Discover the Canadian Rockies – Westbound

Banff possess’ a rich history going back to the creation of Canada as a nation.

In 1883, two years before the driving of the last spike marked the completion of Canada’s first transcontinental railroad, three workers stumbled upon a series of hot springs on the lower shoulder of what is now called Sulphur Mountain. After a heated ownership dispute, the spring and surrounding area were set aside as Canada’s first national park in 1885.

The Canadian Pacific Railway immediately recognized the tourism potential of the Canadian Rockies. Under the direction of William Cornelius Van Horne, the elegant 250 room Banff Springs Hotel was completed in 1888.

The railway then constructed a series of grand hotels along its main line and began advertising Banff as an international tourism stopover on the steel highway that had suddenly become the fastest and most direct route from Europe to the far East. The Rockies quickly became a popular with the Victorian gentry. who came to drink in the scenery and soak in the soothing sulphur springs. Soon visitors were not just stopping over – they where coming to stay.

Banff is famous for its museums, national historic sites and galleries. You can ponder the long native presence in the Rockies at the Luxton Museum of the Plains Indian. Visit the Cave and Basin National Historic Site to feel the energy and vision invested in the creation of our national parks system. Tour heritage homes at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, and take in the fine interpretive exhibits that explain panoramas you see at at the top of the Sulphur Mountian Gondola Lift.

When skiers arrive at the top of our mountains they’re awestruck by the grandeur of the unspoiled wilderness that surrounds them. These same sights greeted explorers and climbers from around the world when they first visited the Canadian Rockies more than 100 years ago. Mountain guides form Switzerland led the first ascents of the peaks. On wooden skis with leather bindings, adventurers discovered untracked snow in wide-open bowls, laying the groundwork for today’s modern Banff ski industry.

Capital of the Province of Alberta, Canada, Calgary is famous for its Stampede festivities each summer and as the entry point to the beautiful Canadian Rockies and the Provincial Parks of Banff and Jasper.

The beautiful turquoise colored Lake Louise is an unspoiled mountain getaway located in the heart of the Alberta Rockies.

Located in southwestern Washington state, Vancouver is a port at the head of deepwater navigation on the Columbia River, opposite Portland, OR. Vancouver is a commercial, manufacturing and shipping center.

Popular ski area east of Vancouver, British Columbia. Golf and hiking in the summer