Banff National Park  Photos:  Recent | Best | Popular Lat, Long:  51.175, -115.5899 Map Page Views:  81,970. Good page?    Administrators:  Peter Spindloe, Tom Erickson Submitted By:  ihategrigris on Mar 21, 2007 Make this area a Favorite What's New  Printer View Add Area  Add Photo  Add Comment  Add Event  Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu 57° | 30° 57° | 34° 64° | 30° 54° | 36° 50° | 32°

Joanne and I at Lake Louise from the front steps o...

Description 

Banff National Park is Canada's first and most famous National Park. People come from all over the world to sightsee, hike, camp, raft, ski, scramble and of course climb year round.

The alpine climbing is clearly the highlight of the park. Many world famous peaks and tough ascents are located within the boundaries of the park. There are countless summits for the aspiring alpinist to attempt, some easy scrambles, some 5.9-M4-A4 unrepeated horror shows. Many of North America's finest alpinists and climbers cut their teeth climbing Banff's peaks.

The ice climbing in the park is also world famous, with a lifetime of ice available almost year round, from road-side cragging to 2000' WI6 routes. The typical ice season lasts from Mid-November into May and June (depending on how desperate for ice you are).

Rock climbers have a lot to choose from as well. Though the rock is fairly chossy (some have described it as the worst rock in North America that still gets climbed), the routes are many from small sport crags to huge alpine rock routes. The best quality rock is found in the quartzite of Back of the Lake at Lake Louise, whereas big, aesthetic routes can be found in palaces like Castle Mountain, Mt. Louis and the Tower of Babel.

Getting There 

Banff National Park is located along the Trans-Canada highway running from Calgary, AB to Vancouver, BC. The easiest way to get in is to fly into Calgary International Airport and rent a vehicle; the drive is about 70 miles to the park boundary. Bus service is also avialble from Calgary and places beyond.

Park Fees 

Banff is a heavily used National Park, with the oddity of containing a busy town. Park Fees can add up if you're in the are for more than a week, so consider buying an annual pass.

Where to Stay 

ACC Club House
The Alpine Club of Canada's Club House is in Canmore, a half-hour away from Banff. It's not a hut, it's the club house, so there's easy road access. There are fridges and a kitchen, showers, sauna, mountaineering library, and they server beer (especially Big Rock Trad Ale). Check their website for all the details on reciprocal agreements with other mountaineering clubs. It was worth it for me (Peter Spindloe) to become a member just to stay there.

The Banff Centre for Mountain Culture
Yes, this is where the Banff Festival of Mountain Films comes from. It's actually more like a campus that has year round events, like the festival, as well as performing arts classes, business leadership seminars, etc. They have dormitories that they rent out like hotel rooms when they aren't full. I was in the area on a road trip and my partner got pretty sick so we got a room there for a few days for him to recover, rather than tenting it. I'm double checking on whether they still do this, but it wouldn't hurt to call if you're in the area.

Camping
There are a lot of places to camp (click the heading for the list), but the two most economical are the Banff Overflow lot and the Lake Louise Overflow lot as they don't have electrical hookups and the associated cost.

The Classics

Featured Route For Banff National Park

The Professor Falls WI4  International : Canada : ... : Professor Falls Area

This is a drainage-style waterfall climb similar to those found in the South Fork by Cody, Wyoming. It is remarkably consistent in its moderate grade.Pitches:1. WI3/4, 40m. A short 85 degree step followed by a less steep bulge to bolted anchors.2. WI3/4, 55m. A short 85 degree step. Keep walking and climb the next WI3 step to more bolts.3. WI3/4. Climb a short step (this should be old news by now). Supposedly there are bolts, but we couldn't find them under the snow and ice.4. WI3. A short step....[more]   Browse More Classics in International

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Before going into the back country it is best to c...	Mount Lefroy out of Lake Louise.	View of a half of The NF. of MT. Temple