In 1883 employees of discovered a cluster of natural above the Bow River valley, a narrow montane ecoregion that .... park nation

Two years later, the region became Canada's first national park under the Rocky Mountains Park Act. In 1930 the park was extended to 2,585 square miles (6,695 square km) and given its present name, and in 1949 the park was slightly reduced in size. With more than 4 million visitors each year, Banff is Canada's most popular national park. MLA style: "Banff National Park." APA style: Banff National Park.