Banff National Park - Quick Facts

• Banff National Park Photo Courtesy: National Park Service

  Banff is Canada's first national park, 3rd oldest in the world, established in 1885.
  
• Banff National Park is 6,641 sq. km (2,564 sq. miles) in area. The park is managed by Parks Canada, part of the federal department of Environment Canada.
  
• The Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site is a United Nations designation which includes Jasper, Kootenay and Yoho National Parks, plus adjacent B.C. Provincial Parks: Hamber, Mount Robson and Mount Assiniboine. This area helps protect over 20,000 sq. km (7,700 sq. miles) of the Rocky Mountains.
  
• Banff, town and park, are named for Banffshire, Scotland - birthplace of two of the original Canadian Pacific Railway directors. Pronounced "Banph"
   
• Some of the oldest and best preserved archaeological sites in Canada are found in Banff. There are also 7 national historic sites, the most in any Canadian National Park
  
• Temperatures: Highest 34.4 C (July 17, 1941, Banff), lowest -52.8 C (January 25, 1950, Lake Louise). Average summer highs: 18 to 22 C, average winter highs: -7 to 0 C
   
• Highest mountain within Banff National Park: Mt. Forbes, 3,612 m (11,850 feet), seen from North Saskatchewan River Crossing along the Icefields Parkway.
  
• Age of the mountains: 120 million to 45 million years old (middle-aged by world standards).
   
• Main rock type in Mountains: sedimentary (limestone, shale, quartz, sandstone, dolomite)
  
• Number of glaciers in Banff National Park: more than 1,000
   
• Largest cave system in Canada: Castleguard Caves with 18 km of known passageways, found near the Columbia Icefields (no public access)
  
• Largest and deepest lake: Lake Minnewanka (damned); largest natural lake: Hector Lake
  
• Main River: Bow River, headwaters at Bow Glacier/Bow Lake flows to Hudson's Bay
  
• Canadian Heritage River: North Saskatchewan, from the Saskatchewan Glacier to the park boundary
  
• Natural Areas: 3% Montane (valley bottom, open forest/grassland areas), 55% Subalpine (forest lands, from the montane to treeline), 5% Alpine meadows (above treeline), 37% Rock and ice
  

• Moraine Lake - Banff National Park

  Common trees: lodgepole pine, white spruce, trembling aspen, balsam poplar, Englemann spruce, subalpine fir, alpine larch, limber pine, whitebark pine, Douglas-fir.
  
• Average elevation of treeline: 2,100 metres (7,000 feet)
  
• Mammal species: 57 (largest free roaming: moose, smallest: pygmy shrew).
  
• Bird species: 265 (best birding:Vermilion Lakes, Cave and Basin marsh, Johnson Lake).
  
• Reptiles and amphibian species: 6 (1 snake, 1 salamander, 3 frog, and 1 toad)
  
• Fish species: 19 (10 native, 9 introduced)
  
• Plant species: 844 (74 listed as rare)
  
• Population estimates: 3200 elk (summer), 1600 elk (winter), 2000 to 2600 bighorn sheep, 800 to 900 mountain goats, 50 to 80 moose, 850 to 950 mule deer, 300 to 350 white-tailed deer, 55 to 80 grizzlies, 50 to 60 black bears, 50 to 60 wolves, 150 to 250 coyotes
  
• Approximately 8 million people enter the park annually; over 4 million are considered park visitors (the highest visitation in any Canadian National Park). 92% arrive by private vehicle, 6% by charter motorcoach. 76% are Canadian, 17% are U.S. and 7% overseas.
  
• Banff National Park visitor facilities include: 3 museums, 1 hot pool, 2 visitor information centres and 14 campgrounds (2800 campsites)
  

• Hiking in Banff

  Banff National Park maintains 1500 km (972 miles) of trails, and 53 backcountry campgrounds. Backcountry use: approximately 41,000 user nights per year.
  
• There are 320 km (180 miles) of paved roads traversing the park, including the Trans-Canada Highway, the Bow Valley Parkway and the Icefields Parkway. 11 freight trains per day cross the Park via the Canadian Pacific Railway line.
  
• Tourism infrastructures include: 1 golf course , 3 alpine ski resorts, more than 125 restaurants, over 220 retail outlets, 49 hotels (5780 rooms), 36 Bed & Breakfasts, and more than 1150 businesses.
  
• Estimates of direct tourism expenditures are as high as $750 million per year. Visitor spending in Banff National Park sustains 16,090 person years of employment.
  
• Population of the Town of Banff is estimated at 7,615 and the Village of Lake Louise is 1,200
  
• Elevation of Banff townsite: 1,383 m (4,537 feet), the highest town in Canada
  
• Elevation of Lake Louise: 1,536 m (5,039 feet), the highest permanent settlement in Canada