Kananaskis

June 28, 2020

Enchanting. This is the perfect word to sum up Kananaskis Country. Kananaskis is a national park located in a beautiful countryside of Alberta. It borders one of the world’s most incredible nature sites of Banff National Park and Canmore. The allure of Kananaskis is its natural beauty. Kananaskis country was originally inhabited over 8,000 years ago. Many first nation communities are tied to this land. In the seventeenth century, It was rediscovered by Captain John Palliser who named the land after great Cree warrior Kineakis who survived a lethal blow to the head.

Present-Day Kananaskis is a beautiful park that offers a variety of options and activities such as cross-country-skiing, Dogsledding, snowboarding, camping, and hiking. The list goes on and on. These amenities have been enjoyed by many of the locals as well as tourists from all over the world. Lately, the government of Alberta announced that it will close twenty campgrounds. Many more campgrounds will be privatized. The government is also cutting around $4 million from the Alberta Park budget for the next few years. Upon hearing the news, Albertans are very displeased with the outcome. Sara Renner, former Olympic cross-country skier says that any investment in sport and wellness has huge benefits in terms of health care savings and mental health, adding that Nordic skiing is an entry sport for Canadians of all diversity and income levels to experience the outdoors.

As a former Alberta Resident, I never really appreciated Kananaskis. I only visited a few times in my life. This speaks to the fact that this neglected gem may be what people need. The nature is very therapeutic and calming.

Written by: Timothy Wong Chong