List of protected areas of Alberta
Alberta Parks
Location and extent of parks in Alberta
Type
Number
Area km2 (sq mi)
Provincial Parks
76
2,214 km2 (855 sq mi)
Wildland Provincial Parks
31
17,314 km2 (6,685 sq mi)
Provincial Recreation Areas
208
899 km2 (347 sq mi)
Wilderness Areas
3
1,010 km2 (390 sq mi)
Ecological Reserves
15
268 km2 (103 sq mi)
Natural Areas
139
1,299 km2 (502 sq mi)
Heritage Rangelands
2
120 km2 (46 sq mi)
National Parks
5
63,045 km2 (24,342 sq mi)
Total
476
90,747 km2 (35,038 sq mi)
Dinosaur Provincial Park
Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park
Fish Creek Provincial Park
Greene Valley Provincial Park
Little Fish Lake Provincial Park
Lakeland Provincial Park
Pembina River Provincial Park
Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
Pigeon Lake Provincial Park
Spray Valley Provincial Park
Williamson Provincial Park
Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park
This is a list of protected areas of Alberta . Protected areas are managed by the Government of Canada or the Government of Alberta . The provincial government owns 60% of Alberta's landmass[ 1] but most of this has not been formally protected. The total protected area throughout Alberta including federal and provincial protected areas is approximately 90,700 km2 (35,000 sq mi).
International recognition
Six of Canada's 14 UNESCO World Heritage Sites are entirely or partially located in Alberta :
Alberta also contains the following UNESCO Biosphere Reserves
Federally protected areas
Five National Parks of Canada (Banff , Elk Island , Jasper , Waterton Lakes and Wood Buffalo ), managed by Parks Canada are located in the province. Several former national parks (such Buffalo National Park , Wawaskesy National Park , and Nemiskam National Park ) formerly existed in Alberta , but were delisted in 1947.
There are several National Historic Sites of Canada in Alberta, but only two are operated by Parks Canada: Rocky Mountain House , which features an indoor interpretation centre and year-round in-person interpretation, and Frog Lake which has only outdoor interpretive panels to mark the site.
Alberta is also home to Suffield National Wildlife Area , a protected area within the military reserve at CFB Suffield .
Provincially protected areas
There are several different departments and agencies that deal with land use in Alberta, however Alberta's provincial parks are managed by Alberta Parks , which since 2022 is part of the Ministry of Forestry, Parks and Tourism [ 2] whose mandate is to protect the province's natural landscapes in Alberta , as well as the Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas . Seven categories of protection exist, provincial parks being one. These categories are:
As of 2016[update] , the province of Alberta managed 76 provincial parks, 32 wildland provincial parks, 208 provincial recreation areas, 15 ecological reserves, 3 wilderness areas, 139 natural areas and 2 heritage rangeland.[ 3] Although these areas are the responsibility of the Alberta government, private companies have been contracted to handle various aspects of the operation of many parks (e.g. maintenance and campground operation).
