Accessibility and Nature

In Canada, the National Parks have been accessibility leaders. In places like Banff, Alberta, Parks Canada helps people see, experience and understand nature.

Living in Calgary, Alberta, I can usually see the Rocky Mountains from the city. They're about 100 kilometres west of us, and the famous resort town of Banff, Alberta, Canada is about 130 km from Calgary.

It's funny how readily we sometimes come to think of nearby attractions as being "for tourists" and don't take the opportunity to enjoy them ourselves.

Last fall, a friend was visiting from Australia and I had such fun showing her the beauty that is Banff.

Today I was writing the article Hot Springs at Banff, Canada and recalling the other-worldly feeling I had the first time I visited them during winter. It is almost magical to sit in the naturally heated, slightly sulphur-smelling (don't worry, it's not unpleasant) water when the big fat snowflakes are falling and the winter sky is calm. Restorative, invigorating, relaxing and inspirational all at the same time.

One of the many good things about the Banff Hot Springs is that they're inside a National Park. I think Parks Canada has been very progressive in making its facilities universally accessible, in every park across the country. I hope you will agree (but if not, I'd love to know so I can check it out and tell other readers).

Here are two other articles I've written about my corner of the Rockies. In Altitude Facts - Banff I have tried to provide the information you may need if you have any concerns about the oxygen level in the air. There's also some information in that piece about the Banff Gondola, which carries you up Sulphur Mountain to enjoy a stunning view.

In Columbia Icefield Centre, Canada you can read about another accessible attraction in the Canadian Rockies. This is an opportunity to see a glacier close up and personal. I won't go on too much here about climate change except to say it's a sobering thought that this great glacier, upon which so many living things depend for water, is visibly shrinking. Another good thing about National Parks is the way they bring us into closer contact with nature so we can make our own observations and draw our own conclusions about how the world works.