Park, southwestern Alberta, Canada. Established as a natural reserve in 1885 and as Canada's first national park in 1887, it lies on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains and includes mineral springs, ice fields, and glacial lakes, including Lake Louise. It has been greatly expanded to its present area of 2,564 sq mi (6,641 sq km). Banff is famed for its spectacular beauty, and visitors are so numerous that it is now more a recreation than a conservation area. In 1984 it was designated part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks UNESCO World Heritage site.
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