One hour southeast of Calgary, stupendous five-fingered peaks wrapped in glaciers rise out of the prairie. Welcome to the Canadian Rockies and the oldest national park in Canada, Banff. In 1882, Canadian National Railroad surveyor Thomas Wilson wrote of what is now Lake Louise: “I never in all my explorations saw such a matchless scene.” But Banff is more than sheer wilderness. The national park houses some of the country’s most impressive hotels, grand chateaus with blue roofs and turrets created by Canadian railroad barons. More than five million visitors a year come to hike through wildflower-draped meadows, paddle green and cobalt lakes, fish for trophy-size trout, ski at one of the park's three resorts, and lounge in the natural hot springs. Spend one day outdoors here and you’ll no doubt come to the same conclusion as Mr. Wilson.