BANFF NATIONAL PARK - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 45

stone River Valley to the east. Banff guide Bill Peyto led American explorer Walter Wil-
cox up the Bow Valley in 1896, to the high peaks along the Continental Divide northeast
of Lake Louise. The first complete journey along this route was made by Jim Brewster in
1904. Soon after, A. P. Coleman made the arduous journey, becoming a strong supporter
for the route aptly known as The Wonder Trail. During the Great Depression of the 1930s,
as part of a relief-work project, construction began on what was to become the Icefields
Parkway. The road was completed in 1939, and the first car traveled the route in 1940. In
tribute to the excellence of the road's early construction, the original roadbed, when up-
graded to its present standard in 1961, was followed nearly the entire way.
Town of Banff
For most of its existence, the town of Banff was run as a service center for park visitors by
the Canadian Parks Service in Ottawa, a government department with plenty of economic
resources but little idea about how to handle the day-to-day running of a midsized town.
Any inconvenience this arrangement caused park residents was offset by cheap rent and
subsidized services. In June 1988, Banff's residents voted to sever this tie, and on Janu-
ary 1, 1990, Banff officially became an incorporated town, no different than any other in
Alberta (except that Parks Canada controls environmental protection within the town of
Banff).
Town of Banff
Many visitors planning a trip to the national park don't realize that the town of Banff is a
bustling commercial center. The town's location is magnificent. It is spread out along the
Bow River, extending to the lower slopes of Sulphur Mountain to the south and Tunnel
Mountain to the east. In one direction is the towering face of Mount Rundle, and in the
other, framed by the buildings along Banff Avenue, is Cascade Mountain. Hotels and mo-
tels line the north end of Banff Avenue, while a profusion of shops, boutiques, cafés, and
restaurants hugs the south end. Also at the south end, just over the Bow River, is the Park
Administration Building. Here the road forks—to the right is the historic Cave and Basin
Hot Springs, to the left the Fairmont Banff Springs and Banff Gondola. Some people are
happy walking along the crowded streets or shopping in a unique setting; those more in-
terested in some peace and quiet can easily slip into pristine wilderness just a five-minute
walk from town.