Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

Banff Springs Hotel at Spray Ave. (guided tours) was built in 1888 and is today the emblem of Banff. Once planned to be the largest hotel complex in the world this traditionally-designed, castle-like Grand Hotel still preserves much of the glamour of the early days of railway tourism, when only very well-to-do travelers could afford to make the journey into the then still remote region of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

The hotel is set off on it's own in a wooded area with good views of the surrouding area.

TheMarsh Loop, almost 3 km (2 mi.) long, leads to beaver dams and lodges. In these marshy surroundings some rare species of birds can be observed. The trailhead begins south of the parkade at Banff Springs Hotel.