The U.S. can proudly claim the world’s first National Park with the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872, but Canada was the first country to institute a nationwide parks service, and 2011 marks the centennial of Parks Canada.
Today, Parks Canada manages 42 National Parks, plus a bunch of National Landmarks, Historic Places and Conservation Areas. Those of us in western North America are most familiar with Banff, Waterton Lakes and Jasper National Parks, all of which are outstanding destinations for landscape, nature and wildlife photography.
Lesser known parks span the vast country, including, on opposite edges of the continent, Pacific Rim National Park on the west coast of Vancouver Island and Prince Edward Island National Park in the eastern Maritime Provinces.
The National Geographic Society publishes the excellent Guide to the National Parks of Canada, official guidebook for the 100th anniversary of Parks Canada. It’s a great overview to the whole park system, with, naturally, outstanding photography.
Canadian nature photographer Darwin Wiggett has published several books that are great resources for landscape and scenic photographers. His How to Photograph the Canadian Rockies ebooks are even better than his classic out of print book with the same name.
For more information about Canada’s centennial celebration, check out the Parks Canada website.
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