List of wilderness areas
Wilderness areas have the strictest level of protection, no development of any kind is permitted, and travel is only permitted by foot.[ 4]
List of provincial parks
Park
Nearest community
Established
Coordinates
website (ID)
Antelope Hill Provincial Park
Hanna
2014, 4 December[ 5]
51°43′19″N 111°56′13″W / 51.722°N 111.937°W / 51.722; -111.937 (Antelope Hill Provincial Park )
Aspen Beach Provincial Park
Bentley
1932, 21 November
52°27′28″N 113°58′39″W / 52.45778°N 113.97750°W / 52.45778; -113.97750 (Aspen Beach Provincial Park )
1
Beauvais Lake Provincial Park
Pincher Creek
1954, 1 February
49°24′39″N 114°06′33″W / 49.41083°N 114.10917°W / 49.41083; -114.10917 (Beauvais Lake Provincial Park )
6
Big Hill Springs Provincial Park
Cochrane
1957, 22 November
51°15′6″N 114°23′18″W / 51.25167°N 114.38833°W / 51.25167; -114.38833 (Big Hill Springs Provincial Park )
12
Big Island Provincial Park
Edmonton
2023, February
53°26′26″N 113°38′45″W / 53.44056°N 113.64583°W / 53.44056; -113.64583 (Big Island Provincial Park )
Big Knife Provincial Park
Forestburg
1962, 2 October
52°29′25″N 112°13′15″W / 52.49028°N 112.22083°W / 52.49028; -112.22083 (Big Knife Provincial Park )
11
Bow Valley Provincial Park
Canmore
1959, 27 July
51°04′5″N 115°02′47″W / 51.06806°N 115.04639°W / 51.06806; -115.04639 (Bow Valley Provincial Park )
293
Bragg Creek Provincial Park
Bragg Creek
1960, 19 January
50°56′30″N 114°35′14″W / 50.94167°N 114.58722°W / 50.94167; -114.58722 (Bragg Creek Provincial Park )
324
Brown-Lowery Provincial Park
Turner Valley
1992, 29 October
50°48′58″N 114°26′4″W / 50.81611°N 114.43444°W / 50.81611; -114.43444 (Brown-Lowery Provincial Park )
16
Calling Lake Provincial Park
Athabasca
1971, 20 July
55°10′51″N 113°14′40″W / 55.18083°N 113.24444°W / 55.18083; -113.24444 (Calling Lake Provincial Park )
248
Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park
Canmore
1988
51°05′53″N 115°23′23″W / 51.09806°N 115.38972°W / 51.09806; -115.38972 (Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park )
294
Carson-Pegasus Provincial Park
Whitecourt
1982, 19 May
54°18′16″N 115°38′30″W / 54.30444°N 115.64167°W / 54.30444; -115.64167 (Carson-Pegasus Provincial Park )
247
Castle Provincial Park
Crowsnest Pass
2017, 17 February[ 6]
49°26′38″N 114°07′01″W / 49.444°N 114.117°W / 49.444; -114.117 (Castle Provincial Park )
Chain Lakes Provincial Park
Nanton
1969, 23 December
50°12′24″N 114°11′47″W / 50.20667°N 114.19639°W / 50.20667; -114.19639 (Chain Lakes Provincial Park )
19
Cold Lake Provincial Park
Cold Lake
1976, 18 August
54°27′38″N 110°07′12″W / 54.46056°N 110.12000°W / 54.46056; -110.12000 (Cold Lake Provincial Park )
22
Crimson Lake Provincial Park
Rocky Mountain House
1955, 22 November
52°27′0″N 115°2′0″W / 52.45000°N 115.03333°W / 52.45000; -115.03333 (Crimson Lake Provincial Park )
27
Cross Lake Provincial Park
Athabasca
1955, 22 November
54°38′17″N 113°48′52″W / 54.63806°N 113.81444°W / 54.63806; -113.81444 (Cross Lake Provincial Park )
28
Crow Lake Provincial Park
Fort McMurray
55°47′47″N 112°10′54″W / 55.79639°N 112.18167°W / 55.79639; -112.18167 (Crow Lake Provincial Park )
574
Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park
Medicine Hat
49°34′31″N 110°00′23″W / 49.57528°N 110.00639°W / 49.57528; -110.00639 (Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park )
29
Dillberry Lake Provincial Park
Provost
1957, 8 January
