National Parks
Canada’s national parks have been established to protect and preserve large tracts of wilderness and diverse wildlife habitats. Alberta's national parks offer spectacular scenery, countless outdoor activities, natural history interpretive guiding and an unparalleled opportunity to reconnect with nature.
Alberta's Five National Parks
Banff and Jasper national parks are located in the Canadian Rockies. Waterton Lakes National Park is at the narrowest point of the Rockies at the southwestern tip of the province. Elk Island National Park is centrally located near Edmonton. In the far north, Wood Buffalo National Park spills into the Northwest Territories. Visit Parks Canada for detailed information on services, facilities, maps, fees, permits, activities and important safety information.
Banff National Park
Banff is one of the world’s most popular travel destinations. Within an hour's drive are five world-class ski hills and six signature golf courses. The park contains 6,641 sq km (2,564 sq mi) of towering mountains, secluded valleys, boreal forest, alpine meadows, glacial lakes and rivers—a diverse ecosystem that is home to countless species of wildlife.
Canada's first national park, it was established in 1885 after the chance discovery of the now-famous hot springs bubbling up from a mountain cave above the present day townsite of Banff. Hundreds of visitors still come every year to “take the waters” at the Upper Hot Springs pool. Thousands more come to engage in year round outdoor activities of all descriptions, including some of the best alpine and nordic skiing in North America.
Elk Island National Park
Elk Island, established in 1913, protects one of the most endangered habitats in Canada—the fragile aspen parkland. It is also an excellent viewing area for wildlife—herds of plains bison, wood bison, moose, deer and elk roam freely here. Many of the Park’s bison have been transplanted from elsewhere in North America in an effort to save the species. Elk Island is a haven for birdwatchers with 250 species catalogued so far.Its cultural history dates back to the receding of the glaciers. There are more than 200 prehistoric aboriginal camping and stone tool making sites as well as 13 non-native heritage sites.
GIven the proximity of the park to Edmonton, many city dwellers cross-country ski here in the winter months and enjoy a day hike or a round of golf in the summer. For a longer stay, accommodations and amenities are available in and around the park.
Jasper National Park
Established in 1907, Jasper is the northern-most and largest of the Canadian Rockies national parks. It is famous for the Columbia Ice Field, where melt waters flow from the apex of the Continental Divide to three different oceans. The Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) runs north-south between Jasper townsite and the town of Lake Louise, linking Banff and Jasper national parks. One of the most spectacular scenic highways, the Parkway takes you to the most accessible glacier in North America, the Athabasca. Along the way you'll find Maligne Lake, the largest glacial-fed lake in the Canadian Rockies.
With more wilderness terrain—10,878 sq km (4,200 sq mi)—and less visitors than Banff, the park contains an extensive system of backcountry trails and healthy populations of some of our rarest wildlife including grizzly bears, wolves and caribou. Visit the Jasper Lake Dunes, the only sand dune ecosystem in any of the Rocky Mountain national parks. And if you’re looking for a road less traveled, try Highway 93A—a meandering backroad that was part of the original Banff/Jasper Highway. You’ll be surprised at what you’ll find along the way.
Waterton Lakes National Park
The smallest of the Canadian Rockies parks, Waterton Lakes was designated Canada’s fourth national park in 1913. Located in southern Alberta along the Canada/U.S. border, it encompasses one of the narrowest areas of the Rocky Mountains and is often referred to as “where the mountains meet the prairies.” Climb to the top of Bear’s Hump Trail for the view and you'll understand why.
Because several ecological regions overlap in the Waterton Lakes area, the park embraces 45 different habitats resulting in an astonishing diversity of plant and animal species. Two popular areas for wildlife viewing are Red Rock Canyon and Cameron Falls.
The international Upper Waterton Lake is the deepest in the Canadian Rockies. Waterton Lakes National Park was joined with Montana's Glacier National Park in 1932 to form the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, the first of its kind.
Wood Buffalo National Park
Although most of Wood Buffalo is located in Alberta, it is listed by Parks Canada in the Northwest Territories, as the main entrance is located there. At 44,807 sq km (17,300 sq mi), it is bigger than Switzerland. Not only is it Canada’s largest national park, it is one of the largest in the world.Established in 1922 to protect the free-roaming herds of bison in the area, it also contains the only natural nesting grounds of the endangered whooping crane. Visitors come to see the unique salt plains, one of the largest freshwater deltas in the world and some of the finest examples of gypsum karst topography in North America. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.
It takes a bit of planning to get here, but you can do so by land, water or air. Edmonton and Fort McMurray are the most common departure points. If you’re keen to learn more about indigenous culture and the unique terrain of the boreal north, don’t miss this chance of a lifetime.
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