National parks in Canada considered as natural jewels for the nature and world. They empower the natural environment and habitat for wildlife which not only shapes the geography of Canada but also the course of its history and the experiences of the people who live and travel there. National parks are established to protect the endangered species which are on the verge of extinction and they exhibit natural landscapes and natural phenomena that occur in 39 natural regions of Canada. These national parks are also identified in the National Parks System Plan of the country. These peaceful places are located in every province and territory of the country which ranges from mountains and plains to boreal forests and tundra region also to the lakes and glaciers, and many other places. These National parks protect the habitats, wildlife and ecosystem diversity of the particular region of the country which is representative of and unique to the natural regions.These are the top 10 National parks in Canada.
National Parks in Canada
1. Jasper National Park
One of the most amazing National parks in Canada, Jasper National Park with an area of about 11,000 km2. It is located in the province of Alberta. It includes the beautiful glaciers of the Columbia Icefield, hot springs, lakes, waterfalls, and mountains. There is a large number of mammalian species found in the park such as moose, mule deer, white-tailed deer, grizzly bear, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, black bear, timber wolf, cougar, and Wolverine. The most common birds that are found in this park include bald eagles, golden eagles, Great horned owls, spruce grouses etc. The park was declared as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, because of the mountain landscapes, peaks, glaciers, lakes, waterfalls, canyons, and limestone caves as well as fossils found here. Also, read about best National Parks in the USA.
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2. Yoho national park
This national park is located on the eastern side of Alberta. The name Yoho comes from the Cree word meaning awe and wonder. This beautiful National park of Canada covers an area of about 1,313 km2. The Vertical rock walls, beautiful waterfalls, and dizzying peaks draw visitors from around the globe. With exceptional hiking and sightseeing, the park offers a unique glimpse of natural wonders of Canada, starting from the secrets of ancient ocean life to the unending powers of ice and water. Most Commonly found species of animals in this park are the wolf packs, moose, elk, mule deer, mountain goat, golden-mantled ground squirrel, hummingbird, marmot, grizzly bear, and American black bear.
3. Banff National Park
It is oldest national park of Canada, established in 1885. Banff national park is located in the Rocky Mountains of Calgary province of Alberta with an area of 6,641 square kilometres. It encompasses beautiful mountainous terrain, with numerous ice glaciers, dense coniferous forest, and alpine vegetations. The montane areas in the Bow Valley are the natural habitat for wildlife. The park has recorded 56 mammal species such as Grizzly and black bear, Cougar, Canada lynx, wolverine, red fox, coyote, elk, mule deer, and white-tailed deer are common in the valleys of the park. Due to the harsh winters, the park has fewer reptiles and amphibian species and 280 species of birds are also found in Banff including bald and golden eagles, red-tailed hawk, osprey, and Merlin, all of which are predatory species. It is one of the most famous National Parks in Canada among travellers.
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4. Georgian Bay Islands National Park
This is the smallest national park of Canada, established in the year 1929. This beautiful small park is located in the province of Ontario and covers an area of only 13.5 km2. It is home to a number of animals such as white-tailed deer, moose, black bear, coyote, wolf packs, lynx, raccoon, beaver, red and gray fox species and red squirrel. This park also provides natural habitat to 33 species of reptiles and amphibians Also, Beausoleil Island in the park is the largest island and it offers tent camping, heritage education programs, hiking trails etc.
5. Kootenay National Park
This national park is located in southeastern parts of British Columbia. It covers an area of about and it is one of the components of Canada’s Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site. The park was created in 1920 as a part of an agreement between the province of British Columbia and the federal government of Canada to build a highway in exchange for a strip of land of 8 km to be built on either side of the Banff–Windermere Highway and to be used solely for the park purposes. Though the park is open throughout the year, the major tourist season lasts from June to September. Most camp grounds are open from May to September while, winter camping is available only at the Dolly Varden camp ground.
6. Bruce Peninsula National Park
This national park is located on the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. It covers an area of 156 square kilometers and is one of the largest protected areas in southern part of the Ontario. The park provides opportunities for the large number of outdoor activities, including hiking, camping, and bird watching and it also offers visitors the beautiful view of sunrise and sunset. The park has a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. The commonly inhabited wildlife in the park includes black bear, squirrels, red foxes, white-tailed deer, snakes and frogs and many species of birds etc.
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7. Prince Albert National park
Prince Albert national park is located in Saskatchewan district of Canada, established in the year 1927. It encompasses an area of 3,874 km2. It represents the southern boreal forest region of Canada and most of the areas of the park are dominated by coniferous forests. The park is famous for its numerous lakes including three very large lakes – Waskesiu, Kingsmere, and Crean. This park is open throughout the year but the most visited period is from May to September. Although most people visit the park in summer the best wildlife watching is often in the winter season. Some of the animals inhabited in the park are elk, moose, red foxes, beavers, white-tailed deer, coyotes, and timber wolves. Also, there are 21 species of fish recorded in the park.
8. Fundy National park
It is located on the Bay of Fundy, near the village of Alma in Canada. The Park encompasses a rugged coastline which rises up to the Canadian Highlands, the highest tides in the world. The Park covers an area of 207 km2 and experiences cool, wet summers and mild, rainy winters. During winters, visitors can enjoy snowshoeing, skiing, and winter walking. There are total 25 hiking trails in the park. The Dickson Falls is the most popular trail in the park. The park has 658 species of vascular plants, 276 species of bryophytes, and more than 400 species of lichens. Animals that inhabit this national park are moose, chipmunks, red squirrels, woodpeckers, black bears, coyotes, beavers, white-tailed deer, great blue herons, and northern flying squirrels.
9. Waterton Lakes National Park
One of the incredible national parks in Canada located at the southwest corner of Alberta. Waterton is fourth largest national park of Canada, formed in 1895 and named after Waterton Lake- the deepest point of Canadian Rockies. The park also contains rugged mountains and wilderness in an area of 505 km2. Park is open throughout the year, but the main tourist season is from July to August. The facilities available within the park are located at the Waterton Park townsite. The park is one of the component of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park which was designated as World Heritage Site in 1995 for their distinctive climate, physiographic settings, mountain-prairies and oceanic hydrographical divide. They are the areas of and with abundant diversity of flora and fauna. Animals that find their habitat in this national park includes bighorn sheep, bald eagles, white-tailed deer, mule deer, mountain goats, elk,moose, foxes, timber wolves, coyotes, beavers, river otters, cougars, lynxes etc.
10. Wood Buffalo National park
Wood Buffalo National Park is the largest National Park of Canada covering an area of about 44,807 km. It is Larger in area than Switzerland and hence it is also the second-largest national park in the world. The park was established in 1922 with the objective of protecting the world’s largest herd of free-roaming wood bison, currently estimated at more than 5,000. This area was designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 because of the biological diversity found in the Peace-Athabasca Delta, one of the world’s largest freshwater deltas. Wood Buffalo National Park contains large variety of wildlife species, such as moose, bison, great grey owls, black bears, hawks, spotted owls, timber wolves etc.
These are the popular National Parks in Canada. Kindly post your reviews and comments.
