Seniors Enjoy Canada’s Oldest National Park

Banff National Park is Canada’s oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. Senior travelers find the park 180 km west of Calgary in the province of Alberta.

Encompassing 2,564 square miles of mountainous terrain, Banff National Park is one of the world’s premier destination spots in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

Senior visitors to Banff National Park quickly learn that the incredible scenery inspires not only amazing sightseeing, but also sight-doing. For over 125 years, this UNESCO World Heritage Site has been a magnet for outdoor enthusiasts, art lovers and history buffs alike, and each year attracts visitors from all over the world.

There is no preferred season. Summer activities in Banff National Park and Lake Louise are as wild as the terrain. Rafting in the Canadian Rockies in summer is an experience like no other.

Winter activities include dog sledding, ice skating, cross-country and heli-skiing, tracking, skating, and alpine or nordic skiing and snowshoeing.

Seniors Awed By Nature’s Beauty

National Geographic notes that simplicity marks the origin of Banff. In 1883, on the slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, three railway workers discovered a natural hot spring, and from there the park was born. By the mid-1900s, Lake Louise and most of the surrounding nearby rivers as well as several other points of interest were added to the park’s boundaries, making it the largest in Canada.

With its majestic mountain scenery, stunning wildflowers, indigo blue rivers and lakes, icy white glaciers and high grey peaks jutting into the sky, Banff is a favored vacation destination for travelers the world over.

The town of Banff, 8,244 residents, is abuzz year round due to an annual influx of millions of visitors. This famous mountain resort town caters accordingly with world-class shopping, dining and an array of accommodations, from cabins and campgrounds to B&Bs and top notch hotels.

I have relatives who make it a point to get away from the hustle and bustle of work and each year head for Banff. They find it an ideal base for hiking and wildlife viewing excursions into surrounding park areas and provides a popular weekend retreat with excellent restaurants and several great golf courses.

It’s all there in Banff: dazzling glaciers, big animals, alpine meadows and emerald lakes. So senior friends, put Banff on your travel bucket list and head out for Alberta.  jeb