Banff: a lure to those who love the outdoors - and comfort as well

Author: By Jerry Morris, Globe Staff

Date: SUNDAY, May 12, 1996

Page: B1

Section: Travel

Banff National Park in western Canada can only be described as a paradise. And the Banff Springs Hotel, where I was happily floating, only added to the mystical beauty of Banff.

The hotel, nestled beneath mountaintops and rising out of the forest, has been around almost as long as the park has existed. It has become a symbol of western Canada. Think of the Canadian Rockies or the province of Alberta, and chances are you will remember seeing a castlelike structure surrounded by tall spruce trees and mountains rising above it.

``Since we can't export the scenery, we will have to import the tourists.'' This was the classic statement of Cornelius Van Horne in 1891 that began one of the grandest tourist migrations in history.

Van Horne, builder of the Canadian Pacific Railroad that linked Canada's east and west, now needed passengers to fill those trains.

How well he succeeded is evident in the way people like ourselves more than 100 years later would pack up from thousands of miles east to experience both the national park and the hotel Van Horne created. The hotel was the first and perhaps still the greatest of the railroad hotels that would dot Canada.

Banff is one of the most popular summer destinations within Canada. I would add it is well worth visiting in other seasons, too. I have been there in summer and winter. And with the opening of Solace, the new $12 million spa at the Banff Springs Hotel, there is added reason to visit in any season.

The only problem with this paradise is that there is just too much to see and do, too many temptations to keep one going and viewing the incredible beauty of Alberta. Take the eight-minute gondola ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain, and view scenery that is, well, breathtaking. From the 7,500-foot observation deck, it's easy to take in the 360-degree view of the mountains and the Bow Valley below. Here, too, is Canada's highest restaurant.

Needless to say, there are hiking trails galore, allowing a litle or a lot of solitude. One trail that is both easy to take and a joy to experience is just outside town at Johnson Canyon. Here, one can walk a mile or more through the woods, then along a boardwalk anchored to the canyon wall just above thundering rapids to secluded waterfalls. The site is even more fascinating in winter when the falls are surrounded by cascades of ice.

For my wife, though, the greatest thrills of Banff are the wild animals, especially the elk, that wander peacefully about the park and in town. One giant elk, with his many- splendored 12-point antlers, was enjoying a drink of water in the middle of a highway as our tour bus came upon him. Was he concerned? Did he move? No. He owned the road and that bit of water, and nothing, no matter how large, was about to move him.

The elk were everywhere: relaxing on front lawns, on the campus of the local university and in fields. The biggest hazard along the Banff Springs Golf Course isn't the sand or the Bow River that flows along it, but elk wandering about. Bighorn sheep and deer also are seen frequently in the park.

The park was created in 1885 shortly after workers building Canada's rail line to the west discovered natural hot springs. The hot springs are still there. No longer considered as therapeutic, the 104-degree waters are now enjoyed for their relaxing effect. The pools on the road to the Sulphur Mountain gondola also have a ``steam room'' with specially designed beds for a rest. In town, near the park visitor center, you can tour the cave where the original springs were discovered. A fun visit, even though the smell of rotten eggs (caused by sulfur) may be too much for some.

Banff has all the outdoor adventures one could ask for, and some that may not be found elsewhere, such as helicopter hiking that places you high in the mountains for alpine walks along mountain ridges. There are boat tours, mountain biking, rafting, carriage rides, fishing, horseback riding and all-terrain vehicle adventures.

Banff is a special place to Canadians. The federal government, in creating the 2,564-square-mile park, passed the world's first National Park Act and has been very protective of the area and its environment since. It was only in 1990 that the federal government relinquished control over the town. While the town has grown over the years and there is an abundance of shops and accommodations, the land is still leased from the federal government, and residents wishing to own property in Banff must show that at least 60 percent of their income is derived from the area.

One of the best places to discover the rich history of Banff, the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, has a very Boston connection. The museum houses an extensive history and art collection and features changing exhibitions by local and other artists. There are also historic homes and cabins on the grounds illustrating early pioneer life. One of the log homes is that of the founders, Peter and Catherine Whyte. Catherine Robb, a native of Concord, Mass., met her husband while they were students at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School in the mid 1920s and when the couple married in 1930, she moved to his native Banff. She died in 1979.

Back at the hotel, I came upon another Boston connection. Surfing the TV channels, I came upon the Smothers Brothers pushing Shaw's Supermarkets. Shaw's in Alberta? No way: Alberta's cable includes Boston's Channel 38.

While there are certainly places in Banff that are more modern and lavish, depending on your taste, the crowning jewel of this park is nonetheless the Banff Springs Hotel. When it was built in 1888, it was advertised as the ``finest hotel in the North American continent.'' The present structure, modeled after a Scottish castle, was built in 1928, and while it has been updated over the years -- since 1990 it has undergone $80 million in restoration, its public rooms retain the look and feel of living in a castle.

Last fall, the hotel added Solace, a lavish European-style spa offering a variety of therapeutic treatments from Swedish and Shiatsu massage to herbal wraps and facials. The spa's facilities include solariums, cascading waterfalls, whirlpools, saunas, steam rooms, a grand spa pool and private treatment rooms. There is also a spa restaurant with all those healthful-type foods and snacks. Also available is a heated outdoor pool and Jacuzzi.

While the hotel is offering spa packages that include a variety of treatments, I found that just floating in the spa's great domed pool room with its rich mineral-filled water and music piped in through underwater speakers to be the perfect end to a day in the park.

Alberta offers many diversions that make an extended stay in this province worthwhile. Calgary gained international fame as host of the XV Olympic Winter Games. Each July, it is home to the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede, billed as ``the greatest outdoor show on Earth.'' Edmonton, the province's other major city, has a number of attractions, ranging from the Mutart Conservatory, a showcase of flora common to many climates, to the West Edmonton Mall, the world's largest shopping and entertainment center. Each July, Edmonton holds its Heritage Festival, which is now the largest multicultural festival in the world. The province also has four national parks; the Icefields Parkway, one of the most scenic roads anywhere, along which visitors can explore a glacier; a museum with the world's largest collection of dinosaur skeletons; and Head-Smashed In Buffalo Jump, a prehistoric hunting ground.

For information on Alberta, call (800) 661-8888.

The Banff Springs Hotel is one of the Heritage properties of Canadian Pacific Hotels. For travelers exploring Alberta, an ideal circle tour of the province would inlcude visits to Lake Louise, Calgary, Edmonton and Jasper National Park. At each of these places, Canadian Pacific has historic hotels and resorts that will add to the journey. In Calgary, the gateway for travel to Banff, the Palliser Hotel is located in the downtown area next to the rail line to Banff. Its royal suite has accommodated Queen Elizabeth on two visits to Canada. The Chateau Lake Louise is another landmark property, often pictured in scenes of this region. It overlooks Lake Louise. Although the Jasper Park Lodge was not part of the original CP rail properties, it was associated with the Grand Truck Pacific Railway. It consists of a number of attractive log cabins and cedar chalets and offers full resort facilities. In Edmonton, the Hotel Macdonald was recently restored. This historic hotel had long been associated with Edmonton history and contains the only remaining painting illustrating the founding of Canada. All the hotels are now open all year. For reservations or information on Canadian Pacific Hotels, call (800) 441-1414.