Jasper National Park
is a scenic three hour drive from your home. Jasper's combination of
wildlife, startling blue green mountains and lakes, soaring mountains,
and broad forested valleys ranks it one of the premier national parks in
Canada. Over three million people a year pass through the park gates to
experience this world heritage site.
Jasper
National Park is the largest of Canada's Rocky Mountain Parks, and spans
4200 square miles of deep valleys, rugged mountains, glaciers, forests,
alpine meadows, and wild rivers along the eastern slopes of the Rockies
in western Alberta. There are 660 miles of hiking trails and terrific
mountain drives.
Jasper joins Banff National Park to the south via the Icefield
Parkway. This parkway offers unparalleled beauty as you travel along the
chain of glaciers that straddle the continental divide.
Banff National Park is approximately the same distance from
your home, travelling south via the David Thompson Highway which begins
four miles from your doorstep. You are again treated to a spectacular
drive as you climb steadily towards the mountains to the south of
Jasper.
The town site of Banff was established in 1883 when the
Transcontinental Railway was built. The town of Banff is the centre of
recreation and tourism in the Banff National Park.
Banff has an elevation of 4,580 feet, and is surrounded by mountains
that range to 9,860 feet. Visitors to Banff enjoy golf, hiking,
shopping, and all types of outdoor recreation, plus the internationally
renown BANFF SPRINGS HOTEL, overlooking the Bow River. The wildlife
included mountain sheep, elk, moose, and a full range of carnivorous
animals in their natural habitat.
One
of the premier skiing choices for Banff is Mt. Norquay, with its
long-standing reputation for challenge. A quintet of dynamic mogul
studded free fall runs is an attraction for Norquay regulars. Runs such
as the Upper Lone Pine and Gun Run are a Black Diamond duo as demanding
as any ski run in the entire Rocky Mountains. Three more chair lifts
climb up the stepped back parallel ridges and serve as the beginners and
intermediates area. Skiing down to the main parking lot, the base is a
welcomed gateway to more friendly terrain. Because the terrain lies in a
deep valley under some very steep summits, it has a rugged and
exhilarating feel about it.
Sunshine Village is another internationally known ski area. It
has been Banff's playground for over 75 years. In 1927 when the Canadian
Pacific Railway built a cabin on the site of the present-day Sunshine
Lodge, Sunshine Village started to come into its own as a ski
destination. Skiers in those days had to cross-country ski from Banff to
reach the village. The access road was built in 1941, and the first
portable tow lift was installed a year later. Presently, Sunshine has
seen major reconstruction and investment. Recent improvements have
included the construction of the world's fastest 8-person gondola and
the upgrade of three lifts to the most modern Poma high speed and fixed
grip quad chairlifts. More upgrades and building improvements are taking
place today, and have turned Sunshine into a world-class ski resort with
twelve lifts and more than 500,000 visitors each season. The details as
follows:
- Ski able terrain
- 3,168 acres
- Top elevation is 8,954 feet
- Base elevation is 5,440 feet
- Vertical drop is 3,514 feet
- Average snowfall is 396 inches
Lake Louise is Canada's largest and most beautiful single ski
area featuring infinite and varied terrain. Located in the heart of
Banff National Park, Lake Louise is a world class ski resort and a world
heritage site.
The
completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway route, along with the
construction in the 1890s of the first commercial accommodations at Lake
Louise, attracted ever-increasing numbers of visitors. The area became
an international destination largely due to the promotion by the railway
company.
Legislation created the Lake Louise Forest Park in 1892, but it was
not until 1902 that the area including Lake Louise and Moraine Lake came
under the protection of the expanding Banff National Park. Recreational
hikers and skiers were drawn by the proliferation of trails built in the
1890s under the supervision of Willoughby Astely, the first manager of
the original chalet. A number of teahouses were built to cater to the
early day skier and hiker, two of which are still in operation at the
plain of the six glaciers and Lake Agnes. The works of many painters
further spread recognition of this area. Road construction facilitated
access, and visitors flocked to see the renowned scenery. Lake Louise is
the premier attraction of Banff National Park and indeed the entire
Rocky Mountains of western Alberta.
Today, four full-serviced lodges are strategically placed so that the
entire area is comfortably available to all users. Lake Louise has been
consistently voted "Number One" for scenery and value in North America
by Skiing Magazine, and received a Gold Medal for terrain
challenge accommodations and dining in the fall of 2002.
There are many other world-class recreational facilities within a few
hours' drive from your home in Brazeau County. Nakiska was the site of
the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, and remains the training ground for the
Canadian Ski Team, the National Bobsled Team, and the Freestyle Skiing
Team.
Back to Property Listing.
