7 Canadian National Parks That Are Better

The Nationwide Park Service of the US protects some heavy hitters just like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and even Alaska’s towering Denali. So when a single nationwide park has the nickname “crown of the continent” with that competitors, it should be fairly particular!

Such is the case with Montana’s spectacular Glacier Nationwide Park. With its mixture of majestic Rocky Mountains, scenic mountain lakes, and immersive forests, Glacier is likely one of the true jewels of the North American panorama. And regardless of its reputation, Glacier still has underrated secret spots ready for guests to find!

In fact, for all of its magnificence, skilled vacationers could ultimately get their fill of Glacier Nationwide Park. However the excellent news is that there’s a complete different nation simply to the north, one which has a lot of the identical mountain surroundings and superb points of interest.

Canada’s many nationwide parks even have their fair proportion of dramatic sights, lots of which shield magnificent mountain landscapes that simply rival Glacier Nationwide Park in each method. These seven Canadian nationwide parks are glorious options to Glacier, in addition to many different nationwide parks in the US.

7

Banff Nationwide Park

Alberta

Established in 1885, Banff National Park is the oldest nationwide park in Canada. And, at this time, it stays maybe essentially the most well-known.

Banff sits on the Alberta facet of the Canadian Rockies, only a bit east of the province’s border with British Columbia and about 100 miles to the west of Calgary. Right here, the panorama ascends to a stupendous tableau of scenic mountain peaks, wealthy coniferous forests, enchanting lakes, and even massive glaciers and icefields. All collectively, these elements mix to create one in every of Canada’s hottest outside locations.

Even with a lot pure magnificence, Banff’s centerpiece is undoubtedly the heavenly Moraine Lake and its surrounding Valley of the Ten Peaks. Right here, the lake’s good blue waters replicate the encircling evergreen forests and practically symmetrical mountain peaks rising above, creating maybe the only most iconic view in all of Canada.

Elsewhere within the park, guests can discover glorious mountaineering alternatives, historic lodges, and even thermal hot springs. And should you inexplicably get uninterested in the park’s pure magnificence, you possibly can cease by a few of the incredible small towns near Banff, every with its personal memorable points of interest and charms.

6

Jasper Nationwide Park

Alberta

Banff will be the most well-known nationwide park in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains, but it surely’s not the most important. That honor belongs to the underrated Jasper National Park, a beautiful stretch of mountains, glaciers, and lakes to Banff’s north.

Like Banff, Jasper accommodates breathtaking surroundings of the Canadian Rockies rising above stunning coniferous forests and picturesque lakes, all of which function scenic mountaineering and backpacking routes.

A lot of Jasper’s best sights are found at the gorgeous Wilcox Pass area, the place the park’s mountains attain their crescendo amid the world’s many glacial programs and waterways. Relying on the place you stand, there is a good probability you will discover views at Wilcox Go that simply rival the famed Moraine Lake at Banff!

In each Wilcox Go and different areas of the park, yow will discover plentiful scenic waterfalls washing down the mountainsides towards one in every of Jasper’s many serene lakes. And should you’re extra of an evening owl, it’s also possible to head out into the park after darkish to take pleasure in unfettered views of the night time sky due to Jasper’s status as a dark sky preserve.

5

Yoho Nationwide Park

British Columbia

Whereas Alberta can boast Canada’s most well-known Rocky Mountain nationwide parks, the Canadian Rockies additionally prolong into the neighboring province of British Columbia. And although they do not get fairly the eye as Banff, British Columbia’s nationwide parks provide exuberant pure magnificence that simply rivals each its fellow Canadian parks and American counterparts like Glacier.

Yoho National Park could very nicely be the epitome of British Columbia’s Rocky Mountain magnificence. Regardless of being in a unique province, Yoho is true subsequent to Banff, with the 2 parks separated by the Alberta-British Columbia border.

Given this proximity, Yoho has the entire similar options that made Banff so well-known. Guests can cease at the otherworldly Lake O’Hara (by way of shuttle bus) to witness a lakeside view that simply rivals the better-known Moraine Lake. Waterfalls like Wapta and Takakkaw Falls are among the many most breathtaking in the whole Canadian Nationwide Park System.

And if that wasn’t sufficient, Yoho’s Burgess Shale Formation preserves a treasure trove of historic fossils courting again to 500 million years in the past! You possibly can see these well-preserved remnants of primordial marine life on one of many Burgess Shale’s arresting fossil mountaineering routes.

4

Kootenay Nationwide Park

British Columbia

Rounding out the listing of the main Canadian Rockies nationwide parks is British Columbia’s Kootenay National Park, a singular mixture of majestic mountain scenes and distinctive geological options. Along with Banff, Jasper, and Yoho, Kootenay Nationwide Park kinds the bigger Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site.

Inside this bigger World Heritage Web site, Kootenay protects a very superior chain of Rocky Mountains rising alongside the Kootenay and Vermilion Rivers. Right here, guests can discover the breathtaking Kootenai Valley and discover a number of the most epic mountain views wherever within the Canadian Rockies.

