Banff & Yoho – the oldest National Parks

There is a reason why Banff National Park is so famous – besides being absolutely stunning, it is Canada’s oldest national park.  When railroad workers discovered a hot springs in 1883, it created a movement that culminated in the establishment of Banff National Park in 1885.

Yoho was created in 1886, following a trip by Prime Minister John A. Macdonald and his wife Agnes through the Rockies on the newly completed Transcontinental Railway.

They are a hikers paradise – there are over 1,600 kilometres of maintained trails in Banff alone.  You can choose  tea house hikes, hikes to lakes and waterfalls, guided hikes, heli-hikes (a helicopter drops you off in remote alpine locations), family hikes and, of course, the Great Divide Trail (1,130 km of wilderness hiking that passes through 5 national parks and nine provincial parks).

In the winter, you can also snowshoe, skate, dogsled, or take a sleigh ride in the parks.

And watch for wild life, not only on the trails, but the roadways.

For more information on Banff and Yoho hiking (and maps) see the Parks Canada Websites at:  https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/banff/activ/randonee-hiking and https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/yoho/activ/randonnee-hike.