Located in Alberta, Canada, Banff National Park in definitely a place you must add to your summer bucket list. After stampeding through one of Canada’s most popular summer events, the Calgary Stampede, you should give yourself a break from all that craziness and enjoy your time in the Canadian Rockies. From Calgary, the drive to Banff is about two hours.

Banff National Park is not like any other national parks that has forest views and breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. There is a wide variety of wildlife, glacier views, and lakes besides typical mountain views. It’s also a great place to get away from the summer heat since it’s a little cold but not freezing. The weather during summer is perfect for those who want to see glaciers but not totally freeze.

If all this doesn’t doesn’t sound persuasive enough, here are more reasons why you must visit Banff National Park at least once in your lifetime.

1. Numerous resorts to choose from

Banff National Park – photo by Estella Tong

It might be a headache when it comes to choosing a comfortable hotel room at an affordable price where you can relax during your break, especially in the mountains. However, you won’t have to worry about this since there are numerous resorts to choose from at Banff.

Driving through the center of the small town of Banff, you can see tons of hotels lining the street. Hotels in this small town are priced at a wide range. You can find hotels for youngsters or backpackers that costs about $1000NT per night, as well as luxurious hotels near tourist sites that cost more than $13,000NT per night. You won’t have to worry about having too few options to choose from. However, you’ll have to book the hotels really early because most hotels are often fully occupied, even those that cost over $10,000NT per night.

2. Many sites provide full tours and tickets are easy to get

Lovely Louise Lake – photo by Estella Tong

Since there are tons of sites to visit, people often have a hard time planning a trip. Also while some people might be afraid that tickets might run out when they get there, others get annoyed for waiting in line. However there are actually lots of websites that provide tickets that are acquirable anytime. For example, you can get packaged tour tickets for the Columbia Glacier and skywalk or the Lake Minnewanka cruise tour via a website called Pursuit.

3. Hiking trails everywhere

Beautiful Bow Falls – photo by Estella Tong

You can also find hiking paths everywhere. Let’s take Sulphur Mountain for example. Most tourists choose to take the gondola up the mountains for a great view of the national park. Yet there’s also a hiking path to get up the mountain. After you get up the top, there is another path that most tourists take to get to another mountaintop where you can find the Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station.

4. Unique glacier views

Columbia Icefield – photo by Estella Tong

Most lakes and cascades in this area are made up of melted ice water that comes from the Columbia Icefield. One of the most distinguished lakes is undoubtedly Lake Louise. It is well-known for its unique turquoise lake water which is mostly made up of melted glacier water. Besides this, there are other lakes like Peyto Lake and many more.

5. A variety of wild animals

BEAR! – photo by Estella Tong

If you’re lucky enough, you can see wild animals crossing the road. One of the most common things you can find is a herd of goats crowding onto a small platform on a really steep hill. There are also wild animals like grizzly bears, bighorn sheep, deer, and so on.

Deer? – Photo by Estella Tong

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Even though the entry fee per day might seem expensive, it’s still definitely worth visiting since you also have access to Jasper National Park. Banff National is not only a sacred land for nature lovers, it’s also a perfect place for photographers or people who simply love amazing views.