Kananaskis is an improvement district (a type of rural municipal administrative unit) situated to the west of Calgary, Alberta, Canada in the foothills and front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. Located within the improvement district is Kananaskis Country, a 4000+ square kilometer tract of land with spectacular mountain and foothills scenery. The area was established by the Alberta Government for multiple uses including timber harvesting, gas and oil extraction, cattle grazing, recreation and tourism. All activities are planned and facilities developed with watershed protection as a priority. Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 1514 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 1219 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Template:Hide = Motto: Template:Unhide = Onward City of Calgary, Alberta, Canadas Location. ... Foothills are geographically defined as gradual increases in hilly areas at the base of a mountain range. ... Wilcox Pass The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. ... Albertas first Legislature, Edmonton, 1906 The politics of Alberta are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces. ... Natural gas (commonly referred to as gas in many countries, but note that gas is also an American and Canadian shortening of gasoline) is a gaseous fossil fuel consisting primarily of methane. ... Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario Petroleum (from Greek petra – rock and elaion – oil or Latin oleum – oil ), crude oil, sometimes colloquially called black gold, is a thick, dark brown or greenish liquid. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle (called cows in vernacular usage) are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ... Tigers playing in the water. ... Tourist redirects here; for the album by Athlete, see Tourist (album) Tourism is the act of travel for the purpose of recreation, and the provision of services for this act. ... A watershed is a region of land where water drains downhill into a specified body of water, such as a river, lake, sea, ocean or wetland. ...

Recreation and tourism is what Kananaskis Country is noted for. Development in Kananaskis includes several campgrounds, a golf course, some hotels, a holiday ranch, two alpine ski areas (including Nakiska, which hosted alpine skiing and freestyle moguls skiing during the 1988 Winter Olympics) 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 in Kananaskis Country 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. Golf (gowf in Scots) is a game where individual players or teams hit a ball into a hole using various clubs, and is one of the few ball games that does not use a fixed standard playing area. ... Members of the US Air Force skiing (and snowboarding) at Keystone Resorts 14th Annual SnoFest An alpine skier Deep powder skiing Skiing is the activity of gliding over snow using skis (originally wooden planks, now usually made from fiberglass or related composites) strapped to the feet with ski bindings. ... The XV Olympic Winter Games were held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. ... Cross-country skiing (also known as XC skiing) is a winter sport popular in many countries with large snowfields, primarily Northern Europe and Canada. ... Beautiful natural scenes are common hiking destinations Hiking is a form of walking, undertaken with the specific purpose of exploring and enjoying the scenery. ... A mountain biker climbs on an off-road track Mountain biking is the sport of riding bicycles off paved roads. ... Scrambling is a category of climbing that does not entail the use of any ropes on the ascent or descent. ... Climbers on Valkyrie at the Roaches. ... Backpacking in the Grand Teton National Park, United States Backpacking (also tramping or trekking in some countries) is the complete combination of hiking and camping. ... A hunter on horseback shoots at deer or elk with a bow. ... Fishing is the activity of hunting for fish. ...

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

Bow Valley Provincial Park

Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park

Peter Lougheed Provincial Park

Sheep River Provincial Park

Spray Valley Provincial Park

Bluerock Wildland Provincial Park

Bow Valley Wildland Provincial Park

Don Getty Wildland Provincial Park

Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial Park

Plateau Mountain Ecological Reserve

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 and the Sibbald Areas.

Toward the west, Kananaskis Country borders Banff National Park, Elk Lakes Provincial Park (British Columbia), and Height of The Rockies Provincial Park (British Columbia). The northeastern border of Kananaskis abuts the Stoney Indian reserve. Banff National Park is located in the Canadian Rockies west of the City of Calgary, and includes the town of Banff, Alberta. ... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Official languages English Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 36 6 Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 5th 944,735 km² 2. ... In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band. ...

In June 2002, the area was the host of the 28th G8 summit. The 28th G8 Summit took place in 2002 and was called the Kananaskis Summit. ...

See also

• The Canadian Rockies Trail Guide
• Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies

The Canadian Rockies Trail Guide by Brian Patton and Bart Robinson, describes hundreds of hiking and backpacking trails in the Canadian Rockies. ... Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies is a book by Alan Kane describing scrambling routes of mountains in the Canadian Rockies. ...

External Links

• Kananaskis Country

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