wood buffalo is the largest national park in Canada, covering a larger area than Switzerland. It spreads across the northeastern part of the province of Alberta and deepens into southern part Northwest Territories.

national park Wood Buffalo is home to some of the world's last remaining free-ranging bison herds, a nesting site for the endangered cranes, and has the world's largest beaver dams. Thanks to all this, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Data

• migratory route. In the southern part of the park is one of the largest freshwater deltas in the world - Pis Athabasca. All four North American migratory routes converge on the delta every spring and fall, and the last remaining flock of migratory cranes nest in a remote corner of the taiga every summer.
• Protected area. In 1982 international union Conservation Authority made Wood Buffalo National Park a protected area to protect the Peace Athabasca Delta and the nesting grounds of the American crane. These two areas have been designated as Ramsar sites under the Ramsar Convention, which focuses on identifying and protecting critical habitats for migratory birds.
• Landscape. The varied landscape of the park includes boreal forests, salt flats and various karst landforms. The boreal plains near the city of Fort Smith in the Northwest Territories are the most accessible and popular within the park.
• Wildlife. Wood Buffalo is home to such elusive animal species as black bears, wolves, moose, foxes, beavers and sandhill cranes.
• River country. The Slave, Peace, and Athabasca Rivers flow through the park, providing excellent hiking and camping opportunities.

For those who have never been to Wood Buffalo, it is not easy to imagine all the greatness of this place. Wood Buffalo National Park as the name translates protected area Wood Buffalo National Park, which is located in the north-west of Canada and occupies a flat expanse of over 44 thousand square meters. km. It is the largest national park on the American mainland, with a total length of 283 km from north to south and 161 km from east to west. Administratively, the park is located in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and the Northwest Territories, and geographically lies between the Athabasca and Great Slave lakes.

Most of national park occupied by water bodies - lakes, rivers, swamps. Having been in Wood Buffalo, you can see one of the most beautiful and huge inland deltas, which is created by nature. It is created by the Athabasca and Peace Rivers, the waters of which enter Lake Athabasca. The park is dominated by plains, but closer to the west, to the Caribou mountains, the relief begins to change. Due to the proximity to the pole, protected lands have another advantage for tourists. In winter and autumn, guests of the park have an amazing opportunity to watch the wonderful play of light in the sky - the northern lights.

The vegetation of Wood Buffalo is varied and rich. Coniferous and mixed forests, shrubs, woodlands characteristic of the tundra, meadow flowers and grasses, as well as the herbaceous flora of the wild prairies characteristic of the tundra. All this in combination with local climatic features- long cold winters, which are replaced by short warm summer days- creates excellent conditions for the residence of many animals and birds.

The permanent inhabitants of the national park are moose, several varieties of deer (black-tailed and white-tailed deer, reindeer caribou), marmots, hares, porcupines, musky rats, skunks and beavers. Interestingly, in this area, researchers discovered a beaver dam, the length of which was 850 m. This is considered a world record, since usually the length of such structures is not more than 100 m. as well as more than two hundred species of birds. Among the birds, white cranes and pelicans attract increased attention, but their nesting sites are protected by environmentalists and are therefore closed to tourists.

Along with this, as the name of the park suggests, the main inhabitants of Wood Buffalo are american bison, for the sake of preserving the population, which the nature protection area was created. These massive animals are somewhat similar in appearance to the European bison. Bison weigh about a ton, their body reaches three meters in length and two meters in height. Biologists distinguish the steppe and forest subspecies of the animal, both of them are represented in the park and largely thanks to the protection of Wood Buffalo still live on our planet. At the time of the creation of the national park, and this is 1922, the number of wood bison was not more than one and a half thousand, today the herd reaches 2.5 thousand individuals and is recognized as the largest on the mainland. The number of steppe bison is significantly larger than the forest bison and in the 1960s reached the limit of 10 thousand heads.

The special nature of Wood Buffalo was the reason for its inclusion in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which took place in 1983 and influenced the travel of tourists to these places. However, getting to the national park is not so easy. First you need to make a flight to the Canadian city of Edmonton, then charter flight or by car to get either to locality Fort Chipuyan, in the province of Alberta, or to the city of Fort Smith, in the province of the Northwest Territories, which provide access to protected areas. Fort Smith, home of the Wood Buffalo National Park Authority, is accessible via the Mackenzie Highway, while Fort Chipuyan, home of the branch headquarters, is an adapted highway no, only air way.

When considering a tourist trip to the park, it must be taken into account that there are almost no roads in Wood Buffalo. There is only one car route for excursions in the protected area, while there is a large number of rules for driving a car, the violation of which is subject to impressive fines. As compensation for this, many hiking trails are offered for every taste. If you wish, you can use short trails or choose difficult, long hiking trails that require some experience. The likelihood of a close encounter with predators (wolves, lynxes) is minimal, as they are inherently cautious and shy away from human society.

