The western boundary of Alberta is marked by the Rocky Mountains, some of the most spectacularly rugged peaks in North America. It's no coincidence that these areas of wild natural beauty and rich history are home to the majority of Alberta's national parks and national historic sites: The Alberta Rockies have attracted travelers since at least the late 1880s. Thanks to their protected status, the park areas have remained unspoiled and filled with wildlife including bear, elk, deer, moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goats. Today, Alberta's Rocky Mountain national parks are a tourist destination for visitors from around the world.
Banff National Park of Canada
Canada's first national park, Banff National Park of Canada, was founded in 1885, the same year the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway was completed. The luxurious Banff Springs Hotel followed in 1888, and tourism in the Canadian Rockies was born. Today, Banff National Park is also, along with Jasper National Park and other nearby mountain parks, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its picture-perfect, jewel-toned Lake Louise has proven to be one of the Banff's most enduring attractions.
National historic sites located within Banff National Park include Cave and Basin National Historic Site, a hot springs with a delicate ecosystem which was the first Parks Canada protected site; Abbot Pass Refuge Cabin National Historic Site, a stone cabin dating to 1922 used by climbers; the Banff Park Museum National Historic Site, an early natural history museum dating from 1902; Howse Pass National Historic Site, crossed by explorer David Thompson in 1807; Skoki Ski Lodge National Historic Site, a rustic ski lodge built in the 1930s; and Sulpher Mountain Cosmic Ray Station National Historic Site, a former high altitude geophysical laboratory.
Jasper National Park of Canada
Jasper National Park of Canada lies just north of Banff. Established in 1907, the park, along with Banff and other mountain parks, is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a perfect place to see wildlife and hike in the Canadian wilderness, both on easy hiking trails and on out-of-the-way backcountry routes. Dramatic Maligne Canyon and peaceful Maligne Lake are two of the most popular attractions in Jasper. There are many accommodations in Jasper, but the most famous, the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, has been a landmark Jasper hotel since 1915.
National historic sites in Jasper National Park include Athabasca Pass National Historic Site, an important route during the fur trade; Jasper House National Historic Site, the remains of an 1829 Hudson's Bay Company fur trading post; Jasper Park Information Centre National Historic Site, a building dating from 1913; and Yellowhead Pass National Historic Site, a transportation route.
Waterton Lakes National Park of Canada
One half of the world's first UNESCO International Peace Park, Waterton Lakes National Park of Canada sits in the far southwest corner of Alberta and features a unique and dramatic prairie-to-mountain landscape. Established as Canada's fourth national park, it features the deepest lake in the Canadian Rockies, Upper Waterton Lake, as well as representatives from more than half the plant species in Alberta.
Waterton's Prince of Wales Hotel opened in 1927 and continues to swath guests in luxury today as a National Historic Site. Waterton National Park's other national historic site is First Oil Well in Western Canada National Historic Site, the very first commercially productive oil well in these parts and a precursor of Alberta's oil boom economy.
More Information on Travel in Alberta
For help with accommodations, transportation, directions and more, visit Alberta's official tourism website, Travel Alberta.
Sources:
A Little Banff History Lesson. Banff Lake Louise. Retr. 11 Feb. 2011.
Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. Banff Horizons. Retr. 11. Feb. 2011.
Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. Fairmont. Retr. 11 Feb. 2011.
National Parks List. Parks Canada. Retr. 11 Feb. 2011.
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