Banff

A turquoise lake below a glacier that stays in view behind it. The car park fills in the early morning, so people book the shuttle from town instead.

Ten peaks ring this lake, and private vehicles are no longer allowed in. Climbing the rock pile is what brings the whole surface into view.

Eight minutes to the 2281m summit, where a boardwalk runs along the ridge. An old weather station stands at the end and can be entered.

An open air pool partway up the mountain sits around forty degrees and steams hard in winter. Swimsuits are rented, including copies of the 1920s style.

A steel walkway fixed against the canyon wall leads to two waterfalls. In winter the falls freeze and climbers go up them with spikes on.

The road runs 230km north with six glaciers visible from it. Only one fuel station stands along the way, so the tank is filled before setting off.

A twenty minute walk from town reaches a fall wider than it is tall. When the snow melts in spring the noise rises until conversation stops.

Railway workers found this hot spring in 1883, and the national park began from it. Bathing is now forbidden, and one species of snail lives nowhere else.

Bridges carrying forest across the highway were built so animals could cross. Cameras have confirmed that bears and deer actually use them.

Three shallow lakes west of town where a windless morning puts the mountains onto the water. A cycle path follows the shore, so no car is needed.

The main street running north to south through town, lined with shops and restaurants. Cascade Mountain closes off its northern end, so every photo gets a mountain backdrop. In summer part of it is shut to traffic and given over to pedestrians.

A railway company opened the hotel in 1888, and its stone building looks enough like a fortress to be called the Castle of the Rockies. Non-guests may wander the lobby and terrace. Surprise Corner viewpoint frames the whole hotel above the Bow River.

Stretching more than 20km, it is the national park's biggest lake. A dam built in 1941 drowned a lakeside resort village, and divers go down to see its remains. In summer cruise boats head deep up the lake.

A small lake beside the road to Lake Minnewanka. At dawn, when the wind drops, Mount Rundle appears mirrored on the surface and photographers set up tripods. Bookings fill the lakeside campground all summer.

A lake near the start of the Icefields Parkway, where the Bow River begins. You can walk straight from the roadside to the shore, with Crowfoot Glacier hanging opposite. The red-roofed lodge on the bank turns up in most photos.

The lowest mountain in the national park, rising beside the town. A railway tunnel that was planned and never dug gave it its name. Walking up from town, the summit takes under 1 hour.

A log building of 1903 and the oldest natural history museum in western Canada. Its wooden cases are packed with mounted bears and birds. It sits just by the Bow River bridge, an easy stop on a walk through town.

In summer the ski lift runs for sightseers up the mountainside opposite. Grizzly bears often graze the slopes below, so you look down on them from the chair. At the top Lake Louise and its glacier fit in a single view.

Columns of glacial silt carved by rain stand in a row above the Bow River. The river valley opens beyond them from a viewpoint where Tunnel Mountain Road runs out. The columns are fragile, so stay on the path.

A teahouse beside a mountain lake, reached by a 3.5km climb from Lake Louise, serving tea for more than 100 years. It has a long list of loose-leaf teas with bread baked on site. Midday in summer means waiting for a table.

A lake in Yoho National Park in BC, a 1 hour drive west from Banff. Visitors rent red canoes and paddle the green water the name promises. On the way the Natural Bridge, where the river has bored through rock, makes a stop.

Deep in Yoho National Park, one of the tallest waterfalls in Canada. Glacier melt drops off the cliff in a single plume, and the spray reaches the car park below. The access road climbs sharp switchbacks and closes in winter.

A mountain town 20 minutes east of Banff, just outside the national park boundary. The three peaks of the Three Sisters rise above it. Rooms cost less than in Banff, which is why plenty of visitors base themselves here and drive into the park.

A ski area straddling the Continental Divide on the Alberta and BC border, reached by gondola. Heavy snowfall keeps it open late into spring. Once summer comes, the same gondola carries hikers up to the wildflower slopes of Sunshine Meadows.