The deadline for panel proposals has now passed.

2026 ANNUAL MEETING: BANFF, ALBERTA, CANADA
November 12-14, 2026
Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Banff, AB, CA

Welcome to Banff! Banff is a town in the Rocky Mountains in Banff National Park, established as Canada’s first national park in 1885. The Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Visitors pour in from all over the world to enjoy the hiking, hot springs, skiing, climbing, food and shopping, although few of them come in November.

Banff National Park lies within territory covered by Treaty 7, signed in 1877 between Canada and the Kainai, Siksika, Piikani, Tsuu T’ina and three Stoney Nakoda Nations, Chiniki, Goodstoney and Bearspaw. The town of Banff is in the Park, slightly upstream of Bow Falls, on the Bow River, just before it meets the Spray River. For at least 10,000 years, this site and the Bow River Valley have been home to members of these Nations, to the Métis people, and to other Indigenous people who have traded, shared, travelled and resided in the region, as boundaries and people have moved and been relocated. The Town of Banff, the Buffalo Nations Museum, the Whyte Museum and Archives, and the Banff Heritage Corporation provide more information about the town’s Indigenous history and landmark sites around town. The Glenbow Western Research Centre at the University of Calgary and the Legal Archives Society of Alberta in downtown Calgary may also be of interest. Banff was given its name by Sir George Stephen, the first president of the Canadian Pacific Railway, who named it after his birthplace, Banffshire, Scotland.

Lodging

The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

Address

107 Tunnel Mountain Drive

Banff, Alberta

The Conference Hotel

The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity was founded in 1933. Built into the side of Sleeping Buffalo, or Tunnel, Mountain, it is now a specialized arts educational institution, conference facility and artistic incubator and retreat that provides on-site accommodation, conference meeting space, and dining. Mountain trails and wildlife are just outside the door, and it is a short walk down to the main part of the town of Banff. The Centre has an art gallery and a full fitness centre with a pool, running track and climbing gym. Unless you are planning on travelling further afield during your visit, you won’t need a car.

The ASLH has negotiated a group rate of CAD $285 plus taxes and fees for rooms in Lloyd Hall and the Professional Development Centre (PDC) at the Banff Centre. We strongly urge you to stay at the conference hotel because the conference contract requires that a minimum number of guest bookings be made to avoid financial penalties. You can book using our negotiated rate here. The cutoff date for room reservations in our block is Wednesday, October 14, 2026, but we encourage you to book earlier to ensure availability. In past years, the discounted rooms have been booked up prior to the cutoff date, leaving late bookers to find off-site or undiscounted accommodations.

The recently renovated Lloyd Hall is close to the building where we will be meeting and is connected underground to the Sally Borden Building, which houses Vistas (for dining) and the fitness centre and pool. The Professional Development Centre is about half a block away and has more of a traditional hotel feel, but it doesn’t connect to the other buildings. Access to the fitness centre, pool, art gallery and other extras will be included in your booking.

The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

107 Tunnel Mountain Drive
Banff, Alberta

Click here for directions

Travel

Airports

  • Calgary International Airport (YYC)

    Getting to/from the Airport and other transportation information

    Banff is about a 90-minute drive west of Calgary, Alberta, a city of around 1.5 million people. The main airport is the Calgary International Airport (YYC), served by most major American and Canadian airlines and many international ones. Calgary is Westjet’s base of operations, and it offers non-stop flights to cities in the United States, Europe and Asia, to Caribbean and Mexican destinations, and to other points in Central and South America. American and international visitors will require a passport to enter Canada. Some visitors will also require either an electronic travel authorization(eTA) or a visitor visa. If you have an early morning flight, you might want to stay the night before at one of the two hotels at the Calgary airport or one of the many others nearby.

    Travelling between Calgary and the Banff Centre is straightforward. You can rent a car onsite at the Calgary airport or take the Banff Airporter or the Brewster Banff Airport Express. These buses run approximately hourly and stop at the Banff Centre and other hotels. It’s best to book your ground transportation before you travel. Taxi and limousine services also transport travellers between the airport and Banff Centre, although at greater cost. Banff has taxis but not Lyft or Uber, so although you might be lucky enough to find a driver to take you one way from the airport, you will need a different plan for the return. ROAM Public Transit connects Banff, Lake Louise and the nearby town of Canmore but does not travel to Calgary, ChatGPT’s representations notwithstanding.

