Banff, Alberta Feb. 16, 2026

Banff, Alberta

Banff in Alberta didn"t grow quietly. It arrived with railways, hot springs and a vision: to protect places of rare beauty. In 1883, railway workers stumbled upon warm mineral water bubbling from Sulphur Mountain—an unlikely surprise in the cold sweep of the Rockies. The discovery drew attention quickly. By 1885, the surrounding land has been set aside as a protected reserve. What did that lead to? The beginnings of Banff National Park, Canada"s first, and a blueprint the country would return to again and again.

© Herbert Rong/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Why is this cliffside ablaze?
Feb. 16, 2024Great Backyard Bird Count
Feb. 16, 2025Happy World Whale Day!

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Mar. 24, 2024Silvereyes
Dec. 24, 2024Silent night, sparkling lights and hearts full of joy
The sun sets on the Valley of the Moon
Sep. 7, 2024Annas hummingbird
Jun. 18, 2024Lupine fields, Snæfellsnes, Iceland
Reflecting its stylish past today
Dec. 26, 2024Boxing Day
A fox in the dunes
God’s Own Country
Why are blackbirds tied to winter?
Where fire and water meet
Jul. 2, 2024Italica, an old Roman city in Santiponce, Andalusia, Spain
Oct. 4, 2023World Space Week
May 29, 2025Miravet, Catalonia, Spain
Feb. 10, 2026Es Vedrà and Es Vedranell, Ibiza, Spain
High above the Aegean Sea
Nov. 16, 2025A traboule in Lyon, France
Masterpiece of acoustic science
Wait, mountain—you shall bear my castle!
Jun. 18, 2025Pollinator Week
Hovering over harmonious horticulture
Feb. 12, 2024Volcán Alcedo giant tortoise, Isabela Island
Sep. 2, 2024Milky Way over the Elbow River in southern Alberta
A time-worn medieval marvel
A peck between penguins
The ‘potato chip bird’
Giddy family fun
Feb. 16, 2026Banff, Alberta
May 22, 2025International Day for Biological Diversity
Oct. 1, 2023Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, British Columbia