Bow Valley

Bow Valley follows the upper Bow River in Alberta, Canada, and takes its name from reeds that once grew along the riverbanks, which Indigenous peoples used to make bows; in the Blackfoot language the river is called Makhabn, meaning river where bow weeds grow. The valley contains the communities of Banff and Canmore along with smaller settlements such as Lake Louise and Dead Man's Flats, and much of its upper course lies within Banff National Park, while Bow Valley Provincial Park sits within Kananaskis Country to the east of the Canadian Rockies. It holds a mix of glacial and artificial lakes, including Lake Louise, Lake Minnewanka and the Vermilion Lakes, and mountains such as the Three Sisters and Grotto Mountain, and it has seen growing immigration among its residents since the early 2000s.