
Photo: Banff National Park / iStock/balberts
Classic Favorite: Banff National Park
Location: Alberta
Size: 2,564 square miles
Nearest City: Calgary
It’s appropriate to lead the list with Canada’s first national park. Located less than two hours from Calgary, Banff National Park shows off the incredible jagged, dramatic nature of the glacier-carved Canadian Rockies. Turquoise alpine lakes, glaciers, pine forests, a charming town by the same name, and two iconic “castle” hotels, the Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise, show why Banff still stands as the shining star of the whole bunch.