Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Canadian Rockies. The park is located 110-180 km west of the city of Calgary in Alberta, occupies 6,641 km2 in mountainous areas with many glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forests and alpine landscapes. Neighborhood: local forests and the Yoho National Park, the Kutenei National Park in the south, and the Kananaskis Country National Park in the southeast adjoin the west. The main commercial center of the park is the city of Banff in the Bow Valley.
Throughout its history, Banff National Park has been formed in compromises between nature conservation and development. Prime Minister John A. MacDonald in 1885 decided to allocate a small reserve of 26 km as a public park2 around hot springs near the cave and pool. Under the Rocky Mountains Park Act, adopted on June 23, 1887, the park was expanded to 674 km2 and called the Rocky Mountains Park. It was Canada's first national park, and the second, created in North America, after Yellowstone National Park. In 1902, the park was expanded to 11,400 km2, covering areas around Lake Louise and the rivers Bow, Red Deer, Kananaskis. In 1911, under pressure from those interested in grazing and cutting, the size of the park was reduced by 4,663 km2 with the withdrawal of many foothill areas from the park. The boundaries of the park changed several times until 1930, when, after the adoption of the Law on National Parks, the size of Banff was set at 6,697 km2. The law also renamed the park « Banff National Park ». During the construction of the new eastern gate in 1933, Alberta transferred 0.84 km to the park2. This, along with other minor changes in the boundaries of the park in 1949, established a park area of 6,641 km2. In 1984, Banff was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, due to mountain landscapes containing mountain peaks, glaciers, lakes, waterfalls, canyons and limestone caves, and also considering the minerals found here. With this recognition, new conservation commitments have been added.
The Banff National Park presents three climatic zones: a forest mountain belt, a subalpine belt and an alpine belt. The subalpine belt, which consists mainly of dense forests, is 53% of Banff Square. 27% of the park is above the tree line in the alpine belt. The Banshee tree line is located at an altitude of about 2300 meters, with open meadows in high mountain areas and some areas covered by glaciers. A small part of the park ( 3% ) is located at a height in mountain ecoregions. In the mountainous regions of Banff, pine forests predominate, and also if, willows, aspenas, sometimes fir, interspersed with maples. Spruce is more common in the subalpine regions of Banff, in some areas there are pine trees, fir. Mountainous areas, which are usually the most preferred habitat for wild animals, have undergone significant human change over the years.
There are 56 described species of mammals in the park. Grizzlies and black bears live in forest regions. Puma, lynx, wolverine, ferret, affection, North American otters and wolves are the main predatory mammals. Elk, black-tailed deer and white-tailed deer are widespread in the valleys of the park, including around, and sometimes in the city of Banff, while the moose is usually more invisible, adhere primarily to wetlands and streams. In high mountain areas, snow goat, fat, groundhog and food are widespread. Other mammals, such as beaver, porcupine, protein, chipmunk are the most common small mammals. At least 280 species of birds can be found, including eagles of a white-headed eagle and golden eagle, a canyon of red-tailed, a crowd, a falcon and a derbnik - all are predators. The white-tailed partridge is the main bird that is often seen in the alpine belt. Rivers and lakes inhabit more than a hundred different species, including hagars, herons and quacks, which spend their summer in the park.
Banff National Park is Alberta's most visited tourist destination and one of North America's most visited national parks, up to 5 million visitors a year. Tourism in Banff is estimated at Canadian economy at $ 6 billion per year. Passing to the park is required to stop in the park, pass checks are frequent in the summer months. Permission is not required if you need to proceed directly through the park without stopping.
Attractions in Banff: Upper Hot Springs hot springs, a golf course on the hotel and three ski resorts. One-day trips are very popular among visitors. Other activities include skiing and cross-country skiing, as well as horseback riding. Tourism and entertainment options in Banff include hiking, camping, mountain climbing, climbing, and skiing. Canadian Parks Management obliges the use of these campsites, Alpine Club Canada huts or other facilities when purchasing a pass to protected places. To use campsites, you must reserve them in advance.
