Banff Trail

Annexed to the City of Calgary in 1910, Banff Trail was established in 1952 and is one of the city’s oldest communities. It was named for the town of Banff, and is located in northwest Calgary near the intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway and Crowchild Trail. Banff Trail is primarily residential and has undergone many changes over the years. The community is a mix of single family homes, condos and townhomes and range in price from the mid $500,000 range to just under $1million. The population (2012) of Banff Trail is 3,837 – a 7% increase over 2011.

Motel Village is the major commercial centre serving Banff Trail, and is in the southeast corner of the community. McMahon Stadium, the University of Calgary, SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) and the Alberta College of Art are all within minutes of Banff Trail. The Banff Trail LRT station is handy too, offering fast, efficient service to downtown. The North Hill Centre, one of Calgary’s oldest shopping centres, offers over 100 shops and services for area residents and features a large Safeway, Sears and a number of eateries.

Banff Trail residents enjoy convenient access to numerous recreational amenities including a pathway system that connects the North Hill all the way up to Nose Creek. There’s also Foothills Athletic Park which has soccer fields, an indoor pool and an ice arena. Confederation Park is also nearby and has a 9- hole golf course as well as a two-tier driving range! The Banff Trail community association maintains two skating rinks and a baseball diamond.

Banff Trail is a family oriented and “pedestrian friendly” community, served by several schools within walking distance. Elementary schools include Capitol Hill, Banff Trail (Fr.), St. Joseph and St. Pius (Fr.). Junior high students can attend Branton Bilingual Jr. High School, Senator Patrick Burns, St. Margaret and Madeleine d’Houet. Designated senior high schools are William Aberhart (Fr.) and St. Francis (Fr.).

Banff Trail is home to one of the oldest community associations in Calgary – 50 years plus!  The Banff Trail Community Garden, initiated in 1910 is still going strong and today has over 20 garden beds thanks to the involvement of so many dedicated community members. The community association arranges hockey and skating programs in the winter, a spring soccer league for kids, plus music jams, yoga classes, and pancake breakfasts.