National Parks
Canada’s national parks have been established to protect and preserve large tracts of wilderness and diverse wildlife habitats. Alberta's national parks offer spectacular scenery, countless outdoor activities, natural history interpretive guiding and an unparalleled opportunity to reconnect with nature.
Greater Edmonton's National Parks
Jasper National Park is located in the Canadian Rockies. Elk Island National Park is centrally located near Edmonton. Visit Parks Canada for detailed information on services, facilities, maps, fees, permits, activities and important safety information.
Elk Island National Park
Elk Island, established in 1913, protects one of the most endangered habitats in Canada—the fragile aspen parkland. It is also an excellent viewing area for wildlife—herds of plains bison, wood bison, moose, deer and elk roam freely here. Many of the Park’s bison have been transplanted from elsewhere in North America in an effort to save the species. Elk Island is a haven for birdwatchers with 250 species catalogued so far.Its cultural history dates back to the receding of the glaciers. There are more than 200 prehistoric aboriginal camping and stone tool making sites as well as 13 non-native heritage sites.
GIven the proximity of the park to Edmonton, many city dwellers cross-country ski here in the winter months and enjoy a day hike or a round of golf in the summer. For a longer stay, accommodations and amenities are available in and around the park.
Jasper National Park
Established in 1907, Jasper is the northern-most and largest of the Canadian Rockies national parks. It is famous for the Columbia Ice Field, where melt waters flow from the apex of the Continental Divide to three different oceans. The Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) runs north-south between Jasper townsite and the town of Lake Louise, linking Banff and Jasper national parks. One of the most spectacular scenic highways, the Parkway takes you to the most accessible glacier in North America, the Athabasca. Along the way you'll find Maligne Lake, the largest glacial-fed lake in the Canadian Rockies.
With more wilderness terrain—10,878 sq km (4,200 sq mi)—and less visitors than Banff, the park contains an extensive system of backcountry trails and healthy populations of some of our rarest wildlife including grizzly bears, wolves and caribou. Visit the Jasper Lake Dunes, the only sand dune ecosystem in any of the Rocky Mountain national parks. And if you’re looking for a road less traveled, try Highway 93A—a meandering backroad that was part of the original Banff/Jasper Highway. You’ll be surprised at what you’ll find along the way.
