Did You Know?

Did you know that Canada's national parks offer exceptional opportunities for outdoor activities? From hiking and camping to wildlife viewing and canoeing, Canada's national parks provide a range of experiences for nature enthusiasts. Some parks also offer unique opportunities for stargazing, backcountry skiing, and exploring historic sites.

Did you know that Nahanni National Park Reserve is a UNESCO World Heritage site? Located in the Northwest Territories, Nahanni National Park Reserve is known for its dramatic canyons, majestic waterfalls, and untouched wilderness. Virginia Falls, within the park, is twice the height of Niagara Falls.

Did you know that Wood Buffalo National Park is the largest national park in Canada? Located in Alberta and the Northwest Territories, Wood Buffalo National Park covers an area of approximately 44,807 square kilometers (17,300 square miles). It is known for its diverse wildlife, including the world's largest herd of free-roaming wood bison.

Did you know that Canada has the world's oldest national park? Banff National Park, established in 1885, is not only Canada's first national park but also the third oldest national park in the world. Located in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Banff offers stunning landscapes, including glaciers, mountains, and turquoise lakes.

Did you know that Canada has the largest national park system in the world? Parks Canada manages a vast network of national parks, national historic sites, and national marine conservation areas across the country. Canada's national park system covers over 328,000 square kilometers (126,635 square miles) of protected land.

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Yoho National Park

Yoho is the native Cree expression that means “awe and wonder”; Yoho National Park on the western side of the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia inspires such amazement, and is aptly named. In close proximity to the Continental Divide (where water flows from west to the Pacific or east to the Atlantic, depending on which side of the Divide the water exists) adds to its fascination.

Yoho National Park is one of the best national parks in Canada; it is certainly rich with diversity and natural beauty. Everywhere that visitors look, they see freshwater lakes and rivers, rock facades, waterfalls, mountain peaks and staggering vistas. This is literally where the mountains meet the sea.

Because of this variety and scenic wonder, Yoho National Park offers all manner of excellent outdoor activities, including hiking and climbing, fishing, cycling, and back-packing. In winter, visitors ski and snowshoe the area. It offers four campgrounds (book early, as sites fill up quickly in the summer months).

Settled into a 500,000-year-old fossil base, the park also contains, besides abundant flora and fauna, and graceful mountainside slopes a mountain pass that connects the western face of the Rockies to the balance of Canada. This sense of passage and linking add dramatically to the mystery, the sense of awe and wonder inherent in Yoho National Park.