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Mountains of Canada

Western mountains - the Rockies

After driving for hundreds of kilometres across the great Canadian plains, the undulating slopes of Cypress Hills come as a surprise to many travelers. Rising up to 1,466 metres above sea level, the densely forested hills form a distinct plateau above the surrounding grasslands and endless wheat fields. Cypress Hills represent the highest point of land between Labrador and the Rocky Mountains. Early French voyageurs identified the omnipresent Jackpine as cypr`es, and this was recorded as "Cypress" on maps drawn by the explorer Palliser in 1850s.

During the last ice age, immense glaciers scraped the surface and flattened the surrounding land, leaving a lush island among the semi-arid prairie. Moist clouds carried by Pacific winds deposit their load on this protruding obstacle on their way east. Numerous springs and lakes fed by rain provide enough nourishment for dense forests of lodgepole pine, trembling aspen, and balsam poplar. This pocket ecosystem is a home to plants and animals typically found in the Rocky Mountains, a long distance away.

The principal mountain region in Canada is the Western Cordillera. It extends from the US border into British Columbia and Yukon Territory, and includes mountains of southwestern Alberta and the Northwest Territories. The Rocky Mountains are the best known part of the Canadian Western Cordillera, and probably one of the most celebrated and beloved mountain ranges in the world. Extending from central Mexico through all of North America, they are this continent's tectonic crest, rising between the geologically older and more stable East and the younger and more active West. The Rocky Mountains as we see today repeatedly folded and rose under pressure of colliding tectonic plates between 60 million and 125 million years ago. Because most of the mountain building occurred so recently, the geological features of the region are still rugged and impressive. Signs of ice and water sculpturing the jagged ridges and canyons are still visible along deep glacial valleys of the Rockies. The highest peak in the Rockies is Mount Robson at 3,954 metres, located in British Columbia close to the border with Alberta.

The Rocky Mountains are not covered with thick vegetation like Appalachians, their granite peaks are exposed and barren. Almost all of the trees that grow in the mountain valleys are cold, drought, and fire tolerant. Most are conifers because these can best survive the dry summers and harsh winters. Many of our best-loved national parks (Banff, Jasper, Yoho) are found within this region. Because the Rockies are still largely untamed and wild, they stir the imagination and attract adventurers perhaps more than any other mountain range in North America (visit the stock photo section with more images from the Rockies).

Waterton Lakes National Park is the southernmost of the Canadian Rocky Mountain national parks, a place "where the mountains meet the prairie". Nowhere else in Canada do these two ecoregions meet so abruptly. On the eastern side of the Park, the mountain peaks sometime soar 1,200 metres only a kilometre from the adjacent open prairie, creating a breathtaking view of rolling ranchlands against the towering mountains.

The proximity of two diverse ecoregions creates a richer variety of plants and animals than is found in most Canadian national parks. Many plant species considered rare in Canada can be found here. Diverse geological features: glacial landforms, abundant lakes, streams and waterfalls, add interest to the landscape. Human habitation in the area has a long history, extending back 11,000 years - over 200 archaeological sites have been identified in the Park. In 1995, UNESCO designated the Waterton Lakes NP as a World Heritage Site. The Park has also been designated Biosphere Reserve, by the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program, to facilitate understanding of the relationship between people and the environment.

The Rockies are the birthplace of the national park system in Canada. Banff National Park was the first national park established in Canada, gaining protected status in 1885. It is Canada's most famous and most visited national park. Majestic snow-capped peaks, turquoise glacial lakes, hot springs, waterfalls and deep valleys dot the landscape. Banff's well-known peaks include Rundle, Cascade, Victoria, Lefroy, Temple, Castle, Forbes, Hector, and Ten Peaks, all ranging from 2750 to 3,618 metres (9,030 to 11,870 ft) above sea level. Canadians probably associate best with the image of Moraine Lake near Lake Louise, featured on the old 20 dollar bill. This glacial lake is surrounded by a series of serrated mountain summits of the Valley of Ten Peaks, perfectly mirrored in its deep-green waters on a windless morning.

Striking geological features, rich plant and animal life, and spectacular mountain vistas, earned the contiguous set of Canadian Rocky Mountain national parks (Banff, Jasper, Kootenay and Yoho), as well as the Mount Robson, Mount Assiniboine and Hamber provincial parks, a place on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1984. The Burgess Shale fossil site, well known for its fossil remains of soft-bodied marine animals and listed on the World Heritage List, is also found here.

 
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