Banff（班夫）began life in 1883 as a tiny community beside the newly built Canadian Pacific Railway line and some nearby hot springs(温泉). Later the Canadian government protected the area as the Rocky Mountain Park Reserve（落基山保护区）, a designation which in 1930 became Banff National Park. Canada's first national park. It was popular with tourists then, and it's just as popular today.

Exterior of Banff Springs Hotel

Banff swarms year-round with visitors（终年都有大批游客蜂拥而至） who come to marvel at the stupendous（惊人的） mountain beauty that surrounds the townsite, and signs in stores（商店的标牌） are just as likely to be written in Japanese as in English. Several local resorts（旅游景点） are as good as skiers（滑雪的人） will find anywhere, and the massive stone-hewn Banff Springs Hotel（用巨石开辟成的温泉宾馆） is a Canadian travel icon. The Banff Centre for the Arts is an international focal point for writers, artists and actors.

Lake Louise（莱克路易斯）, 30 minutes west up a busy highway, is another picturesque destination （风景如画的目的地）favored by skiers, hikers, climbers and less adventurous travellers in tour buses and motor homes. While Banff is a bustling town （熙熙攘攘的城镇）with services normally found in much bigger places, Lake Louise cultivates a much quieter village lifestyle.