52°35′47″N 110°04′51″W / 52.59639°N 110.08083°W / 52.59639; -110.08083 (Dillberry Lake Provincial Park )
38
Dinosaur Provincial Park
Brooks
1955, 27 June
50°45′44″N 111°31′5″W / 50.76222°N 111.51806°W / 50.76222; -111.51806 (Dinosaur Provincial Park )
246
Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park
Trochu
1970, 15 December
51°56′10″N 112°57′41″W / 51.93611°N 112.96139°W / 51.93611; -112.96139 (Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park )
39
Dunvegan Provincial Park
Fairview
1992, 21 May
55°55′24″N 118°36′2″W / 55.92333°N 118.60056°W / 55.92333; -118.60056 (Dunvegan Provincial Park )
40
Eagle Point Provincial Park
Drayton Valley
2007, 29 August
53°14′40″N 114°52′28″W / 53.24444°N 114.87444°W / 53.24444; -114.87444 (Eagle Point Provincial Park )
589
Fish Creek Provincial Park
Calgary
1975, 10 June
50°54′11″N 114°00′55″W / 50.90306°N 114.01528°W / 50.90306; -114.01528 (Fish Creek Provincial Park )
45
Garner Lake Provincial Park
Vilna
1953, 14 July
54°10′59″N 111°44′22″W / 54.18306°N 111.73944°W / 54.18306; -111.73944 (Garner Lake Provincial Park )
49
Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park
Calgary Cochrane
2008, 17 April
51°10′1″N 114°23′34″W / 51.16694°N 114.39278°W / 51.16694; -114.39278 (Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park )
593
Gooseberry Lake Provincial Park
Consort
1932, 21 November
52°07′4″N 110°45′6″W / 52.11778°N 110.75167°W / 52.11778; -110.75167 (Gooseberry Lake Provincial Park )
51
Greene Valley Provincial Park
Peace River
2000, 6 June
56°11′53″N 117°14′30″W / 56.19806°N 117.24167°W / 56.19806; -117.24167 (Greene Valley Provincial Park )
147
Gregoire Lake Provincial Park
Fort McMurray
1969, 21 October
56°28′23″N 111°11′55″W / 56.47306°N 111.19861°W / 56.47306; -111.19861 (Gregoire Lake Provincial Park )
52
Hilliard's Bay Provincial Park
High Prairie
1978, 24 October
55°29′57″N 116°01′10″W / 55.49917°N 116.01944°W / 55.49917; -116.01944 (Hilliard's Bay Provincial Park )
3
Jarvis Bay Provincial Park
Sylvan Lake
1965, 8 July
52°21′59″N 114°07′56″W / 52.36639°N 114.13222°W / 52.36639; -114.13222 (Jarvis Bay Provincial Park )
61
Kinbrook Island Provincial Park
Brooks
1951, 14 November
50°26′52″N 111°54′40″W / 50.44778°N 111.91111°W / 50.44778; -111.91111 (Kinbrook Island Provincial Park )
65
Lakeland Provincial Park
Lac La Biche
1992, 16 January
54°47′24″N 111°29′17″W / 54.79000°N 111.48806°W / 54.79000; -111.48806 (Lakeland Provincial Park )
280
Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park
Slave Lake
55°25′3″N 114°48′39″W / 55.41750°N 114.81083°W / 55.41750; -114.81083 (Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park )
68
Little Bow Provincial Park
Champion
1954, 20 January
50°13′10″N 112°57′56″W / 50.21944°N 112.96556°W / 50.21944; -112.96556 (Little Bow Provincial Park )
69
Little Fish Lake Provincial Park
Drumheller
1957, 8 April
51°22′18″N 112°11′54″W / 51.37167°N 112.19833°W / 51.37167; -112.19833 (Little Fish Lake Provincial Park )
71
Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park
Edmonton St. Albert
2005, 19 April
53°36′22″N 113°40′41″W / 53.60611°N 113.67806°W / 53.60611; -113.67806 (Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park )
437
Long Lake Provincial Park
Boyle
1957, 25 March
54°25′32″N 112°45′26″W / 54.42556°N 112.75722°W / 54.42556; -112.75722 (Long Lake Provincial Park )
72
Midland Provincial Park
Drumheller
1979, 5 June