Areas within the park like Marble Canyon and McLeod Meadows are likewise superb locations for scenic hikes and blissful immersion into nature.

Arguably Kootenay’s best-known function is its assortment of radium hot springs and colourful mineral springs referred to as “mud pots.” Within the early twentieth Century, these springs had been widespread locations for his or her supposedly therapeutic results.

Although the science on that will not maintain up, you possibly can nonetheless bathe within the park’s sizzling springs to at the present time, if for no purpose apart from to get a break from the chilly mountain air!

3

Glacier Nationwide Park

British Columbia

No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you! Probably the greatest options to Glacier Nationwide Park is…Glacier Nationwide Park!

Because it seems, British Columbia has its personal Glacier National Park, one which preserves the identical excellent mountain surroundings as its doppelgänger in Montana. And whereas the American Glacier Nationwide Park preserves the mountainous remnants of glaciers which have since retreated, the Canadian one nonetheless options a number of scenic glaciers and ice fields which are open to discover.

Glacier Nationwide Park lies a bit to the west of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, inside a scenic hall of British Columbia’s Selkirk Mountains, a subrange of the bigger Columbia Mountains.

In Canada, the Columbia Mountains are usually thought of their very own distinct mountain vary (in the US they’re normally considered a sub-range of the Rockies). So, if you journey the comparatively quick distance from the Canadian Rocky Mountains World Heritage Web site Parks to Glacier, you possibly can say you’ve got braved the arduous journey between two rugged mountain ranges!

Mountaineering within the area has a history dating back to the 1880s, and at this time Glacier stays one in every of Canada’s prime spots for thrilling mountaineering excursions. Likewise, the park’s Rogers Pass area is a prime destination for winter ski touring.

However even should you’re not fairly up for placing on a pair of skis and braving the chilly, you possibly can nonetheless expertise the park’s magnificence from the heat of your car on the scenic Rogers Pass section of the Trans-Canada Highway.

2

Kluane Nationwide Park and Reserve

Yukon Territory

As wild and rugged as they’re, the mountainous nationwide parks of Albert and British Columbia are nonetheless inside comparatively affordable distance of bigger civilization facilities. However a lot of Canada consists of gigantic expanses of largely undeveloped wilderness throughout the far north. Right here, adventurers looking for a very epic mountain quest can discover a few of Canada’s most difficult – however most memorable – nationwide park locations.

The perfect instance of that is the magnificent Kluane National Park and Reserve. Situated in a mountainous area of the Yukon Territory close to the borders with British Columbia and Alaska, Kluane takes the fantastic thing about Glacier Nationwide Park and brings it to a complete different degree.

The acute panorama on this a part of the nation is basically outlined by the titanic Saint Elias Mountains, which type a part of the a lot bigger Pacific Coast Ranges. Amongst Kluane’s portion of the vary is the colossal Mount Logan.

At 19,550 feet, Mount Logan is the best mountain in Canada and the second-highest in North America after Alaska’s Denali. With Alaska, Kluane Nationwide Park and Reserve additionally share a part of Mount Saint Elias, the second-highest mountain in each Canada and the US.

Kluane kinds a part of the a lot bigger Kluane-Wrangell-St. Elias-Glacier Bay-Tatshenshini-Alsek UNESCO World Heritage Site, a significant transnational and multi-park protect of the mountainous and icy panorama on the intersection of the Yukon, British Columbia, and Alaska.

Wrangell-St. Elias is already America’s largest national park, and if you add the vastness of Kluane, alongside Glacier Bay and Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park, you get essentially the most extraordinary shows of North America’s final untamed wilderness.

1

Waterton Lakes Nationwide Park

Alberta

Many nationwide parks throughout Canada are nice options to Montana’s Glacier Nationwide Park. However should you’re in search of the greatest counterpart nationwide park, why not look proper subsequent door?

Because it seems, Glacier Nationwide Park has a sister nationwide park proper on the opposite facet of the US-Canadian border. Alberta’s Waterton Lakes National Park protects the identical stretch of the Northern Rockies the place they develop northward via Montana and into Canada.

Right here, lots of the vary’s most scenic peaks show distinct formations of valleys and lakes shaped by the affect of the earlier Ice Ages. The result’s a heavenly assortment of scenic mountains, lakes, and forests related by a fancy, worldwide community of roads and trails.

Waterton Lakes’ best hiking trails showcase actually awe-inspiring views, all whereas offering nice bodily challenges for hikers of all kinds and preferences. On the similar time, the park’s many mountain peaks present exceptional climbing routes for experienced mountaineers.

Waterton Lakes Nationwide Park takes its identify from Waterton Lake, a big mountain lake that flows between each international locations. On the lake’s Canadian facet, guests can go to the historic Prince of Wales Hotel, one of the crucial stunning and important lodges in Canada’s nationwide parks.

Each Waterton Lakes and Glacier Nationwide Parks type the bi-national Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park and World Heritage Site. Because of the proximity and shut connection between the 2 parks, Waterton Lakes is definitely the best vacation spot from Glacier for anybody in search of an ideal Canadian various!