List of National Parks of Canada

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Parks in Canada's provinces and territories

This is a list of National Parks of Canada. Canadian National Parks preserve both spectacular and representative areas of the country, located in every one of the nation's 13 provinces and territories. The goal of the national park service is to create a system of protected areas which represent all the distinct natural regions of the country.^[1] Parks Canada – the governing and administration body for the system – has developed a plan identifying 39 different regions it aims to represent. In 2005, Parks Canada reported that the system was more than 60% complete. Canada's parks are managed primarily to protect the ecological integrity of the park, and secondarily to allow the public to explore, learn about and enjoy Canada's natural spaces.^[1] Feasibility studies are currently underway for establishing further national parks in several areas.^[2]

As of 2015, there are 38 National Parks and eight National Park Reserves (Kluane is the name for two areas–a national park and an adjacent proposed national park (a National Park Reserve)). National Park Reserves are areas intended to become national parks pending settlement of native land claims. Until then, they are managed under the National Parks Act as quasi-parks, but are included here in the main list.^[3] This page also includes the country's three National Marine Conservation Areas (NMCAs), a single NMCA Reserve, the lone National Landmark, and proposed parks. National parks currently cover an area of 303,571 km², or about 3.0% of the total land area of Canada. Rounding out the national park system is a collection of National Historic Sites, listed separately.

National Parks and National Park Reserves

National Park Reserves are indicated by "(Reserve)" after the park name.

  World Heritage Site or part of a World Heritage Site

Name	Photo	Location	Area	Established
Aulavik		Northwest Territories	12,200 km^2 (4,710 sq mi)	1992
Auyuittuq		Nunavut	19,089 km^2 (7,370 sq mi)	2001
Banff		Alberta	6,641 km^2 (2,564 sq mi)	1885
Bruce Peninsula		Ontario	154 km^2 (59 sq mi)	1987
Cape Breton Highlands		Nova Scotia	949 km^2 (366 sq mi)	1936
Elk Island		Alberta	194 km^2 (75 sq mi)	1913
Forillon		Quebec	244 km^2 (94 sq mi)	1970
Fundy		New Brunswick	206 km^2 (80 sq mi)	1948
Georgian Bay Islands		Ontario	14 km^2 (5 sq mi)	1929
Glacier		British Columbia	1,349 km^2 (521 sq mi)	1886
Grasslands		Saskatchewan	907 km^2 (350 sq mi)	1981
Gros Morne		Newfoundland and Labrador	1,805 km^2 (697 sq mi)	1973
Gulf Islands (Reserve)		British Columbia	36 km^2 (14 sq mi)	2003
Gwaii Haanas^[A] (Reserve)		British Columbia	1,495 km^2 (577 sq mi)	1988
Ivvavik^[B]		Yukon	10,168 km^2 (3,926 sq mi)	1984
Jasper		Alberta	10,878 km^2 (4,200 sq mi)	1907
Kejimkujik		Nova Scotia	404 km^2 (156 sq mi)	1968
Kluane^[C] (two units: a Park and a Reserve)		Yukon	22,013 km^2 (8,499 sq mi)	1976 (Reserve) 1993 (Park)
Kootenay		British Columbia	1,406 km^2 (543 sq mi)	1920
Kouchibouguac		New Brunswick	239 km^2 (92 sq mi)	1969
La Mauricie		Quebec	536 km^2 (207 sq mi)	1970
Mingan Archipelago (Reserve)		Quebec	151 km^2 (58 sq mi)	1984
Mount Revelstoke		British Columbia	260 km^2 (100 sq mi)	1914
Naats'ihch'oh[4] (Reserve)		Northwest Territories	4,850 km^2 (1,873 sq mi)	2014
Nahanni (Reserve)		Northwest Territories	30,000 km^2 (11,583 sq mi)	1976
Pacific Rim (Reserve)		British Columbia	511 km^2 (197 sq mi)	1970
Point Pelee		Ontario	15 km^2 (6 sq mi)	1918
Prince Albert		Saskatchewan	3,874 km^2 (1,496 sq mi)	1927
Prince Edward Island		Prince Edward Island	22 km^2 (8 sq mi)	1937
Pukaskwa		Ontario	1,878 km^2 (725 sq mi)	1978
Qausuittuq		Nunavut	11,000 km^2 (4,247 sq mi)	2015
Quttinirpaaq^[E]		Nunavut	37,775 km^2 (14,585 sq mi)	2001
Riding Mountain^[F]		Manitoba	2,973 km^2 (1,148 sq mi)	1933
Rouge		Ontario	19 km^2 (7 sq mi)	2015
Sable Island (Reserve)		Nova Scotia	34 km^2 (13 sq mi)	2013
Sirmilik		Nunavut	22,200 km^2 (8,571 sq mi)	2001
Terra Nova		Newfoundland and Labrador	400 km^2 (154 sq mi)	1957
Thousand Islands		Ontario	24 km^2 (9 sq mi)	1904
Torngat Mountains		Newfoundland and Labrador	9,700 km^2 (3,745 sq mi)	2008
Tuktut Nogait		Northwest Territories	16,340 km^2 (6,309 sq mi)	1996
Ukkusiksalik		Nunavut	20,885 km^2 (8,064 sq mi)	2003
Vuntut		Yukon	4,345 km^2 (1,678 sq mi)	1995
Wapusk		Manitoba	11,475 km^2 (4,431 sq mi)	1996
Waterton Lakes^[G]		Alberta	505 km^2 (195 sq mi)	1895
Wood Buffalo		Alberta Northwest Territories	44,807 km^2 (17,300 sq mi)	1922
Yoho		British Columbia	1,313 km^2 (507 sq mi)	1886