51°28′41″N 112°47′13″W / 51.47806°N 112.78694°W / 51.47806; -112.78694 (Midland Provincial Park )
78
Miquelon Lake Provincial Park
Hay Lakes
1958, 20 May
53°14′51″N 112°53′15″W / 53.24750°N 112.88750°W / 53.24750; -112.88750 (Miquelon Lake Provincial Park )
81
Moonshine Lake Provincial Park
Rycroft
1959, 21 April
55°55′31″N 119°13′51″W / 55.92528°N 119.23083°W / 55.92528; -119.23083 (Moonshine Lake Provincial Park )
82
Moose Lake Provincial Park
Bonnyville
1967, 19 April
54°15′50″N 110°55′55″W / 54.26389°N 110.93194°W / 54.26389; -110.93194 (Moose Lake Provincial Park )
83
Notikewin Provincial Park
Manning
1979, 20 November
57°17′19″N 117°09′3″W / 57.28861°N 117.15083°W / 57.28861; -117.15083 (Notikewin Provincial Park )
87
Obed Lake Provincial Park
Edson
53°33′19″N 117°07′44″W / 53.55528°N 117.12889°W / 53.55528; -117.12889 (Obed Lake Provincial Park )
203
O'Brien Provincial Park
Grande Prairie
1954, 29 June
55°03′49″N 118°49′28″W / 55.06361°N 118.82444°W / 55.06361; -118.82444 (O'Brien Provincial Park )
88
Park Lake Provincial Park
Lethbridge
1932, 21 November
49°48′14″N 112°55′30″W / 49.80389°N 112.92500°W / 49.80389; -112.92500 (Park Lake Provincial Park )
143
Pembina River Provincial Park
Entwistle
1953, 21 September
53°36′18″N 114°59′57″W / 53.60500°N 114.99917°W / 53.60500; -114.99917 (Pembina River Provincial Park )
92
Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
Kananaskis
1977, 7 October
50°41′0″N 115°13′35″W / 50.68333°N 115.22639°W / 50.68333; -115.22639 (Peter Lougheed Provincial Park )
307
Pierre Grey's Lakes Provincial Park
Grande Cache
53°54′23″N 118°35′18″W / 53.90639°N 118.58833°W / 53.90639; -118.58833 (Pierre Grey's Lakes Provincial Park )
209
Pigeon Lake Provincial Park
Wetaskiwin
1967, 26 May
53°01′35″N 114°08′4″W / 53.02639°N 114.13444°W / 53.02639; -114.13444 (Pigeon Lake Provincial Park )
98
Police Outpost Provincial Park
Cardston
1970, 21 April
49°00′22″N 113°27′32″W / 49.00611°N 113.45889°W / 49.00611; -113.45889 (Police Outpost Provincial Park )
108
Queen Elizabeth Provincial Park
Grimshaw
1956, 1 March
56°13′43″N 117°41′22″W / 56.22861°N 117.68944°W / 56.22861; -117.68944 (Queen Elizabeth Provincial Park )
110
Ram Falls Provincial Park
Nordegg
52°05′21″N 115°50′11″W / 52.08917°N 115.83639°W / 52.08917; -115.83639 (Ram Falls Provincial Park )
213
Red Lodge Provincial Park
Bowden
1951, 7 May
51°56′38″N 114°16′11″W / 51.94389°N 114.26972°W / 51.94389; -114.26972 (Red Lodge Provincial Park )
114
Rochon Sands Provincial Park
Stettler
1957, 8 January
52°27′51″N 112°53′27″W / 52.46417°N 112.89083°W / 52.46417; -112.89083 (Rochon Sands Provincial Park )
116
Rock Lake Provincial Park
Hinton
53°28′2″N 118°15′10″W / 53.46722°N 118.25278°W / 53.46722; -118.25278 (Rock Lake Provincial Park )
215
Saskatoon Island Provincial Park
Wembley
1932, 21 November
55°12′20″N 119°05′6″W / 55.20556°N 119.08500°W / 55.20556; -119.08500 (Saskatoon Island Provincial Park )
118
Sheep River Provincial Park
Turner Valley
50°38′49″N 114°38′43″W / 50.64694°N 114.64528°W / 50.64694; -114.64528 (Sheep River Provincial Park )
330
Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park
Lac La Biche
1952, 29 September
54°49′45″N 111°57′45″W / 54.82917°N 111.96250°W / 54.82917; -111.96250 (Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park )
120
Spray Valley Provincial Park
Kananaskis
2000, 1 December
