Top 5 National Parks Of Alberta, Canada

GEOGRAPHY

Alberta is home to some of Canada’s most well-known and diverse national parks. Alberta is a province in western Canada with vast natural resources. The province has five national parks and encompasses around 660,000 square km.

This is a list of Alberta‘s protected areas. Protected areas are managed by the Government of Canada or the Government of Alberta. Despite the fact that the provincial government owns 60% of Alberta’s landmass[1,] the vast majority is not legally protected. Alberta’s total protected area, including federal and provincial regions, is approximately 90,700 km2 (35,000 sq mi).

Parks Canada manages five Canadian National Parks in the province (Banff, Elk Island, Jasper, Waterton Lakes, and Wood Buffalo). Several prior national parks were delisted in 1947, including Buffalo National Park, Wawaskesy National Park, and Nemiskam National Park.

There are several National Historic Sites of Canada in Alberta, but only two are administered by Parks Canada: Rocky Mountain House, which has an interior interpretation centre and year-round in-person explanation, and Frog Lake, which has just exterior interpretive panels.

Suffield National Wildlife Area, a protected area within CFB Suffield’s military reserve, is also in Alberta. The province’s five national parks are listed below:

5. Banff National Park

Banff National Park, Canada’s first national park, was founded in 1885 in the Canadian Rockies. It has a land area of 6,641 square kilometres and some of Canada’s most pristine natural resources. Banff National Park is particularly famous for its unusual landscapes, which include mountains, glaciers, ice fields, dense forests, and other characteristics. As a consequence, it’s no wonder that the Banff National Park draws about 3 million visitors each year. However, the area’s serenity is jeopardised by large visitor numbers. There are three ecoregions inside the national park: montane, alpine, and subalpine. Grizzly bears, moose, elks, wolverines, and other animal species may be found in the park. Many bird species thrive in this area as well.

4. Elk Island National Park

Elk Island National Park in Central Alberta is well-known for its commitment to the protection of American bison. The national park covers 194 square km. This protected region is remarkable in that it is home to both North America’s largest and smallest terrestrial animals, the wood bison and the pygmy shrew. Elk Island National Park is home to many wildlife, including porcupines, mule deer, beavers, and moose, as well as birds like American white pelicans, American bitterns, and red-necked grebes.

3. Jasper National Park

The Jasper National Park in Alberta is located west of Edmonton, the province’s capital. The national park is the largest in the Canadian Rockies, covering 10,878 square kilometres. The park is well-known for its breathtaking and distinctive geographical features, which include snow-capped peaks, large waterfalls, clear blue lakes, and hot springs. The park was established in 1907 as the Jasper Forest Park and was designated a National Park in 1930. Grizzly bears, caribou, elk, timber wolves, cougars, and other creatures live in the diverse national park. In this region, red-necked grebes, golden eagles, bohemian waxwings, Canada geese, and other bird species flourish.

2. Waterton Lakes National Park

The national park, named for the lake of the same name, was established in 1895 and is located in southwest Alberta. The park is 505 square km in size and has mountains and woodlands. Mount Blakiston, at 2,910 metres, is the highest point in the national park. There may be grizzly bears, moose, white-tailed deer, black bears, bobcats, and other notable mammalian species here. The national park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

1. Wood Buffalo National Park

The Wood Buffalo National Park, with an area of 44,807 square kilometres, is the country’s biggest and the world’s second largest. Sections of Northwest Territory and Alberta are included in the park’s limits. The national park was founded in 1922 with the primary objective of protecting the wood bison, a critically endangered animal with the world’s largest free-roaming population. The Wood Buffalo National Park also acts as a breeding ground for whooping cranes, North America’s tallest and most endangered bird. The park also includes the Peace-Athabasca Delta, one of the world’s biggest deltas. The Wood Buffalo National Park was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983.

How Many National Parks Does Alberta Have?

Five national parks may be found in Alberta, Canada. These parks are named Banff National Park, Elk Island National Park, Jasper National Park, Waterton Lakes National Park, and Wood Buffalo National Park.