In Canada, tourists are allowed to travel by boat. big rivers. By renting an ordinary boat or canoe in Fort Smith, you can sail to Fort Chipuyan, Fort McMurray or Fort Fitzgerald and enjoy great views Wood Buffalo from an unusual angle.

Those who wish to get acquainted with natural attractions for several days can stay in the towns that are next to the national park - Fort Smith, Hay River, Yellowknife and Fort Simpson. locals with great pleasure they will rent a room or a house, camping sites or hotel rooms are also acceptable. The campgrounds are administered by the Wood Buffalo Authority, which grants parking permits.

A wonder of Canadian nature is Wood Buffalo National Park. Read what Wood Buffalo is famous for in today's article.

Why is Wood Buffalo famous?

Canadian Lands National Park, stretching from Alberta to Northwest Canada, wood buffalo founded in 1922. Today, Wood Buffalo is the largest park in Canada and one of the largest national parks in the world.

• The area of ​​Wood Buffalo Park in Canada is about 4.4 million hectares.

A visit to Wood Buffalo should definitely be on your "see and die" list, as should Yellowstone National Park in the USA . Through the expanses of the magnificent, large-scale natural complex the buffalo of the steppe and forest species – recent representatives on the planet. Wood Buffalo is famous as one of the world heritage sites, listed by UNESCO in 1983.

History of Wood Buffalo National Park

The national park was opened in 1922 to preserve the shaggy bison population.. At the time of the creation of the park, there were up to 2500 heads, but by 1960 the population had increased to 10 thousand. After 1983, Wood Buffalo Park lives off active tourism and patronage programs.

Location

Wood Buffalo stretches across the northwestern part of the country, between Lakes Atabesca and Great Slave Lake. The administrative location of the park lies in the vicinity of Alberta and Mackenzie. Basically, the entire territory of Wood Buffalo is forest land, in some places swampy plains, rivers, transparent blue Lakes and tundra groups of trees.

• In Wood Buffalo Park, the inner delta of the Athabasca and Peace Rivers formed, which flows into Lake Athabesca - it is one of the largest inland deltas in the world.

You can get to Wood Buffalo from Fort Smith or Fort Chipuyan. First you need to fly to Edmonton in Canada, then you can choose to get to the proposed cities. From Fort Smith, you can easily get to the park along the Mackenzie Highway, but for fans of air travel, the road from Fort Chipuyan will be more to your liking - there is no highway here.

Wood Buffalo Park is a huge area without roads. For hiking and returning to the wild, sightseeing tours are offered, which must be arranged in advance with the management. Each visitor to the park is registered, then he is offered a route and a guide. Tourist trails are conditional markings. Most of the territories are inhabited by predators - lynxes and wolves.

• What animals can be found: caribou, white-tailed deer, bison, musky rat, bear, moose, porcupine, skunk, crane, lynx, wolf, etc.

Although the possibility of meeting with them is minimal, it is still necessary to play it safe. Wood Buffalo - for real "Lungs of Canada". Huge areas of coniferous forests maintain a cool climate at any time of the year. You can enjoy the echoes of primeval nature at campsites. Wood Buffalo Park is a great place to visit with family or friends. He works all year round and pleases with non-static beauty - each new natural season leaves an indelible impression.

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Wood Buffalo is a national park in the provinces of Alberta and the Northwest Territories, Canada. Founded in 1983. It is the largest national park in Canada, covering an area of ​​44,807 km2. Within the boundaries of the park are wooded plateaus covered with scars. forest fires, a plateau eroded by glaciers, a significant freshwater delta formed by three major rivers, saline plains and the best examples of the karst relief of North America. It also includes the most extensive North America untouched grass and sedge prairies, creating best conditions bison habitat. The park has a long tradition in the use of natural livelihoods. It was inhabited only recently, as soon as the glaciers retreated, by nomadic groups of the Mikesu Cree belonging to the First Nations, some of whom continue to hunt, set snares and fish here. The climate is characterized by one of the longest and coldest winters and short, warm summer, reservoirs are free from ice only in June, July and August.

Among the 47 species of mammals living here are the Canadian caribou, arctic fox, American black bear, elk, beaver and muskrat, and 227 bird species have been recorded, including falcon, bald eagle, gray owl and snowy owl. The reserve is also known for the fact that the largest wild herd of American bison on the continent (about 2500 heads) lives on its territory. The population of the American crane is approximately 140 individuals, of which 40 pairs are nesting. It is amazing beautiful bird, snow-white, 1.5 m in height, wingspan - 2.6 m. Twice a year these fabulous birds overcome full of danger a 4,300 km journey to winter quarters in Texas. Back in 1941, there were only 15 American cranes left.

There are 36 campsites on the territory of the camp. Several of them are located on Pine Lake (60 km from Fort Smith), the most extensive is Kettle Point Group Camp, it is intended for large groups tourists. This campsite must be booked in advance. If you need to organize overnight parking in the park, you must obtain permission from the Wood Buffalo administration.

