Banff National Park and the Canadian Rockies for Dummies. 2nd ed.
Description
Contains Illustrations, Maps, Index
$21.99
ISBN 978-0-470-83728-3
DDC 917.123'32
Author
Publisher
Year
Contributor
Frits Pannekoek is an associate professor of heritage studies, director
of information resources at the University of Calgary, and the author of
A Snug Little Flock: The Social Origins of the Riel Resistance of
1869–70.
Review
There is probably more travel guide literature on Canada’s two premier mountain parks than any other tourist landscape on the continent. To take the lead, this guide would have to do better than the Lonely Planet, Frommers, or any number of other local guides. I am sad to say its 23 chapters, divided into six parts that are mostly just consumer tips for accommodation, transportation, and food, do not succeed. Its entries are short, and read less like a frank assessment than advertising blurbs written by the local tourism bureau.
Some surprising information that “Dummies” might want to know—since it is mentioned nowhere—is that the Rocky Mountain Parks, Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump, and other places like the Burgess Shale are World Heritage Sites. “Dummies” are, in fact, about to experience the best the world has to offer.
In any case, the reader will be halfway through the book dealing with transportation, money, and Calgary issues, all aimed at Americans, by the time they get to Banff. And when you get to the heart of the book it focuses mostly on accommodation and meals, not on “what to do”—nor on wilderness or culture. What is really sad is that the book ignores the important spiritual and Aboriginal dimension of the Canadian Rockies and how you can connect with that spirit through Aboriginal heritage, which is in evidence if you know where to go. The Banff museums, the Glenbow Museum’s Plains Indian exhibition, and Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump are just a few of the best locations to get an orientation. There is also a new adventure for “Dummies”—a tipi stay, which will surely add a new dimension to adventure which is not mentioned. But having travelled widely in the region, I must acknowledge that the book provides the basics and for that it is useful.