Jasper Maligne Valley The Maligne Valley extends southeast from the town of Jasper through one of the most distinctive landscapes in Jasper National Park. Following the Maligne River toward Medicine Lake and Maligne Lake, the valley passes between forested slopes and rugged ranges of the Canadian Rockies. Its combination of mountain scenery, lakes, river corridors, […]
Waterton NP – Prince of Wales Hotel Introduction Perched dramatically on a windswept bluff above Upper Waterton Lake, the Prince of Wales Hotel is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Waterton Lakes National Park. Its steeply pitched roofs, projecting gables, tiers of balconies, and commanding position against the mountains give the building the appearance […]
Waterton Lakes NP Visitor Center Introduction The Waterton Lakes National Park Visitor Centre stands in the heart of Waterton village as a contemporary gateway to one of the Canadian Rockies’ most distinctive landscapes. The new facility brings together visitor services, interpretation, and gathering spaces in a design inspired by the natural materials and architectural traditions […]
Waterton Lakes Bison Introduction The open grasslands along the northern edge of Waterton Lakes National Park preserve a landscape very different from the dramatic mountains and deep glacial valleys farther south. Here, where the Rocky Mountains give way abruptly to the rolling prairie of southern Alberta, plains bison once moved through an immense grassland ecosystem. […]
Waterton Lakes National Park Introduction Waterton Lakes National Park occupies a remarkable meeting place where the Rocky Mountains rise abruptly from the rolling grasslands of southern Alberta. Here, long mountain valleys open directly onto the prairie, creating a landscape that feels distinctly different from the higher, more enclosed terrain of Banff and Jasper. Upper Waterton […]
Banff Park Museum Introduction Standing near the Bow River at the southern end of Banff Avenue, the Banff Park Museum is both a natural history collection and a remarkably preserved artifact of the early national park era. Established in 1895 and moved into its present building in 1903, it is the oldest natural history museum […]
Cave and Basin National Historic Site At the foot of Sulphur Mountain, Cave and Basin brings together a striking natural feature and a place with deep cultural meaning. Indigenous peoples have gathered at these warm springs for thousands of years, and many communities continue to regard the site as sacred. The cave, mineral waters, and […]
Banff Springs Hotel Introduction Rising above the confluence of the Bow and Spray rivers, the Banff Springs Hotel is one of the defining architectural landmarks of the Canadian Rockies. The Canadian Pacific Railway opened its first hotel on this spectacular site in 1888 as part of William Cornelius Van Horne’s strategy to transform the mountain […]
Banff Peyto and Bow Lakes Along the Icefields Parkway north of Lake Louise, Peyto Lake and Bow Lake reveal two very different perspectives on the glacial landscape of Banff National Park. Bow Lake lies almost directly beside the highway, its broad expanse framed by Crowfoot Mountain, Bow Glacier, and the Wapta Icefield. Meltwater from these […]
Banff Lake Louise, Beehive Lake, and Lake Agnes Introduction Lake Louise is a place of contrasts: still turquoise water beneath Victoria Glacier, forested slopes veiled by passing cloud, and the Fairmont Chateau standing at the water’s edge. These photographs move between broad views of the lake and close details of its shore, gardens, and historic […]