Add
Private Notes
the backbone of this breathtaking National Park Reserve. Home to the highest peak in Canada, Mount Logan, as well as the largest non-polar ice fields in the world, Kluane's remote majesty fills visitors with a sense of awe and respect for nature's dominion. The park's abundance of wildlife includes the largest group of Dall's sheep and grizzly bears in the world.
Cypress Hills straddles the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, in the heart of the Canadian prairies. The park is rich in wildlife, offering a woodland refuge for the many animal and bird species found in the prairie region. Nearby Fort Walsh was established in 1875 after more than thirty Assiniboine natives were massacred by white traders, leading to the formation of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Gros Morne National Park, located on the western shores of Newfoundland, has some of the most spectacularly beautiful vistas in all of Canada. Woodland Caribou traditionally inhabit the highland of the interior but in recent years, have been migrating down to the coast. Human history in this region goes back 9,000 years to the Maritime Archaic Indians and the Dorset and Gros water Eskimos. It is internationally recognized as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, which puts it in the company of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. This designation reflects not only its beauty, but its importance in helping us to understand the earth's development and evolution.
This is the waterfalls park, one of the most magnificent parks in British Columbia and one of the best representations of a full "mountain-top to valley-bottom" slice of an ecosystem. Mountains run down the center of B.C.'s interior, exhibiting unique lava landforms, dramatic canyons, inspiring peaks and deep lakes. The area is of great public environmental interest because of the concern for logging and other industrial activities in surrounding areas that are affecting the park's wildlife.
Eastern Canada is the setting of Quebec's Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park. The unusual geology of the region creates a striking system of pools and waterways that create one of the world's richest feeding grounds for whales. The area is home to fin, minke, beluga, blue and sometimes even humpback or sperm whales. Learn more about belugas from scientists who study this gentle mammal in an effort to save this endangered species.
Land of the Shining Mountains was how the Blackfoot people referred to this place where the Rocky Mountains dramatically meet the plains. Alberta's Waterton Lakes townsite is delightfully unique as wildlife mix freely with both residents and visitors. Many of Waterton's crystal lakes were carved into hard mountain rock by ancient glaciers, creating a refuge for an abundance of wildlife and a place of sparkling beauty for visitors.
One of Canada's newest parks, Ts'ilós (pronounced sigh-loss) is bordered by the rugged Chilcotin ranges of coastal mountains. Stunningly beautiful and rich in wildlife, it is also a testament to creative park management. It is cooperatively managed with local native people, who carry on hunting, fishing and other traditional activities. The park's centerpiece is Chilko Lake, a magnificent aqua blue glacial lake that is the largest and highest natural freshwater lake in North America.
New Brunswick's spectacular Bay of Fundy is famous for tides that rise and fall over 5 stories every 12 hours or so, moving one hundred billion tons of water. It is a rich, sheltered ocean shore environment and a bird watching mecca, with almost 350 species. The bay is also a staging area for popular whale watching excursions and research on the Right Whale, the rarest of the great whales.
Dinosaur Provincial Park in Southern Alberta is world famous for its 75 million year old bone beds, unmatched in the world for sheer number and accessibility. This park is also the most extensive area of classic "badlands" in Canada, the result of the glacial melt that occurred 15,000 years ago and the effects of wind, ice and rain ever since. Breathtakingly beautiful and awe inspiring, it is the earth exposed and at its most vulnerable.
Made famous by the Group of Seven Artists and the tragic figure of Tom Thompson, Algonquin displays its Autumn colours for that brief blaze of glory in late September, early October. Autumn is the best time to see Algonquin, not only because of the colours, but because the cooler weather means no mosquitoes, perfect hiking conditions, lakes like glass and fewer visitors. There are more than 1,500 km of canoe routes through thousands of lakes, ponds and streams. By paddle and portage, one can access areas of Algonquin that can't be seen otherwise. The 7,725 square kilometer area of forest, lakes and rivers is not really a wilderness park. Ironically, Algonquin owes its existence to the logging industry of the 1800's, which lobbied for the creation of a protected area here, not to preserve wilderness, which was already gone, but to serve as a wildlife sanctuary.
Canada has a strong tradition of preserving open spaces and calling them "parks. The definition, however, has changed over the years, following the patterns of settlement across the country and the evolving patterns of life. Definition and character of planned urban park space has changed with time, beginning with former military grounds and forts, cemetery grounds and smaller green spaces along transportation lines. Landfill sites were often reclaimed as green parks. The 1950's saw the expansion of recreational facilities as the priority of park space, supplemented by the donation of private estates for the public good. In our present time, a balance is being sought between preservation of natural space and the provision of facilities for human enjoyment and comfort.
One of the most scenic drives in the world is the historic Cabot Trail. Named for explorer John Cabot, the Road was constructed in 1936 around three sides of the newly created national park and today makes Cape Breton Highlands a piece of natural Canada that can be enjoyed by those unable to make the journey on foot. It is a jumping off point for many marine excursions available to observe and research the local whale and seal population as well as the bald eagles that breed on Cape Breton Island. Most of the park interior is "formidable, even inhospitable" wilderness that harbors a number of woodlands.
Established in 1886, Glacier National Park is the second oldest park in Canada. This spectacular mountain park is located in the heart of the Columbia Mountain Range of British Columbia along the Trans-Canada Highway. At its center, the infamous Rogers Pass enabled the original railway to break through this treacherous mountain range at great human cost. The park contains over 400 glaciers offering challenging hiking and mountain climbing experiences. The Nakimu caves are renowned for their complexity and unique formations - attracting "spelunkers" from around the world.
