National Parks in Canada

The history of Canada’s national parks goes back to 1885, when 26 km2 on the northern side of Sulphur Mountain were placed under protection. This marked the birth of Banff National Park in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and of Canada’s great national parks.

Here is an overview of Canada’s most popular national parks

Waterton Lakes National Park (Alberta)

Waterton Lakes National Park (covering an area of 525 km²) borders Glacier National Park in the United States. Its wide, dry prairies set amid glaciers reaching heights of up to 3000 metres make this park a true natural wonder.

Glacier National Park (British Columbia)

With its 420 glaciers, Glacier National Park lies in the remote Columbia Mountains, close to Mount Revelstoke National Park. The park’s cave system is unique: it consists of water-filled black shafts, hidden waterfalls and moonmilk (a rare calcium carbonate deposit).

Gwaii Haanas National Park (British Columbia)

Gwaii Haanas National Park lies in the south of the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia and covers an area of 1495 km². Its name comes from the Haida language and means ‘islands of wonder and beauty’. The archipelago of 138 islands lies 640 km north of Vancouver. The park includes a UNESCO World Heritage Site and several archaeological sites.

Kootenay National Park (British Columbia)

Kootenay National Park was founded in 1920 and owes its existence to the construction of the first road across the Rocky Mountains. When the road from Banff to Windermere was built, an 8 km-wide corridor of wilderness along the route was declared a national park. The park covers a total area of 1406 km². Be sure to enjoy its hot springs too, where you can bathe all year round. At the heart of the park, a rich array of wildlife awaits you, including mountain goats, bighorn sheep, wapiti, deer, black bears and grizzlies.

Mount Revelstoke National Park (British Columbia)

An extraordinarily varied landscape, ranging from dense rainforest and lush alpine meadows to rocky ridges and glaciers. The Giant Cedars Trail takes you to 1000-year-old giant trees (western red cedars).

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (British Columbia)

Pacific Rim National Park lies on the west coast of Vancouver Island and is divided into three sections: Long Beach (with 20 km of fine sandy beach, secluded coves and rainforest), the Broken Group Islands (a maze of 100 islands, many of them densely forested, some no more than tiny rock sculptures) and the West Coast Trail (which leads for 77 km through untouched wilderness, rainforest and rivers).

Yoho National Park (British Columbia)

‘Yoho’ is an expression of wonder used by the Cree – the region’s Indigenous people – at the natural beauty of these mountains. You will understand why as soon as you drive along the highway into Yoho National Park. With 28 peaks rising above 3000 m, the park offers a spectacular panorama. Be sure to stop at the park’s thundering waterfalls, especially the Takakkaw Falls, which plunge over 380 metres.

Wells Gray Provincial Park (British Columbia)

Breathtaking scenery awaits you here. Dense forests, mountain lakes, waterfalls and volcanic cones offer pure natural beauty. With a little luck, you may come across black bears, grizzlies, wolves, coyotes and mountain goats.