor theater, art displays, and jazz workshops.
• The Banff International String Quartet Competition, held annually in late August.
• The Playbill Series, which runs through the summer and includes live performances by well-known pop, jazz, and world-music musicians.
• The Banff Festival of Mountain Films, held each November.

For tickets to any of these events, call the Banff Centre box office at tel. 800/413-8368 or 403/762-6301, or visit www.banffcentre.com.

Naming Banff -- The Town of Banff, established in 1886, began its life as a stop on the transcontinental railroad as the somewhat-less-than-romantic "Siding 29" -- not exactly a catchy marketing tag. The Canadian Pacific Railway, which built such icons as the Banff Springs and the Chateau Lake Louise, knew their plans for mineral hot springs and luxury hotels in the gorgeous Rockies provided an unparalleled opportunity to kickstart a tourism industry in the west, but they needed something a little more capable of capturing the imagination of potential travelers than a nondescript number. So they looked to George Stephen, the first president of the CPR. Stephen and CPR vice-president Donald Smith were both born in the Scottish county of Banffshire; and so the town of Banff came to be named. Obscure though it was at the time, Banff has taken on new meaning; to millions of tourists who have passed through its extraordinary landscapes, Banff will always mean pristine alpine experience, with all the comforts.