Banff Springs

Quick Summary

Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 1-2 Km
Elevation gain:0
Time Taken: 0.5hr
Cool points: Historical information
What it's Not: A Hike
Date of Hike: Summer 1998
Recommendations:
Notes:

"Map is © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, Department of Natural Resources. All rights reserved."
map from the website http://toporama.cits.rncan.gc.ca/toporama_en.html

How to get to the trail head

This 'Hike' is right at the south west side of the Banff town site

Ramble on about the hike

Well this is nort a hike for some one whanting to climb a mountain. However, it is a worth seeing if you are in jasper. There are two main portions to the Banff springs historic site. First is the springs itself, and the second is the fens where the springs flow into the bow river. Oh don't go to these springs with your bathing suit, they are no longer in use.

The Springs are actually what started the national parks program in Canada, want all the detials of what happened yo should go to the springs and see the site. There is a whole building dedicaed to the history of the springs, and the Banff national park. Within the building there is access to the original banff springs cavern. The pictures of the cavern are quite dark, but it is all I have. The original natural cavern has had a cave cut to it to allow easy access (way back when), in the cavern it self you can see the water still flowing into the cavern off the back wall, where it drops of a lip into the pool below.

There are two small natural pools outside, and man made one. The spring water eventually flows under the road, and out into some fens before flowing into the Bow river. It is through these fens that there is a bit of a hike, well really it is a boardwalk that loops through the fens. These fens are the only place in the world at the ______ minow live. It has evolved in the warm waters from the spring, unfounatly it is now having a pretty tough time of it, as some of the residents of Banff had release sometropical fish into the fens. Now you can see these fish from the walkways. There are lots of birds, ifyou are into that sort of thing.

Well, not much of a write up I know, but it is one of the sites to see if you are in Banff, especially if you are with someone that may not be up to a strenous hike. Some pictures for you to look at, a bit dark I know, oh well.

Cave1 Deer

Lessons Learned on this trip.

None with respect to Hiking, but definatlye re-enforces the man try to not impact the environment as much as possible.


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