Kananaskis Country

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kananaskis Country is a multi-use recreation area situated to the west of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in the foothills and front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. The area is named for the Kananaskis River, which was named by John Palliser in 1858 after a Cree acquaintance.[1]

Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
Highway 40 in the Kananaskis Valley, Alberta

Access[]

Kananaskis Country can be accessed by four main highways that run into or through the area: Highway 40, a 66 km (41 mi) segment of the Bighorn Highway and also known as Kananaskis Trail; Highway 66, a 28 km (17 mi) highway originating near Bragg Creek known as Elbow Falls Trail; Highway 68, a 42 km (26 mi) gravel highway originating from the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) known as Sibbald Creek Trail; and Highway 546, west of Turner Valley.

Recreation and tourism[]

Cross-country skiing in Kananaskis

Kananaskis Country is noted for recreation and tourism. Recreation facilities in Kananaskis include several campgrounds, a golf course, a hotel, a holiday ranch, two alpine ski areas (Nakiska, which hosted alpine skiing and freestyle moguls skiing during the 1988 Winter Olympics and Fortress Mountain Resort and a competitive cross-country ski area, the Canmore Nordic Centre) that the public can use. The Canmore Nordic Centre was the venue for cross-country skiing events during the 1988 Winter Olympics. Most of the development is within Peter Lougheed Provincial Park and along the highway 40 corridor that parallels the Kananaskis River. Kananaskis has many kilometres of hiking, cross-country ski, and horse trails. Other activities popular in Kananaskis include mountain biking, scrambling, climbing, backpacking, hunting, and fishing.

Parks[]

Extent and locations of parks in Kananaskis Country

Several parks and campgrounds and one ecological reserve are located within Kananaskis. These include:

Special areas within Kananaskis Country that are not formally designated as parks or ecological reserves include the Bow Corridor Area, the Elbow River Valley Area, Evan-Thomas Provincial Recreation Area, the Highwood/Cataract Areas, Sentinel Provincial Recreation Area, Stoney Creek Provincial Recreation Area, Strawberry Provincial Recreation Area and the Sibbald Area (Sibbald Lake Provincial Recreation Area, Sibbald Meadows Pond Provincial Recreation Area).

Administration[]

On a provincial level, Kananaskis Country has been administered since 1945 as Improvement District No. 5 (Kananaskis).[2] It was established by the Municipal Affairs branch of the Alberta Government for multiple uses including timber harvesting, gas and oil extraction, cattle grazing, recreation and tourism. All activities are planned and facilities are developed with watershed protection as a priority.

Not all areas of Kananaskis Country are covered by the same measure of protection. Areas within Kananaskis Country include Provincial Parks, Provincial Recreation Areas, Wildland Provincial Parks, Ecological Reserves and Crown land. All of the aforementioned categories are governed by differing laws.

A management plan approved in March 2003 by the Kananaskis Country restricts further development in the Spray Valley Provincial Park area, in order to preserve the ecological integrity. Restrictions were imposed on off-road vehicles, snowmobiles, horseback riding and biking, however a site in the Spray Valley is considered for the construction of a small lodge.[3][4]

Special facilities[]

A University of Calgary ecological and environmental research station is located nearby, at Barrier Lake. A "Tim Horton Children's Foundation" summer camp is also located in the area. Easter Seals Camp Horizon is located within Kananaskis along Highway 66. A YMCA summer camp, Camp Chief Hector, is located alongside the Trans-Canada Highway near exit 114. William Watson Lodge, a facility for people with disabilities, seniors, and their families is located in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park.

28th G8 Summit in Canada[]

Main article: 28th G8 summit

On June 26 and June 27, 2002, the area hosted the 28th G8 Summit. This annual "Group of 8" Summit was held in Kananaskis Village at the (also called the "Delta Lodge at Kananaskis").[5] This was the second time Canada used a lodge venue for the G8 Summit, after its inaugural 7th G7 Summit at Montebello, Quebec in 1981.[6] So far, it is the only G8 Summit to be held in western Canada. The 2002 conference pumped some $300-million into the Kananaskis and Alberta economy; however, security cost taxpayers in excess of $200-million. [7]

Climate[]

Kananaskis experiences a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc).

