About The Canadian Rocky Mountains
Every year, millions of people pay a visit to Canada to experience the country’s most popular tourist destination, the Canadian Rockies. In summer, visitors may enjoy activities such as fishing, canoeing, swimming, and wildlife watching. If you want to visit many of the Canadian Rockies’ most popular attractions, you’ll need to purchase a Discovery Pass, which you can do in advance online or from a ranger once you arrive.
It’s the best place to go for snow sports in the winter. Waterfalls, glacial valleys, lakes, canyons, and icefields mark the mountainous landscapes of the Canadian Rockies, which are known for its stunning beauty.
The Burgess Shale fossil site and other Precambrian sites can also be found in the Rocky Mountains, making them more than just a beautiful landscape that attracts adventurers. Soft-bodied marine fossils found here provide fascinating insights into Earth’s (and the oceans’) evolutionary history. The parks are also significant to geographers because they provide a living example of glacial processes and the way they shape the landscape and sedimentary rocks.
The Rockies of Alberta became Canada’s first government-protected reserve 13 years after the USA’s National Park opened in 1872. A dispute between three railway workers over a hot spring led to Canada’s first national park.
In 1885, instead of granting ownership to a single entrepreneur looking to cash in on the natural attraction, Jonn A. Macdonald declared it a public space and formed the Banff Hot Springs Reserve. The now-renamed Banff National Park has grown 250 times its original size to include more boreal forest, alpine prairies, wetlands, rivers, lakes, and glaciers.
National and Provincial Parks in the Canadian Rocky Mountains
Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, and Yoho national parks, along with Mount Robson Provincial Park, Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, and Hamber Provincial Park, make up the World Heritage Site, which encompasses a total area of 8,877 square miles.
All seven parks run parallel to the Continental Divide, the dividing line between the watersheds that feed the Arctic, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans.
Banff National Park is a must-see for any visitor to the Canadian Rockies, and its turquoise glacial lakes are frequently depicted in postcards and brochures. Banff is the flagship of Canada’s national park system and is home to a charming mountain town and village, as well as numerous wildlife species and hiking trails. This park has more than 617 square miles of trails, with over 224 miles dedicated specifically to cycling.
Also consider checking out Dinosaur Provincial Park while you are in the area.