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Bankhead

Coal mines at Bankhead, Alberta, circa 1912. The Bankhead mines were operated by the Pacific Coal Company, a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
From 1904 to 1922, Bankhead was a thriving community, supplying coal for the Canadian Pacific Railway and work for 300 underground coal mine workers. Parks Canada officials in the national park have developed varied interpretive services at the site. 

Visit the historic site of the early 1900s coal mine, colliery and town. Take a walk on the easy 45-minute path that leads through the ruins of the mine site. On the walk, stop to read the interpretive plaques placed beside some of the foundations. The plaques have photographs and descriptions of the buildings that once stood there and the operations of the mine, which all commemorate the old community. 

Visitors can walk along well-groomed trails at both Upper Bankhead, which was once a residential area, and the coal mine site at Lower Bankhead to view the ruins and other scattered remains of the town. At Lower Bankhead there is a scenic and interesting 1.1-kilometre interpretive loop trail. (Closed in winter.) The site is a fascinating educational and historical exhibit. The Bankhead interpretive site includes the area's geology, the mining operation and community life. 

Bankhead is located 8 kilometres from Banff on Lake Minnewanka Loop Drive, located on Lake Minnewanka Road, 7.4 kilometres from the Banff Town site. 

Contact: 
Historic Sites Manager 
Banff National Park 
Box 900, Banff, Alberta T0L 0C0 
Phone: (403) 762–1557, (403) 762–1566

  

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