Elk Island National Park

About this place

Elk Island National Park lies in Alberta about 42 km in a straight line east of Edmonton, with the Yellowhead Highway running through it. It has played an important part in the conservation of the plains bison, and at 194 square kilometres it is Canada's eighth-smallest national park but its largest fully fenced one. The park represents the northern prairie plateau, with a knob-and-kettle landscape of hills and ponds mixing grassland, aspen parkland and boreal forest. The area has sheltered wintering herds of elk, bison and moose since time immemorial; it gained federal park status in 1913 and became an official national park in 1930. It is home to both the largest and the smallest land mammals in North America, the wood bison and the pygmy shrew. Astotin Lake and other lakes, dotted with small islands, glitter between aspen and spruce forests, a long wooden jetty runs out into the water, and geese swim among the reeds. Herds of bison, elk and moose graze the meadows, beavers build dams and lodges in the ponds, and the evenings are quiet and dark. A park entry fee applies. Bison can often be seen from the car on the park roads; stay inside or keep a long distance, as they are huge and easily provoked.