50°50′14″N 115°14′48″W / 50.83722°N 115.24667°W / 50.83722; -115.24667 (Spray Valley Provincial Park )
308
Strathcona Science Provincial Park
Edmonton Sherwood Park
1979, 12 December
53°33′39″N 113°23′2″W / 53.56083°N 113.38389°W / 53.56083; -113.38389 (Strathcona Science Provincial Park )
123
Sundance Provincial Park
Edson
1999, 28 April
53°38′29″N 116°52′47″W / 53.64139°N 116.87972°W / 53.64139; -116.87972 (Sundance Provincial Park )
142
Sylvan Lake Provincial Park
Sylvan Lake
1980, 16 January
52°20′43″N 114°10′11″W / 52.34528°N 114.16972°W / 52.34528; -114.16972 (Sylvan Lake Provincial Park )
125
Thunder Lake Provincial Park
Barrhead
1958, 28 January
54°07′59″N 114°43′57″W / 54.13306°N 114.73250°W / 54.13306; -114.73250 (Thunder Lake Provincial Park )
137
Tillebrook Provincial Park
Tilley
1965, 20 July
50°32′16″N 111°48′30″W / 50.53778°N 111.80833°W / 50.53778; -111.80833 (Tillebrook Provincial Park )
138
Two Lakes Provincial Park
Grande Prairie
54°22′22″N 119°45′31″W / 54.37278°N 119.75861°W / 54.37278; -119.75861 (Two Lakes Provincial Park )
222
Vermilion Provincial Park
Vermilion
1953, 29 May
53°21′53″N 110°52′55″W / 53.36472°N 110.88194°W / 53.36472; -110.88194 (Vermilion Provincial Park )
152
Wabamun Lake Provincial Park
Wabamun
53°33′58″N 114°27′16″W / 53.56611°N 114.45444°W / 53.56611; -114.45444 (Wabamun Lake Provincial Park )
154
Whitney Lakes Provincial Park
Elk Point
1982, 23 June
53°49′48″N 110°29′48″W / 53.83000°N 110.49667°W / 53.83000; -110.49667 (Whitney Lakes Provincial Park )
158
William A. Switzer Provincial Park
Hinton
1958, 22 December
53°32′34″N 117°48′20″W / 53.54278°N 117.80556°W / 53.54278; -117.80556 (William A. Switzer Provincial Park )
159
Williamson Provincial Park
Valleyview
1960, 7 November
55°04′52″N 117°33′26″W / 55.08111°N 117.55722°W / 55.08111; -117.55722 (Williamson Provincial Park )
165
Willow Creek Provincial Park
Stavely
1957, 10 December
50°06′54″N 113°46′14″W / 50.11500°N 113.77056°W / 50.11500; -113.77056 (Willow Creek Provincial Park )
167
Winagami Lake Provincial Park
Donnelly
1956, 13 November
55°37′45″N 116°40′41″W / 55.62917°N 116.67806°W / 55.62917; -116.67806 (Winagami Lake Provincial Park )
169
Woolford Provincial Park
Cardston
49°10′33″N 113°11′20″W / 49.17583°N 113.18889°W / 49.17583; -113.18889 (Woolford Provincial Park )
173
Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park
Coutts
1957, 8 January
49°04′49″N 111°38′21″W / 49.08028°N 111.63917°W / 49.08028; -111.63917 (Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park )
177
Wyndham-Carseland Provincial Park
Strathmore
1979, 2 May
50°49′47″N 113°26′59″W / 50.82972°N 113.44972°W / 50.82972; -113.44972 (Wyndham-Carseland Provincial Park )
178
Young's Point Provincial Park
Valleyview
1971, 3 August
55°07′3″N 117°33′29″W / 55.11750°N 117.55806°W / 55.11750; -117.55806 (Young's Point Provincial Park )
180
Other parks
Other provincial lands
Approximately 60% of land in Alberta is public land owned by the Alberta government.[ 7] For administrative purposes, the province is divided into two broad land use areas: the Green Area (forested land, almost entirely provincially owned) and the White Area (other).[ 7] The Rocky Mountains Forest Reserve was created by the Forest Reserves Act of 1964 .[ 8] There are also 32 provincial grazing reserves located throughout Alberta. They are administered by Alberta Sustainable Resource Development .[ 1]
Municipal parks
See also
References
External links