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Recreation
and Places to Visit
Alberta has five national parks: Banff
National Park, in the Rocky Mountains, is the oldest
national park in Canada. It was established in 1885 and
encompasses 6,641 sq km (2,564 sq mi). The resort town
of Banff, in the park, is noted for its mineral hot springs.
A highway from Lake Louise leads northward through 290
km (180 mi) of spectacular mountain scenery to Jasper
National Park.
Jasper National Park is the fifth largest
national park in Canada, covering 10,900 sq km (4,210 sq
mi). The park is famous for its alpine scenery and diverse
wildlife population, which includes grizzly bears, caribou,
moose, and wolves. The resort town of Jasper, in the park,
lies on the CN railway line.
Waterton Lakes National Park, in the southwestern
corner of Alberta, has an area of 505 sq km (195 sq mi).
The park, which encompasses grassy plains and mountain
foothills, adjoins Glacier National Park in Montana. Together
they form the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.
Elk Island National Park, east of Edmonton,
is mainly a wildlife preserve for bison, elk, deer, and
moose. The park covers 194 sq km (75 sq mi).
Wood Buffalo National Park straddles the
Alberta-Northwest Territories boundary. It is the largest
national park in Canada, with an area of 44,807 sq km (17,300
sq mi). The park is a noted wildlife refuge for wood bison,
plains bison, and other animals. It is the summer nesting
ground of the whooping crane, one of the world’s
rarest birds.
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Conserve
and protect the ecosystems and cultural heritage of
their area. 
