#22 best destination in the world

 

Prince’s Island Park, Calgary

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Best Trail: Prince’s Island Loop
Best time to travel: Jan-March, June-Aug, Nov-Dec
Walk difficulty: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Urban park in the city of Calgary, developed on an island on the Bow River
  • It is part of the pathway and hiking trail system lining both sides of the Bow River

Cascade of Time Garden, Banff

Best time to travel: Jan-March, June-Aug, Dec
Walk difficulty: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Park built in the 1930s that features gardens terraced into the hillside
  • The flowers bloom from late June until early September

Banff Springs Hotel

Best time to travel: Jan-March, June-Aug, Dec
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $$$

  • Historic hotel located in Banff
  • The entire town including the hotel, is situated in Banff National Park
  • The hotel overlooks a valley towards Mount Rundle, both of which are situated within the Rocky Mountain mountain range
  • The hotel opened in 1888 by the Canadian Pacific Railway, as one of the earliest of Canada’s grand railway hotels
  • The building was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1988

Lake Minnewanka

Best Trail: Lake Minnewanka Lakeside Trail
Best time to travel: Jan-March, June-Aug, Dec
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Glacial lake in Banff National Park, it is the 2nd longest lake in the mountain parks of the Canadian Rockies (the result of a power dam at the west end)
  • Aboriginal people long inhabited areas around Lake Minnewanka, as early as 10,000 years ago, according to stone tools and a Clovis point spearhead discovered by archaeologists
  • The area is rich in animal life (e.g. elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, bears) and the easy availability of rock in the mountainous terrain was key to fashioning weapons for hunting

Banff Sunshine

Best time to travel: Jan-March, June-Aug, Dec
Ease of travel: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $$

  • Ski resort located on the Continental Divide of the Canadian Rockies within Banff National Park
  • Because of its location straddling the Continental Divide, Sunshine receives more snow than the neighboring ski resorts
  • Banff Sunshine ski runs and lifts are accessed via an eight-person high-speed gondola
  • It moves passengers from the parking lot (or bus terminal) to Goat’s Eye mountain in 10 minutes and to the upper Village area in 18 minutes
  • In summer, the resort runs a shuttle bus service to its walking trails and alpine meadows

Lake Louise

Best time to travel: Jan-March, June-Aug, Dec
Walk difficulty: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Glacial lake within Banff National Park
  • Lake Louise is named after the Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (1848–1939), the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria
  • The turquoise color of the water comes from rock flour carried into the lake by melt-water from the glaciers that overlook the lake
  • Fairmont’s Chateau Lake Louise, one of Canada’s grand railway hotels, is located on Lake Louise’s eastern shore, it is a luxury resort hotel built in the early decades of the 20th century by the Canadian Pacific Railway

Moraine Lake

Moraine Lake - Alberta, Canada - Travel photography

Best Trail: Moraine Lake Shoreline Trail
Best time to travel: Jan-March, June-Aug, Dec
Walk difficulty: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Glacially fed lake in Banff National Park
  • The lake, being glacially fed, does not reach its crest until mid to late June. When it is full, it reflects a distinctive shade of azure blue
  • The unique color is due to the refraction of light off the rock flour deposited in the lake on a continual basis by surrounding glaciers

Lake Louise Ski Resort

Best time to travel: Jan-March, Dec
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $$

  • Ski resort located in Banff National Park near the village of Lake Louise
  • The resort is situated on the southern slopes of the Slate Range, between the heights of Mount Richardson, Ptarmigan Peak, Pika Peak and Redoubt Mountain

Banff National Park

Best Trail: Lake Agnes Trail
Best time to travel: Jan-March, June-Aug, Dec
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Canada’s oldest national park, established in 1885 as Rocky Mountains Park
  • Banff encompasses 6,641 square kilometers (2,564 sq mi) of mountainous terrain, with many glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine landscapes

Peyto Lake

Best Trail: Peyto Lake Panorama View
Best time to travel: Jan-March, June-Aug, Dec
Walk difficulty: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Glacier-fed lake in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies
  • It was named for Bill Peyto, an early trail guide and trapper in the Banff area
  • During the summer, significant amounts of glacial rock flour flow into the lake from a nearby glacier, and these suspended rock particles are what give the lake a unique bright, turquoise color

Jasper National Park

Best Trail: Valley of the Five Lakes
Best time to travel: March-May, Sept-Nov
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Lake in Jasper National Park, famed for the color of its azure water, the surrounding peaks, the three glaciers visible from the lake, and Spirit Island, a frequently and very famously photographed islet
  • Boat tours run to Spirit Island in the spring to autumn season
  • Winter activities include cross-country skiing and snowboarding
  • Maligne Lake is a popular spot for sport fishing, kayaking and canoeing. Parks Canada maintains three camping sites, accessible only by canoe, at Hidden Cove, Fisherman’s Bay and Coronet Creek.
  • The name of the lake is French for malignant or wicked, and was used to describe the turbulent river that flows from the lake (in the spring), and soon spread to the lake, canyon, pass, mountain and range