Animals around Banff

Canadian
Rockies

In fact, one of the real pleasures of our trip was the abundance of wildlife. Just outside Banff is Lake Minnewanka, where we found the first of several Bighorn Sheep that we would see over the next several days. Bighorn Sheep have the curly horns; Mountain Goats have a lighter coat and pointed horns.

Closer to Banff by Forty Mile Creek, there was an Elk grazing in the picnic area. We quickly learned the secret to spotting wildlife: look for cars parked along the edge of the road and you'll likely find tourists taking pictures of sheep, elk, or bears. As always, it pays to be cautious - these are wild

animals. This was a placid time of year, but during mating and calving seasons, these animals can be very territorial.