There’s a new place to pause, gather and take in the mountains in Banff and it sits right at the foot of one of the town’s most recognizable landmarks.
On September 18, the Town of Banff officially celebrated the opening of the new 2,000-square-metre park surrounding the iconic Banff Sign at the Banff Train Station. The $1.3-million project, including the relocation of the sign, was privately funded by Jan and Adam Waterous, owners of Norquay Ski & Sightseeing Resort.
The park doesn’t have an official name just yet (that will come at a future Banff Town Council meeting) but around Norquay, we’ve affectionately started referring to it as “Little ’Quay Park.”
Designed as more than simply a home for the Banff Sign, the new park creates a welcoming space for locals and visitors to spend a little more time at the entrance to town.
Three user-operated natural gas fire pits offer a place to warm up and gather throughout the year, while boulders provide informal seating around the landscaped space. A trail connects the park, with grass, mature trees and an elevated terrace surrounding the Banff letters. And, of course, there’s the view!
From its new position, the sign is framed by the heritage Banff Train Station and Mount Norquay, with views extending toward some of the peaks that define the Bow Valley.
As Jan Waterous shared at the opening:
“Our community and visitors told us they wanted more places to gather, whether they’re beginning their day in Banff or celebrating it at the end.”
That idea is central to the park: creating a place where arriving in Banff becomes part of the experience itself.
A New Home for a Banff Favourite
The Banff letters have become one of the town’s most popular photo stops since they were first installed on Norquay Road in 2017. That popularity also created challenges. Visitors regularly stopped along Norquay Road to take photographs, resulting in vehicles parking where they shouldn’t and pedestrians navigating a busy entrance road also used by cyclists and hikers on the Legacy Trail.
After several years of discussion, Banff Town Council approved moving the sign to the Train Station area in December 2024. Construction on the new park began in August 2025, and the letters were removed from Norquay Road that October.
Visitors can now take their classic Banff photo away from passing traffic, relax around the fire pits, enjoy the mountain views and then continue into town on foot, by bike or on local transit. The park sits beside the Train Station’s large free public parking lot, making it a perfect starting point for a day in Banff.
More than Photo Spot
For us, one of the most special parts of the new park is its connection to Mount Norquay itself. Look beyond the Banff letters and our mountain rises above the town which is a fitting backdrop for a space funded by the Waterous family and envisioned as a welcoming gateway to Banff.
As Mayor Corrie DiManno said at the opening, the park gives people arriving in Banff a place to “get their bearings and start their adventure with a memento family photo at the welcome sign.” We couldn’t think of a better introduction to town.
So, until an official name is chosen, we’ll keep calling it Little ’Quay Park, a little piece of Norquay at the gateway to Banff, and a new place for our community and visitors to gather, connect and enjoy the mountains.
