Canada's provincial parks: Preserved nature near cities

What are provincial parks?

Provincial parks are under the management of the provincial governments of Canada. In fact, all the territories and provinces of Canada each manage a network of provincial or territorial parks defined as protected areas where it is prohibited to carry out industrial activities.

A large majority of these parks are managed in the same way as national parks. They are also classified in category II of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

In contrast, in the province of Manitoba, industrial logging is permitted within the boundaries of most of its parks. The latter are then classified in category VI of the IUCN. This is also the case for Algonquin Provincial Park, in the province of Ontario, which is classified in category IV of the IUCN, despite strong opposition to this type of practice by environmental groups and part of population.

Aside from these few exceptions, logging is prohibited in the rest of Canada's provincial parks. However, their types of management vary enormously depending on the provinces. Above all, we note a big difference in the practice of certain activities called “compatible with the level of protection”.

One of the largest provincial parks is Tursujuq. It is located in the northwest of Quebec, and has an area of 26,107 km². There are also provincial parks that do not exceed 1 km². These are mainly focused on recreation rather than conservation.

The most beautiful provincial parks in Canada

Pacific Rim Provincial Park in British Columbia

Pacific Rim Provincial Park is located on the western part of Vancouver Island.

This park is 75 km long, and corresponds to one of the paths formerly traced by the First Nations people. Pacific Rim was laid out at 20^e century with the aim of helping shipwrecked victims of storms in the Pacific Ocean, then on hiking trails.

Pacific Rim Provincial Park passes through temperate rainforest and beaches. Traveling it is a real adventure, far from everything and surrounded by nature, which can last between 5 to 7 days.

More than 300 species of birds can be found there. Observing them is a very popular activity for visitors. They can also witness the spectacle of a storm, obviously respecting the safety instructions indicated in the park.

Fundy Provincial Park in New Brunswick

Fundy Provincial Park is world famous for the spectacle that the waters of the Atlantic Ocean offer when they enter at high tide. The latter can notably rise up to 16 meters.

At low tide, visitors can walk on a foreshore where many life forms live. The first land part of the park is located on the edge of this bay. In this area, you can discover ravines, cliffs, waterfalls, lakes and peat bogs. The wooded environment is shared between coniferous forest in the north and deciduous forest in the south.

Finally, the park has more than 100 km of trails that visitors can explore on foot or by bike.

Thousand Islands Provincial Park in Ontario

This park owes its name to the thousand small islands that make it up. It has 1,864 islands of different sizes scattered across the St. Lawrence River, which runs along the United States.

The Ruisseau Jones and Baie Landon trails are particularly interesting walking or hiking routes for park visitors. They will be able to find fields, forests and wetlands there. Without forgetting numerous viewpoints on the said Thousand Islands.

The most famous viewpoint is the one on Hill Island. It notably has a 120 meter high observation tower, which allows visitors to enjoy an exceptional panorama. This tower is located near the bridge that connects the province of Ontario to the State of New York in the United States.

It is also possible to contemplate these lands during a kayak or canoe trip.

Wood Buffalo National Park: the largest provincial park in Canada

Presentation of the park

Wood Buffalo Provincial Park is the largest provincial park in Canada. It is located in northeastern Alberta and the southern Northwest Territories, and is the very embodiment of the great wild spaces that symbolize the Canadian North.

The park covers an area of 44,807 km², where you can see vast boreal forests, plains, and some of the largest and last remaining virgin grass and sedge prairies in North America. Furthermore, these prairies are now home to the largest herd of wild bison in the world.

Large rivers can also be found here, including the mighty Peace River and the Slave and Athabasca rivers which form the eastern border. The intersection of Lake Athabasca with the Peace and Athabasca rivers constitutes the most impressive inland freshwater delta in the world. The delta's numerous rivers and swamps are home to many species of waterfowl, including ducks, geese, swans, grebes and loons.

The History of Wood Buffalo Park

Wood Buffalo Provincial Park was created in 1922. Canadian authorities established this nature reserve with the aim of saving bison that had escaped the carnage of the late 19^e century. You should know that the plains of the park are located at the northern end of the bison's traditional territory. This then prompted Canadian authorities to transport thousands of them from the south in order to increase the native population of wood bison.

Not to mention that Wood Buffalo Park is also home to the world's last flock of whooping cranes, which are now an endangered species.

Animals sheltered by Wood Buffalo Provincial Park

Wood Buffalo Provincial Park has many species of animals:

• Moose (Alces alces);
• The Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae);
• the black bear (Ursus americanus);
• The grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis);
• The Canadian Wolf (Canis lupus occidentalis);
• The Canadian Lynx (Lynx canadensis);
• The Canadian Beaver (Castor canadensis);
• The American marten (Martes americana);
• The wolverine (Gulo gulo);
• The Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus);
• The Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa);
• The Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis);
• The Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus);
• The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus);
• The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus);
• The whooping crane (Grus americana);
• The Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis);
• The Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus);
• The Red Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis).

Don't wait any longer to please your loved ones. Find local and regional Canadian products on our online store: https://lestresorsderable.com/en/