Proposed National Parks and National Park Reserves

All National Park Reserves listed above are, by definition, proposed national parks, to be added to the park system upon settlement of Native land claims. In the interim, they are administered under the National Parks Act. In addition, the places in the table below are proposed parks or National Park Reserves.

Name	Location	Area
Akami–uapishku-KakKasuak-Mealy Mountains[5] (Reserve)	Newfoundland and Labrador	10,700 km^2 (4,131 sq mi)
Thaidene Nene (Reserve)[6]	Northwest Territories	Approx. 14,000 km^2 (5,405 sq mi)[7]

Abolished National Parks

Name	Location	Established	Abolished
Brereton Lake[8]	Manitoba	1922
Buffalo National Park[9]	Alberta	1909	1947
Menissawok National Park[10]	Saskatchewan	1922	May 30, 1930
Nemiskam National Park[9]	Alberta	1914	1947
Vidal's Point Park [11]	Saskatchewan	October 31, 1921	May 30, 1930
Wawaskesy National Park[12]	Alberta	1922	1938

National Marine Conservation Areas

National Marine Conservation Areas (NMCAs) are a relatively new invention in the park system. Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area, created in 2015, is the only unit that uses this designation in its name. Fathom Five National Marine Park was created in 1987, prior to the NMCA concept, and subsequently classified as an NMCA without changing its legal name. The case of Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park is similar, while Gwaii Haanas is an NMCA Reserve, with the intention of becoming an NMCA.

These areas have or will have a different mandate than their terrestrial counterparts. They are designed for sustainable use, although they usually also contain areas designed to protect ecological integrity.^[13] The government has announced plans to add five marine parks to the system as part of the Marine Conservation Areas Act. The first to be announced was Lake Superior in 2007; it was officially established in 2015. Other areas under negotiation are the southern Strait of Georgia and Gwaii Haanas in British Columbia, and there are discussions to study the feasibility of an area on the southern coast of Newfoundland.^[14]

Name	Photo	Location	Area	Established
Fathom Five		Ontario	112 km^2 (43 sq mi)	1987
Gwaii Haanas (Reserve)		British Columbia	1,500 km^2 (579 sq mi)[15]	2010
Lake Superior		Ontario	10,000 km^2 (3,861 sq mi)[16]	2015
Saguenay-St. Lawrence		Quebec	1,246 km^2 (481 sq mi)[17]	1998

Proposed National Marine Conservation Areas

As a National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, Gwaii Haanas, listed above, is, by definition, a proposed NMCA, to be added to the park system upon settlement of Native land/water claims. In the interim, it is administered under park rules. In addition, the places in the table below are proposed NMCAs or NMCA Reserves.

Name	Location	Area
Lancaster Sound	Nunavut	40,000 km^2 (15,444 sq mi)[18]
Magdalen Islands	Quebec	16,500 km^2 (6,371 sq mi)[19]
Southern Strait of Georgia (Reserve)	British Columbia	1,400 km^2 (541 sq mi)[20]

National Landmark

In addition to national parks, a National Landmarks program was established in 1978 but has not yet been expanded beyond a single property. Landmarks were intended to protect specific natural features considered "outstanding, exceptional, unique, or rare to this country. These natural features would typically be isolated entities and of scientific interest."^[21]

Name	Photo	Location	Area	Established
Pingo		Northwest Territories	16 km^2 (6 sq mi)	1984

See also

Provincial parks are administered and funded by the provincial governments, however some provincial parks are categorized as national parks (Category II) under the IUCN's Protected Area Management Categories.