    If you decide to rent a car, make sure it has winter tires and an ice scraper/snow brush. You will need to buy a permit in order to park inside Banff National Park. The easiest place to buy a park pass (daily or otherwise) is on your way, at one of the booths on the highway at the park gates, just west of the Canmore exits. If you decide to explore recreational opportunities in the nearby Kananaskis provincial park, outside the town limits of Canmore, you will need a parking permit there too. These can be purchased online or at certain visitor centres.

Travel Tips

  • Packing/Dressing for the Weather

    Plan to wear your walking shoes. The Banff Centre is on the mountain and has sidewalks connecting the buildings, but it also has trails.

    In mid-November, Banff can be cool but nice, cold and crisp, or very cold, or, indeed, all three in a day or two. Average temperatures in mid-November usually range from around 5° to -10 °C (41°F to 14°F). However, it can be colder or warmer, so come prepared with a warm jacket, boots, a toque (hat), and mitts. Packing your cold gear is one of the ways to ensure we get more mild temperatures, so please do your part.

  • Other Things to Do

    Just outside Banff is a beginner- and family-friendly ski hill called Mount Norquay. Carrying on west down the highway takes you to Sunshine Village and Lake Louise. The ski hills are often open by mid-November. They are accessible by shuttle from Banff, and they rent gear. There is hiking and biking around the town of Banff, and one can take the Banff Gondola or hike to the top of Sulphur Mountain to take in the view. The public Banff Upper Hot Springs, near the base of the gondola, began drawing tourists in the 1880s, and the current bathhouse opened in 1932. Canmore has accommodations, dining, and the Canmore Nordic Centre, home to cross-country skiing and mountain biking.

  • Dining

    Banff has an abundance of eating establishments, from candy shops to upscale steakhouses. Mid-November is not high season, so there will be lots of choice (check OpenTable.ca). Having said that, the Maple Leaf Seafood & Chophouse is a longtime favorite of one of your local arrangements coordinators. Nourish Bistro and Juniper Bistro should please vegetarians and vegans, but other restaurants have options too. Sky Bistro is at the top of the Sulphur Mountain Gondola and has a great view. The casual MacLab Bistro is housed at the Banff Centre, as is Vistas Dining Room, which offers buffet-style breakfasts, lunches and early dinners. Don’t let OpenTable lure you into a reservation at the Chimney Corner, though: it’s on the ski hill at Sunshine Village.

    On the edge of town (where the town meets the golf course) is the splendid and historic Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, originally built to accommodate railway travellers in style and then rebuilt after a fire. If you decide to pay it a visit, you could book dinner at Castello Italiana, the Vermillion Room, or the really upscale 1888 Chop House. The Rundle Bar serves afternoon tea, plus cocktails and “small plates” from lunchtime onward, Grapes serves wine and pizza, and the Waldhaus (down the hill by the river, in the golf clubhouse) serves Bavarian fare and fondues (both cheese and chocolate – highly recommended). The hotel is about half an hour on foot from the Centre, and you can walk uphill along the road or downhill along the river by Bow Falls to the golf clubhouse (and Waldhaus), climbing the stairs up to the hotel at the end of your walk. You can also take a taxi from the Centre or a bus from the townsite. If you have a car and want to drive, there are surface lots and a parkade at the hotel.

  • Childcare

    If you require childcare during the conference, you can turn to a service that will provide one-on-one or group care on-site at the Banff Centre. Arrangements may be made in advance with Childcare Connection or My Hotel Sitter.

Host an ASLH Conference

The American Society for Legal History’s Standing Committee on Annual Meetings invites proposals to host or sponsor (in full or in part) a future Annual Meeting. Interesting venues, affordable hotel rates, tax exemption for out-of-state non-profits and reasonable funding support for meeting events are highly favored in site selection.

Save the Date

November 4–6, 2027

The next ASLH Annual Meeting will be held in Minneapolis

Get the Details
Follow the Conversation
Twitter feed is not available at the moment.