Man, we love great photography here. A picture is definitely worth a thousand words, and sometimes a thousand bucks. And every year in Banff, they choose some of the best shots made in the year from far off and distant lands and they are given the prestigious Banff Mountain Photographs award. This year’s crop of winners ranges from the high mountains of Canada to the rusty rocks of Wyoming. It is a superb collection of impressive, inspiring pictures.
Bailing to Banff
You’ve seen the pictures. The fact is that few towns in
the world are quite as lovely as Banff. I mean, the mountains, those cerulean lakes, and of course the mighty Bow River
courses right through town. The famous mountain that looms overhead, Mount Rundle, looks a bit like a shark fin…and in
every direction you look, more mountains, more beauty. Neil pointed out that there are lots of cool
things to do in Banff. To wit: the Banff Mountain Film Festival, a must-do for the adventuresome filmmaker. But where
should you stay? Where, here is a list
of accommodations for you should Banff be on your schedule. And if you’re looking for a series of excellent
driving tours, look no further than Frommer’s list here. So
that’s a start. Now get going.
Bullish on Banff
Man, here in the states we got ourselves some amazing national
parks. I’ve rhapsodized about Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and so on. These are all places that pretty much
eveyone knows. But up north a bit, they got some nat parks of their own, and one of them (although there are many),
particularly kicks arse.
Banff is Canada’s oldest national park,
and one of its most scenic. It was founded in 1885 as a somewhat modest 10-square-mile reserve by the country’s first
prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald. Since then, the park
has exploded to encompass some 2,590 square miles of vast, mind-blowing mountain landscapes, jagged glaciers,
high-altitude morainal lakes, and gushing rivers. The two nearby towns, Lake Louise and Banff, are both superb location
to hang a hat, grab some grub and do some kicking back after a hard day of exploring. One problem though is that like
Yosemite and Yellowstone, there are lots of folks who get the same idea about visiting Banff. In other words, it can
get crowded, especially during June, July, and August. So as you’re making plans this winter for summer fun, give Banff
a thought.