Culture is deeply rooted in the Bow Valley

It was the first in the whole of Canada to be designated a national park, so Banff National Park can truly be considered the natural jewel of the entire country, so much so that it has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. What makes it iconic above all is the variety and majesty of its mountains, which border virtually the entire park, covering an area of 6,641 square kilometres. Visitors usually base themselves in the town of Banff, where it is easy to book one of the many guided excursions led by biologists to explore the forests and valleys, and attempt the ascent to the summits of its rugged peaks to stand in the presence of the glaciers – of which there are more than a thousand: and so you reach Bow Falls to admire them just below the course of the Bow Creek at the head of a wild, rocky canyon, which then, almost magically, becomes a placid river busily carving out the entire topography of the Bow Valley. It was here that Marilyn Monroe filmed some of the most memorable scenes from *The Misfits*, a film directed by Otto Preminger in 1954. Fortunately, the scenery has remained unchanged ever since. Bow Falls can also be viewed from above or whilst sitting on a rock, whilst rafting enthusiasts can enjoy white-water rafting down the river. It is only right and proper to pay tribute to the history of the Indigenous peoples by visiting the Cave and Basin National Historic Site, where the ‘Indigenous Voices’ exhibition runs throughout the summer, recounting the ancestral history of the local communities of the Bow Valley, including the Îyârhe Nakoda, Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, Tsuut’ina, Ktunaxa, Secwépemc and Métis: it is the Indigenous people themselves who reveal the deepest secrets of their culture through oral storytelling and the display of artistic artefacts.