Browse "Parks & Nature Reserves"

The wildlife is diverse. The park's marshes, bogs and shallow lakes support more species of reptiles and amphibians than occur anywhere else in Atlantic Canada, including such rarities as the ribbon snake and Blanding's turtle.

Natural History The park's most striking feature is a series of rock ridges consisting mostly of white quartzite. These large, rounded hills are the remains of the La Cloche range, a ring of Precambrian mountains that once towered higher than the present-day Rockies.

Kluane National Park and Reserve (established 1976, 21,980 km2) is an area of unclimbed peaks, vast ice fields, clear lakes, glaciers and spectacular wildlife. Tucked in the southwest corner of the Yukon Territory, 150 km west of Whitehorse, Kluane (pronounced kloo-AH-nee) contains Canada’s highest peak, Mount Logan. It is named after Yukon’s largest lake, which borders the park. The park and park reserve, together with Tatshenshini-Alsek Wilderness Provincial Park in British Columbia and Glacier Bay and Wrangell-St. Elias national parks in Alaska, form an international UNESCO World Heritage Site covering over 98,391 km2.

Kootenay National Park (established 1920, 1406.4 km2) is located on the west slope of the Continental Divide. The park, stretching north and south for 104 km, is bounded on the east by Banff and Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park on the north by Yoho National Park.

Piping plovers, an endangered species, and common terns nest on the beaches and barrier islands. Striped bass spawn in the estuaries. Much of the park has been logged and farmed in the past, and accordingly, much of the forest is in an early successional stage.

La Mauricie National Park (est 1977, 536.1 km2), first set aside in 1970, is situated about 220 km northeast of Montréal.

Natural History Pink granitic hills and boulders dominate the landscape but lavas are found near Cape Gargantua and sandstones on the offshore islands. The mixed forest of maple, birch, poplar and spruce produces a magnificent display of colour in autumn.

A landscape of forests and lakes, Lakeland Provincial Park (established 1992, 147 km2) is located east of LAC LA BICHE about 250 km northeast of Edmonton.

Natural History Prevailing winds aided by major storms have produced some of the finest beaches in the province. Named after the Duke of DEVONSHIRE, who visited the area in 1920, Devonshire beach is popular for swimming, wind surfing and sand castle competitions.

Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park (est 1922, 386 km 2 ) is an area of mountain peaks, alpine meadows and lakes dominated by Mount ASSINIBOINE (about 35 km south of BANFF , Alberta). The park, which is mainly above 1500 m,

New Brunswick's largest PROVINCIAL PARK, Mount Carleton Provincial Park (established 1970, 174.27 km2), features forests and abundant wildlife.

Mount Edziza Provincial Park (est 1972, 2300 km 2 ha) comprises part of the Tahltan Highlands, between the Stikine and Iskut rivers in BC. The nearest community is Telegraph Creek, 20 km northwest of the park.

Mount Revelstoke is generally acknowledged as the birthplace of alpine skiing in Canada, and it was established, in part, because of its recreational potential. Today cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are popular winter activities. The park offers primitive backcountry campsites.

Nahanni National Park Reserve (est 1976, 4765.2 km2) is a wilderness of rugged mountains, wild rivers and luxurious hot springs stretched along the South Nahanni River in the southwest corner of the Northwest Territories.

Canada’s national parks are protected areas established under federal legislation to preserve Canada’s natural heritage. They are administered by Parks Canada, a government agency that evolved from the world’s first national parks service, the Dominion Parks Branch, established in 1911. The National Parks System Plan, developed in 1970, divided Canada into 39 natural regions and set the goal of representing each region with at least one national park. Canada now has 48 national parks and national park reserves in 30 of these regions. In total, the parks cover more than 340,000 km2, which is over 3 per cent of Canada’s landmass. They protect important land and marine habitats, geographical features and sites of cultural significance. National parks also benefit local economies and the tourism industry in Canada. (This is the full-length entry about National Parks of Canada. For a plain-language summary, please see National Parks of Canada (Plain-Language Summary).)