Banff Vacation News & Trivia

Being the oldest National Park in Canada, Banff stories and Banff trivia are as abundant as the spectacular viewpoints found in every corner of the Park. Johnston Canyon boasts its own rich history of the Resort - which was established in 1927 - the Falls, and the surrounding area. One particular article stands out in the Canadian Rockies news listings from 1999.

Rocky Mountain Vacation News:

PLUNGE DOWN JOHNSTON CANYON FALLS EARNS GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS LISTING

When extreme Kayaker Tao Berman paddled over 98 foot Upper Johnston Canyon Falls in August 1999, the 20 year old from Ashland, Oregon set a new official world free-fall record eclipsing his own previous record.

Berman grazed his shoulder on the rocks half way down, then plunged cleanly into the water. For an interminable moment his kayak bobbed upside down in the cauldron...he then rolled up. The only damage was a broken paddle and a few bruises.

Banff Trivia

• In the late 1880's, the Banff Springs Hotel was the largest hotel in the world.
• Banff was the first National Park established in Canada, and the third in the world.
• Picture a Johnston Canyon waterfall tumbling 15 stories down the side of Toronto 's new Scotia Plaza office tower and you have a creation of Derek Michael Besant. The Calgary Artist has created a life-size mural of a beloved part of our Rockies that has been transplanted into the heart of Canada 's financial district. The mural is one of the largest in North America and is made up of stacks of seven-by-eight-foot canvas-covered stretcher frames. Seventy of the canvases are hung in the glass-topped atrium joining the old Bank of Nova Scotia building to the new 70-storey office tower.

Exciting Banff Vacation News

Johnston Canyon receives the first Banff National Park Award for Heritage Architecture in 2000.