Wood Buffalo is open to the public all year round, with each season having its own charms. The park has many hiking trails of varying length and complexity, from very short walking trails to long and difficult ones. Almost any trail allows you to see around the indescribable beauty in words. surrounding nature. Since wild animals behave very carefully in nature, the likelihood of encountering them during a walk is very small, but from a distance you can see a lot of interesting things. The park is interesting not only for travelers, but also for serious researchers. wildlife. So in Wood Buffalo Park, in its southern part, the longest beaver dam in the world was discovered, its length is about 850 meters (usually 10-100 meters). Lots of interesting materials dedicated to the development of the region and the protection of the region's wildlife can be seen in the collection of the Fort Smith Museum. At Fort Smith, it is possible to rent a boat or canoe and go through Wood Buffalo along waterway to Fort Fitzgerald, Fort McMurray, Fort Chipuyani. On large rivers, such as the Athabasca River, Quatre Force River, Peace River, Slave River, motor boats are allowed.

Wood Buffalo National Park is a national park in the provinces of Alberta and the Northwest Territories, Canada. Founded in 1922. This is the largest national park in the Americas, with a total length of 161 km from east to west and 283 km from north to south.

Administratively, it is located in the Canadian provinces of the Northwest Territories and Alberta, geographically located between Great Slave Lake and Lake Athabasca.

A significant part of the national park is occupied by water bodies - rivers, lakes, swamps. Visiting Wood Buffalo, you can see one of the largest and most beautiful inland deltas created by nature. It is formed by the Peace River and Athabasca, whose waters flow into Lake Athabasca.
The park is dominated by plains, although closer to the western side, adjacent to the Caribou Mountains, the relief begins to change. Due to the proximity to the Pole, protected lands have another attraction for tourists. In autumn and winter, visitors to the park have a unique opportunity to observe wonderful play of light in the sky - the northern lights.

The flora of Wood Buffalo is rich and varied. There are mixed and coniferous forests, shrubs, woodlands characteristic of the tundra, meadow grasses and flowers, as well as typical herbaceous vegetation of wild prairies.
All this, combined with local climatic features - long cold winters, which are replaced by warm short summer- creates favorable conditions for the habitat of numerous animals and birds.

Moose, several species of deer (white-tailed and black-tailed deer, caribou reindeer), hares, marmots, musky rats, porcupines, skunks, and beavers are permanent residents national park.
Interesting fact: on these lands, researchers recorded a beaver dam 850 m long, which is considered a world record (usually the length of such structures does not exceed 100 m). In addition to the mentioned representatives of the fauna, American black bears and elks, wolves and lynxes, as well as over 200 species of birds live in the park.
Among the birds Special attention pelicans and white cranes are attracted, but the nesting sites of the latter are protected by environmentalists and are closed to tourists.

At the same time, as the name of the reserve implies, the main inhabitants of Wood Buffalo are American bison, for the sake of saving the population of which the park was created. These massive animals are somewhat reminiscent of European bison, weigh about a ton (900 kg), their body reaches 2 m in height and 3 m in length.
Biologists distinguish between the forest and steppe subspecies of bison, both are represented in Wood Buffalo and, largely due to the protection of this protected area, still live on our planet.
At the time of the creation of the national park (1922), the number of forest shaggy bison did not exceed one and a half thousand, now the herd reaches 2,500 heads and is recognized as the largest on the continent. The number of steppe bison is noticeably higher and in the 1960s it crossed the line of 10,000.

The unique nature of Wood Buffalo was the reason for its inclusion in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which happened in 1983 and provoked the pilgrimage of tourists to these parts. Meanwhile, getting to the national park is not so easy.
First you need to make an air flight to the city of Edmonton (Canada), then by car or charter flight to get (your choice) either to the city of Fort Smith (Province of the Northwest Territories), or to the settlement of Fort Chipuyan (Province of Alberta), which open access to protected lands.
Fort Smith, home of Wood Buffalo Park Authority, is accessible via the Mackenzie Highway, while Fort Chipuyan, home of the headquarters branch, is not accessible by road, only by air.

Bison - a forest dweller in Wood Buffalo National Park

When planning a tourist trip, you need to consider that there are practically no roads in Wood Buffalo. Only one car route has been created for excursions in the national park, while there are a huge number of rules for driving a car, the violation of which is punishable by impressive fines. As compensation, there are many walking routes for every taste.
If desired, you can use short walking paths or choose difficult and long hiking trails that require a certain experience of such trips. The risk of a close encounter with predators (lynxes, wolves) is minimal - they are by nature cautious and avoid human society.

In Canada, tourists are allowed to travel on large rivers. By renting transport (canoe or regular boat) in Fort Smith, you can sail to Fort Chipuyan, Fort Fitzgerald or Fort McMurray and enjoy beautiful scenery Wood Buffalo from an unusual angle.

Those wishing to explore natural attractions for several days have the opportunity to stay in the cities adjacent to the national park - Fort Smith, Yellowknife, Hay River and Fort Simpson.
Locals are happy to rent out a house or a room, hotel rooms and campsites are also available. The latter are at the disposal of the Wood Buffalo administration, which issues a parking permit.