Banff National Park covers 6,641 square kilometers, featuring glaciers, ice fields, pine forests, and mountain ranges. The Icefields Parkway starts from Lake Louise and connects to Jasper National Park in the north. To the west are provincial forests and Yoho National Park, while to the south lies Kootenay National Park. The town of Canmore is located to its southeast. The park's main commercial area is the town of Banff in the Bow River Valley. As part of the 'Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks' UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is listed together with other Canadian Rocky Mountain national and provincial parks.

Many areas of the Rocky Mountains are now protected national parks and forests, popular tourist destinations offering recreational activities such as camping, hiking, climbing, fishing, hunting, mountain biking, skiing, and snowboarding.