hideClimate data for KANANASKIS 1981-2010 Normals
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 19.0
(66.2) 		18.0
(64.4) 		20.5
(68.9) 		26.1
(79.0) 		29.5
(85.1) 		31.1
(88.0) 		34.5
(94.1) 		33.3
(91.9) 		31.0
(87.8) 		27.2
(81.0) 		19.5
(67.1) 		16.1
(61.0) 		34.5
(94.1)
Average high °C (°F) −0.3
(31.5) 		1.3
(34.3) 		4.5
(40.1) 		9.4
(48.9) 		14.4
(57.9) 		18.3
(64.9) 		22.1
(71.8) 		21.6
(70.9) 		16.5
(61.7) 		10.4
(50.7) 		2.8
(37.0) 		−1.0
(30.2) 		10.0
(50.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) −6.1
(21.0) 		−4.7
(23.5) 		−1.6
(29.1) 		3.2
(37.8) 		7.7
(45.9) 		11.4
(52.5) 		14.5
(58.1) 		13.8
(56.8) 		9.4
(48.9) 		4.5
(40.1) 		−2.3
(27.9) 		−6.2
(20.8) 		3.6
(38.5)
Average low °C (°F) −11.7
(10.9) 		−10.7
(12.7) 		−7.7
(18.1) 		−3.1
(26.4) 		0.9
(33.6) 		4.5
(40.1) 		6.8
(44.2) 		6.0
(42.8) 		2.2
(36.0) 		−1.5
(29.3) 		−7.3
(18.9) 		−11.4
(11.5) 		−2.7
(27.1)
Record low °C (°F) −45.6
(−50.1) 		−43.5
(−46.3) 		−40.6
(−41.1) 		−31.1
(−24.0) 		−21.7
(−7.1) 		−8.3
(17.1) 		−2.5
(27.5) 		−4.0
(24.8) 		−14.0
(6.8) 		−29.0
(−20.2) 		−37.0
(−34.6) 		−42.2
(−44.0) 		−45.6
(−50.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 21.2
(0.83) 		21.0
(0.83) 		40.7
(1.60) 		55.4
(2.18) 		88.5
(3.48) 		119.4
(4.70) 		64.9
(2.56) 		70.8
(2.79) 		72.8
(2.87) 		39.0
(1.54) 		26.7
(1.05) 		18.9
(0.74) 		639.4
(25.17)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 1.2
(0.05) 		0.3
(0.01) 		2.9
(0.11) 		13.9
(0.55) 		60.5
(2.38) 		118.2
(4.65) 		64.9
(2.56) 		70.2
(2.76) 		56.6
(2.23) 		11.2
(0.44) 		3.4
(0.13) 		1.1
(0.04) 		404.6
(15.93)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 22.0
(8.7) 		23.7
(9.3) 		41.4
(16.3) 		44.9
(17.7) 		29.2
(11.5) 		1.2
(0.5) 		0
(0) 		0.6
(0.2) 		16.3
(6.4) 		29.6
(11.7) 		28.4
(11.2) 		19.2
(7.6) 		256.5
(101.0)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 7.0 6.7 9.6 10.2 13.1 14.9 12.7 13.1 11.4 8.9 7.5 6.3 121.1
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 0.63 0.22 1.2 3.8 10.8 14.8 12.7 13.0 10.2 5.0 1.4 0.50 74.2
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 6.4 6.5 8.7 7.9 3.9 0.23 0 0.19 2.3 5.5 6.8 5.9 54.2
Mean monthly sunshine hours 63.9 101.8 155.4 171.2 205.7 217.1 250.7 228.9 166.2 133.7 69.2 47.9 1,811.7
Percent possible sunshine 24.3 36.1 42.3 41.3 42.7 44.0 50.4 50.7 43.7 40.2 25.7 19.3 38.4
Source: Environment Canada.[8] Station elevation is 1391 meters.

Photo gallery[]

  • Bighorn sheep in Kananaskis

  • View from Kananaskis Village of Mount Kidd

  • Kananaskis Country

  • Barrier Lake

  • Upper Kananaskis Lake in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park

  • Grizzly bear sow and two cubs in Kananaskis Country.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Rayburn, Alan (2001). Naming Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 254. ISBN 0-8020-6990-8.
  2. ^ Kananaskis Improvement District - Alberta Municipal Affairs Archived October 5, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ FFWD article (August 2003). Kananaskis Country management plan pleases greens, irks others Archived 2007-06-24 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 11, 2007
  4. ^ Alberta Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture (2006). Management plans for the Kananaskis Area Archived 2007-06-06 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 11, 2007
  5. ^ Delta Hotels: Kananaskis Resort Archived 2009-08-06 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ A Summit of Substantial Success: The Performance of the 2008 G8 p. 84
  7. ^ Andreatta, David. "Brace yourself, Huntsville. The G8 is coming," Archived 2009-03-23 at the Wayback Machine Globe and Mail (Toronto). July 12, 2008.
  8. ^ "Kananaskis". Canadian Climate Normals 1981-2010. Environment Canada. Retrieved 24 August 2021.

External links[]

Coordinates: 50°54′N 114°54′W / 50.9°N 114.9°W / 50.9; -114.9

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