Elk Island National Park offers a unique experience for visitors, where they can immerse themselves in the natural beauty of the Beaver Hills and witness the diverse wildlife that calls the park home. The park’s fenced boundary ensures that the ecological integrity of the land is protected, and intensive resource management techniques such as prescribed fires have created a diverse landscape of aspen and mixed-wood forests, meadows, and wetlands, making it a haven for a wide variety of wildlife.
Visitors can explore the park’s scenic parkways and trails, where they can catch a glimpse of moose, elk, mule deer, over 600 plains bison, 375 wood bison, and other smaller mammals, and over 230 species of birds. The park is also home to the reintroduced trumpeter swans, making it a paradise for birdwatchers.
Elk Island National Park offers a chance to explore the Beaver Hills’ natural beauty and a glimpse into the area’s human history. The park was once inhabited by the Cree and later settled by European homesteaders, many of whom were Ukrainian. Visitors can explore the park’s rich cultural heritage and see the remnants of the Ukrainian influence in the area.
The park offers a variety of recreational activities, including camping, canoeing, golfing, cross-country skiing, and hiking. Visitors can also enjoy the park’s semi-serviced camping facilities and make the most of the many opportunities to explore the park and witness the diverse wildlife that calls it home. Elk Island National Park truly offers a one-of-a-kind experience for visitors looking to explore the natural beauty of Canada and immerse themselves in the area’s diverse culture.
Did you know about Elk Island National Park?
- Elk Island National Park is Canada’s eighth smallest national park in terms of area, but it is the country’s largest fully enclosed national park, with a total area of 194 km2 / 75 mi2.
- The park is home to North America’s largest and smallest terrestrial mammals – the wood bison and pygmy shrew, respectively.
- Elk Island National Park played an important role in the conservation of the Plain’s bison. In the early 20th century, the park was established as an elk sanctuary, but it later became a bison sanctuary as well.
- The park has diverse ecosystems, including native fescue grassland, aspen parkland, and boreal forest.
- Elk Island is home to the densest population of ungulates in Canada, including bison, moose, mule deer, elk, and white-tailed deer.
- The park is also home to over 250 bird species, including red-necked grebes, American white pelicans, double-crested cormorants, and trumpeter swans.
- Elk Island National Park is also home to the Ukrainian Pioneer Home, a replica of a pioneer cabin that was built in the park to honor the Ukrainian Canadians who pioneered the area. It was the first museum or historic site dedicated to Ukrainian immigration in Canada.
Google Maps of Elk Island National Park
This embeddable Google Map generated for free on Canada Maps.com