Banff National Park of Canada Information & History

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Banff

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Welcome to the Banff National Park Information Page.
Here you will find all you need to know about the natural history of the park.
Learn about the geology, trees, mammals, birds, or other plants and wildlife of the area.

Size

6,641 square kilometers / 2,564 square miles

Ecosystems

Banff National Park encompasses many diverse habitats across valleys, mountains, glaciers, forests, meadows, and rivers. Climb from the lower elevation montane region covered with Douglas-fir, trembling aspen, white spruce, and balsam poplar, through the subalpine zone of dense lodgepole pine, Englemann spruce and subalpine fir, up to the alpine ecoregion up above the treeline where you can wander through alpine meadows and shrubs or unvegetated rock, talus, moraines, and snow.

Mammals

When visiting the Banff area, keep a look out for a variety of large wildlife species, from black and grizzly bear, cougar and lynx, coyote and gray wolf to elk, bighorn sheep, woodland caribou, and moose. Also watch for smaller critters like weasels, skunks, porcupines, pikas, lemmings, and hoary marmots. If you look to the skies at dusk you may find any of the 6 bat species found in the park.

Reptiles, Amphibians & Fish

Down in the wetter areas of the park, look for the Long-toed Salamander, Boreal Toad, Columbia Spotted Frog, and Wood Frog. Check anywhere for garter snakes, especially on sunny patches in meadows. Some species to look for in the waterways are Rainbow Trout, Atlantic Salmon, Mountain Sucker, Banff Longnose Dace, Burbot, Green Swordtail, Freshwater Angelfish, and Brook Stickleback.

Birds

Of the over 260 species found in the park, the Harlequin Duck is one of the most unusual with its contrasting colored patches displayed during the breeding season. Especially around the montane and wetland habitats within the park, birders can find many interesting species such as the Red-wing Blackbird, Song Sparrow, Violet-green Swallow, Pygmy Owl, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Dipper, Clark's Nutcracker, Mountain Chickadee, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Orange-crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Warbling Vireo, Green-winged Teal, Barrow's Goldeneye, Pileated Woodpecker, Pied-billed Grebe, Eastern Kingbird, Osprey, and Bald Eagle. Remember to bring your binoculars or spotting scope for the best birding experience.

Wildflowers

The peak blooming season in Banff is between mid-July and mid-August, although beautiful flowers can be found anytime between March and September. Some of the easiest to find species include Wild Rose, Indian Paintbrush, Rock Jasmine, Wild Strawberry, Fireweed, Shruby Cinquefoil, Yellow Columbine, Heart-leaved Arnica, Spotted Saxifrage, Stonecrop, Bearberry, Yarrow, and Northern Bedstraw. Some habitat specialists include the Prairie Crocus, Wood Lily and Shooting Star of the the montane zone, the Bunchberry, Labrador Tea, and White-flowered Rhododendron of the subalpine zone, and the Mountain Sorrel, Glacier Lily, and Alpine Forget-Me-Not of the high-altitude alpine zone.

History

The Banff area has been inhabited by humans for at least 10,000 years. Over 766 archaeological sites have been recorded within the park, including artifacts such as arrowheads belonging to ancient aboriginal hunting groups. Other sites include historic remnants of old coal mining towns such as Anthracite and Bankhead.