Canada Travel Photo Gallery

Banff National Park

In 1883 while the the Canadian Pacific Railway was built hot springs were discovered south of the Bow River in the state of Alberta. Two years later the Canadian Government declared the site as protected area and in 1887 declared this same area as a National Park. Today the hot springs are known as the Cave and Basin National Historic Site. The name Banff for the National Park comes originally from the village of Banffshire in Sottland the birthplace of George Stepehn the then President of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Lake Louise – Jewel of the Rocky Mountains with view to Mount Lefroy (3423m) and Mount Victoria (3464m). The blue/green coloring of Lake Louise and the beautiful mountains surrounding of the lake makes it to one of the most famous attractions of the Canadian Rocky’s.

Hector Lake and Pulpit Peak in the background (2725m). This beautiful lake is situated in the Bow Valley and is the second largest lake in the Banff National Park. The sightseeing stop for Lake Hector is situated along the Icefields Parkway about 16 km north of Lake Louise.

10 minutes walking from Bow Summit to the highest point of the Icefields Parkway and you reach Lake Peyto Scenic View. From here you have a fantastic panorama view over Lake Peyto and the Mistaya River Canyon. The dark blue coloring of the lake in summer comes from the glacial sediments in the lake. In autumn the coloring changes to greenish.

The Icefields Parkway, also known as Alberta Highway 93, is a scenic road in Alberta, Canada. It is within the Banff National Park and Jasper National Park, linking Lake Louise and Jasper. The parkway, 230 km (143 miles) in length, was completed in 1940; it is named for features such as the Columbia Ice field, which is visible while traveling the parkway and is the most beautiful panoramic route of the Rocky Mountains.

North American Chipmunk on the shore of lake Louise. The trusting Chipmunks are at home in the National Parks of Alberta and British Columbia.

Yoho National Park

This National Park west of Banff in British Columbia is not as famous as the two biggest Banff and Jasper National Parks. In the 19th century and with the coming of the Canadian Pacific Railway over the Kicking Horse Pass the Yoho National Park area was accessible to explore. The name Yoho derives from the Cree Indian language and is a word for being astonished no wonder with the magnificent mountains in this park.

At the end of the steep road to the Yoho Valley are the second highest waterfalls of Canada, the Takkakaw Falls. The waterfalls are fed by the Daly Glacier of the Waputik ice fields and are cascading down 380 meters.

On the way to Lake Emerald in the Yoho National Park there is a interesting anomaly which the fast flowing river Kicking Horse created. The water borrowed through the rock an left a natural bridge across the Kicking Horse river.