Although displays of stuffed animals are not usually associated with national parks, the Banff Park Museum (93 Banff Ave., 403/762-1558, May–Sept. daily 10 a.m.–6 p.m., the rest of the year daily 1–5 p.m.; adult $4, senior $3.50, child $3) provides an insight into Banff National Park [1]’s early history.
Visitors during the Victorian era were eager to see the park’s animals without actually having to venture into the woods. A lack of roads and scarcity of large game resulting from hunting meant that the best places to see animals, stuffed or otherwise, were the game paddock, the zoo, and this museum, which was built in 1903.
Staff lead a guided tour through the facility Monday–Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday–Sunday at 2:30 p.m. The Banff Park Museum also has a Discovery Room, where touching the displays is encouraged, and a reading room is stocked with books on the park.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/canadian-rockies/banff-and-jasper-national-parks