If scenic beauty and outdoor fresh air are your desire, you couldn’t do better than these top 10 parks in Canada. From east to west, the Canadian travel bureau has given us its suggestions for a complete travel and photographic experience.

First on their list is Banff National Park in Alberta. Banff is in fact, the birthplace of Canada’s park system. In 1885 the park was founded and will be celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. Over four million visitors a year trek north to enjoy this most pristine place.

I last visited Banff in 2006 and was immediately drawn to its friendly people, photographic vistas and opportunities to explore. Trails were easy to follow and the views at the end were worth the trek.

We explored downtown Banff and got great suggestions at the Visitors Center. We first took the cable car to the top of Sulphur Mountain. From there you could see six distinct mountain ranges in an incredible panorama – too bad the clouds blew in just as we got out of the gondola.

For a list of things to do in the park, click here:  http://banffnationalpark.com/