Canada's National Parks And Marine Conservation Areas

Banff National Park

Banff National Park is the oldest National Park in Canada. The park was established in 1885 during the construction of the transcontinental railroad. It covers an area of 2,564 square miles and forms part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks. The park’s terrain consists of mountains, ice fields, glaciers, and dense coniferous forests. It has a subarctic climate characterized by snowy winters and mild summers. The park’s vegetation consists of meadows, lodgepole pines, Douglas-firs, willows, and Douglas Maples. The park is home to over 50 mammal species including grizzly bear, coyote, elk, cougar, bighorn sheep, and Marmot. Very few reptiles and amphibians inhabit the park due to its harsh cold winters. Banff National Park boasts of some of the finest and intact ecosystems in the world. It was declared UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984. The park is well protected by Parks Canada, an environmental conservation agency in Canada. Continuous studies are conducted at the park to establish better ways of protecting the resources in the park.

Wood Buffalo National Park

Wood Buffalo National Park covers an area of 17,300 square miles making it Canada’s largest national park. It was established in 1922 with an aim to protect the free-roaming wood bison found in the region. The park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983 because of its unique features. It is home to a variety of wild animals such as the wood bison, black bears, timber wolves, bald eagles and peregrine falcons. Wood Buffalo National Park is the only natural nesting site for the whooping crane, an endangered bird species. The park has the largest beaver dam in the world. Additionally, the park has one of the largest freshwater deltas in the world- Peace-Athabasca Delta. The park’s landscape is composed of boreal forests, salt plains, and saline streams. Three prominent rivers pass through the park; the Slave, Peace, and Athabasca.

Cape Breton Highlands National Park

Cape Breton Highlands National Park covers an area of 366 square miles. The park is located in one of the Atlantic provinces of Canada. It is flanked by the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the west and Atlantic Ocean to the east. The park’s vegetation consists of coniferous and deciduous trees at lower elevations and boreal forests at higher elevations. A variety of animals inhabits the park including, black bears, red foxes and mice Birds such as kestrels, bald eagles, hawks, and owls are found in the park. The park’s marine life consists of whales, white-sided dolphins, and seals. Some of the favorite activities at the park are swimming, fishing, kayaking, surfing, camping, cycling, golfing, and sightseeing. A project to restore boreal forests within the park started in 2014 in partnership with Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources and is still ongoing.

Yoho National Park

Yoho national park which covers 507 square miles was established in 1886, shortly after Canada’s first national park. The park’s name, Yoho, is a Cree word that expresses awe. The park is famous for its magnificent waterfalls and endless glaciers. Besides, part of the park’s terrain is covered by half a billion-year-old rock deposit referred to as Burgess Shale. The park is home to the badger, elk, mountain goat, moose, golden-mantled ground squirrel, hoary marmot, wolverine, lynx, cougar, grizzly bear, and black bear. Yoho national park was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1984 because of its biodiversity and magnificent landscape.