• List of Canadian protected areas
• List of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in Canada
• List of national historic sites of Canada.

Notes

• ^ A. South Moresby National Park Reserve was created July 12, 1988, with the signing of the South Moresby Agreement; renamed Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site on February 28, 1996. Includes SGaang Gwaii (Anthony Island) World Heritage Site.^[22]
• ^ B. Established as Northern Yukon National Park in 1984, renamed Ivvavik National Park in 1992.^[23]
• ^ C. Kluane National Park Reserve was set aside in 1976, following the Kluane Game Reserve of the early 1940s. Subsequently, an eastern portion of the Reserve became Kluane National Park in 1993.
• ^ D. In 2007, the government announced that 29,000 km² (11,197 sq mi) of land would be added to Nahanni, making it 33,766 km² (13,037 sq mi). However, these changes have not been fully implemented yet.^[24]
• ^ E. Ellesmere Island National Park Reserve was established in 1988, renamed Quttinirpaaq in 1999 and became a national park in 2000.^[25]
• ^ F. Riding Mountain National Park was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1986.^[26]
• ^ G. Glacier National Park is part of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, a World Heritage Site.

References

General

• "National Parks of Canada". Parks Canada. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
• "National Marine Conservation Areas of Canada". Parks Canada. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
• "Canada's National Parks and National Park Reserves". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
• "Great Canadian Parks Index". Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2008-04-07.

Specific

1. "National Parks of Canada - Introduction". Parks Canada. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
2. "National Parks of Canada - Creating New National Parks of Canada". Parks Canada. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
3. "Backgrounder - Working toward the creation of Nááts'ihch'oh National Park Reserve". Parks Canada. 2008-04-07. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
4. "Canada getting new national park in Northwest Territories". Canadian Press. 2008-04-07. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
5. Harper Government Announces Creation of a National Park Reserve in the Mealy Mountains of Labrador, Parks Canada news release, July 31, 2015. Its creation depends on a negotiated Park Impacts and Benefits Agreement, prior to being proclaimed under the National Parks Act, and then only as a Reserve, not a full national park.
6. "Ottawa, Dene agree to create vast national park". CBC News. 2006-10-14. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
7. "Nature Canada Applauds Federal Government's Renewed Commitment to National Park System". Nature Canada. 2006-10-16. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
8. Hart, E.J. "J.B. Harkin: Father of Canada's National Parks", The University of Alberta Press, Edmonton, AB, 2010, p. 340.
9. Federation of Alberta Naturalists, Fish and Wildlife Historical Society (2005). Fish, Fur & Feathers: Fish and Wildlife Conservation in Alberta 1905-2005. Nature books of Alberta. p. 100. ISBN 0-9696134-7-4.
10. "Significant events in the history of Parks Canada". Canadian Geographic. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
11. National Parks Administration (1885 to 1973), Chapter 4 in A History of Canada's National Parks Volume II, by W.F. Lothian, Parks Canada, 1976-1987
12. "Project Update: Arthropods of Canadian Grasslands". University of Alberta. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
13. "National Marine Conservation Areas of Canada". Parks Canada. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
14. Ditchburn, Jennifer (2007-10-24). "PM expected to unveil marine conservation area". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
15. "Minister visits, celebrates marine park's creation". The Queen Charlotte Islands Observer. 2010-06-14.
16. "Harper announces creation of protected marine park". CBC News. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
17. "Registre des aires protégées du Québec" (PDF). Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et des Parcs du Québec. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
18. Proposed Lancaster Sound National Marine Conservation Area, Parks Canada, 2011
19. Study on the Creation of a Marine Protected Area in Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Parks Canada, 2012
20. Feasibility Study for the Proposed Southern Strait of Georgia National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, Parks Canada, 2012
21. "Pingo Canadian Landmark - Park Management". Parks Canada. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
22. "Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
23. "Ivvavik National Park". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
24. "Tories' expansion of Nahanni park praised". CTV Television Network. 2007-08-08. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
25. "Quttinirpaaq National Park". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
26. "Biosphere Reserve Information - Canada - Riding Mountain". UNESCO. Retrieved 2008-04-07.

External links

• Parks Canada
• World Heritage Sites in Canada
• Park Search Canadian Parks Locator
• Parks Canada Directory