National parks and sites

Many of the best places to appreciate Alberta's unique and diverse natural environment or historic past are protected as national parks or historic sites by Parks Canada.

National parks

National parks showcase and preserve Canada's significant natural areas. There are five national parks in Alberta, four of which are designated UNESCO world heritage sites.

• Waterton Lakes National Park – mountains rise abruptly out of prairie in this national park that sits on the border with Montana in the United States.
• Banff National Park – Canada’s first national park built around the discovery of hot springs in the Rocky Mountains, two hours’ drive from Calgary.
• Jasper National Park – the largest and most northerly Canadian Rocky Mountain national park four hours west of Edmonton.
• Elk Island National Park – this wilderness of aspen parkland provides homes to herds to bison, moose, deer, elk and more than 250 species of birds less than one hour’s drive east of Edmonton.
• Wood Buffalo National Park – larger in area than Switzerland, this park provides a home to the largest herd of free-roaming bison and protects nesting sites for the endangered whooping crane as well as preserving an example of Canada’s northern boreal plains. It is located at the northeast tip of Alberta.

National historic sites

National historic sites are places of profound importance to Canada. There are 14 national historic sites in Alberta.

• Abbot Pass Refuge Cabin – Early stone alpine cabin used by climbers, Banff.
• Athabasca Pass – Major fur trade transportation route, Jasper.
• Banff Park Museum – Early natural history museum in rustic style, Banff.
• Bar U Ranch – Historic ranch in Alberta foothills, Longview.
• Cave and Basin – Hot springs, birthplace of national parks, Banff.
• First Oil Well – First commercially productive oil well in the west, Waterton
• Frog Lake – Site of Cree uprising, Northwest Rebellion 1885, Frog Lake.
• Howse Pass – First crossed by David Thompson in 1807, Banff.
• Jasper House – Archaeological remains of 1829 fur trade post, Hudson's Bay Company, Jasper.
• Jasper Park Information Centre – Picturesque fieldstone park building of rustic design, Jasper.
• Rocky Mountain House – Rival Hudson's Bay Company and North West Company posts, Rocky Mountain House.
• Skoki Ski Lodge – Ski lodge in rustic style, Lake Louise.
• Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station – Remains of high altitude geophysical laboratory, Banff.
• Yellowhead Pass – Transportation route through Rocky Mountains, Jasper.