Banff National Park

Photo by HelenB
Vermilion Lakes with Mount Rundle, Banff NP, Canadian Rockies

Overview

Banff National Park is 2,564 square miles in size and is located in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta in Canada. It is about 1.5 hours drive west of Calgary. Over 260 species of birds have been recorded in the Park.

Photo by HelenB
Lake Louise with the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, Banff NP, Canadian Rockies

Birds

Notable Species

Harlequin Duck, White-tailed Ptarmigan, Osprey, Golden Eagle, Bald Eagle, Common Raven, Clark's Nutcracker, Gray Jay, Black Swift, American Dipper, Mountain Chickadee, Fox Sparrow, Townsend's Warbler, Varied Thrush, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch. During nesting season, Johnston Canyon is a good place to see Black Swift and American Dipper. Look out for the swifts flying up to and through the waterfalls, and the dippers flying low over the water and under the bridges, where they often build their nests.

Rarities

to do

Check-list

Birds you can see here include:

Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swan, Tundra Swan, Gadwall , American Wigeon, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Harlequin Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Barrow's Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Ruffed Grouse, Spruce Grouse, Blue Grouse, White-tailed Ptarmigan, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Western Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Golden Eagle, American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Sora, American Coot, Sandhill Crane, Killdeer, American Avocet, Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Marbled Godwit, White-rumped Sandpiper, Baird's Sandpiper, Wilson's Snipe, Wilson's Phalarope, Ring-billed Gull, California Gull, Rock Pigeon, Great Horned Owl, Northern Hawk Owl, Barred Owl, Great Gray Owl, Black Swift, Calliope Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Red-naped Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Black-backed Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Western Wood-Pewee, Willow Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Hammond's Flycatcher, Dusky Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Kingbird, Northern Shrike, Warbling Vireo, Gray Jay, Steller's Jay, Clark's Nutcracker, Black-billed Magpie, American Crow, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Barn Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, Mountain Chickadee, Boreal Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, House Wren, Winter Wren, American Dipper, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Mountain Bluebird, Townsend's Solitaire, Swainson's Thrush, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Varied Thrush, European Starling, American Pipit, Bohemian Waxwing, Cedar Waxwing, Tennessee Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, American Redstart, Northern Waterthrush, MacGillivray's Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's Warbler, Western Tanager, Chipping Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Brewer's Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Snow Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, Brewer's Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Pine Grosbeak, Purple Finch, House Finch, Red Crossbill, White-winged Crossbill, Pine Siskin, House Sparrow

Other Wildlife

Elk, Moose, Mule Deer, White-tailed Deer, Woodland Caribou, Bighorn Sheep, Grizzly Bear, Black Bear, Canada Lynx, Cougar, Coyote, Grey Wolf, Red Fox, Marten, Fisher, Ermine, Weasel, Mink, Wolverine, Badger, Striped Skunk, River Otter, Snowshoe Hare, Pika, Hoary Marmot, Red Squirrel, Columbian Ground Squirrel, Least Chipmunk, Yellow-pine Chipmunk, Beaver, Deer Mouse, Muskrat, Northern Bog Lemming, Porcupine

Site Information

History and Use

In 1883, some railroad construction workers in Alberta, found some hot springs in a cave on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains and from that simple discovery Canada's first national park was born. Banff National Park is 6,641 square kilometres (2,564 square miles) in size and contains many birds and wildlife and the most stunning scenery: mountains, valleys, waterfalls, glaciers, rivers, forests and meadows. It is now one of the world's most popular tourist destinations.

Photo by HelenB
Johnston Canyon, showing part of the canyon trail on an elevated catwalk, Banff NP, Canadian Rockies

Photo by HelenB
Although you are not supposed to feed the wildlife in the Park, you will see birds like this Common Raven waiting patiently by a picnic spot, in Johnston Canyon, Banff NP

Areas of Interest

• Banff Townsite
• Cave and Basin Marsh
• Vermilion Lakes
• Johnston Canyon
• Bow River

Access and Facilities

• The best time to visit is Spring and early Summer.
• The town of Banff is 128 km (80 miles) from Calgary
• The entrance to Banff NP is just past Canmore on the Trans-Canada Highway (#1)
• The park is open year round
• It is requested that you do not feed any of the wildlife in the Park

Daily Entrance fees:

• Adult ~ CA$9.80
• Senior (65 & over) ~ CA$8.30
• Youth (6-16 years) ~ CA$4.90
• Family/Group (up to 7 people in a single vehicle) ~ CA$19.60

Photo by HelenB
The Bow River and wetlands, viewed from the Mule Shoe Overlook and Picnic Site, along the Bow Valley Parkway (1A), Banff NP

Contact Details

Banff National Park
Box 900
Banff, AB T1L 1K2
Canada
Tel: 403.762.1550
Email: banff.vrc@pc.gc.ca

External Links

• Banff National Park Official website
• Printable Map of Banff National Park