Travel Planning

• Canadian Tourism Commission
• www.canadatourism.com
• Official tourism website for all of Canada.

• Travel Alberta
• www.travelalberta.com
• Learn more about the province, plan your travels, and order tourism literature. This official tourism site also has up-to-date event calendars, tips for traveling with children, and an extensive library of images.

Government

• Citizenship and Immigration Canada
• www.cic.gc.ca
• Check this government website for anything related to entry into Canada.

• Environment Canada
• www.weatheroffice.gc.ca
• Five-day forecasts from across Canada, including almost 100 locations through Alberta. Includes weather archives such as seasonal trends and snowfall history.

• Government of Alberta
• www.alberta.ca
• The official website of the Alberta government.

• Government of Canada
• www.gc.ca
• The official website of the Canadian government.

Parks

• Parks Canada
• www.pc.gc.ca
• Official website of the agency that manages Canada’s national parks and national historic sites. Website has information on each of Alberta’s five national parks (fees, camping, and wildlife) and four national historic sites.

• Parks Canada Campground Reservation Service
• www.pccamping.ca
• Online reservation service for national park campgrounds.

Accommodations

• Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts
• www.crmr.com
• Small chain of four upscale resorts.

• Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
• www.fairmont.com
• Lodging chain that owns famous mountain resorts such as the Banff Springs, Chateau Lake Louise, and Jasper Park Lodge, as well as historic gems in Edmonton and Calgary.

• Hostelling International–Canada
• www.hihostels.ca
• Canadian arm of the worldwide organization.

Conservation

• Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley
• www.biosphereinstitute.org
• Canmore-based organization mandated to gather and circulate information on management of the Bow River watershed. Online references include studies, publications, and human-use guidelines for the region.

• Bow Valley Wildsmart
• www.bvwildsmart.ca
• This nonprofit organization has put together a wealth of information on how to stay safe in the Bow Valley watershed, including reported wildlife sightings.

• Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
• www.cpaws.org
• Nonprofit organization that is instrumental in highlighting conservation issues throughout Canada. The link to the Calgary chapter provides local information and a schedule of guided walks.

• Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative
• www.y2y.net
• Network of 800 groups working on conservation issues in the Canadian Rockies and beyond.

Transportation and Tours

• Air Canada
• www.aircanada.ca
• Canada’s national airline.

• Brewster
• www.brewster.ca
• Banff-based operator offering day trips, airport shuttles, and package tours throughout the province.

• Rocky Mountaineer Vacations
• www.rockymountaineer.com
• Luxurious rail service from Vancouver to Banff and Jasper.

• VIA Rail
• www.viarail.ca
• Passenger rail service across Canada.

Publishers

• Gem Trek
• www.gemtrek.com
• You can pick up basic park maps free from local information centers, but this company produces much more detailed maps covering all the most popular regions of the Canadian Rockies.

• Lone Pine
• www.lonepinepublishing.com
• Respected for its field guides, this company has books on almost every natural-history subject pertinent to Alberta.

• Rocky Mountain Books
• www.rmbooks.com
• Check out the catalog of this Calgary publisher, and you’ll surely be impressed by the list of outdoor recreation guides.

• Summerthought Publishing
• www.summerthought.com
• If you plan on doing lots of hiking, you’ll want a copy of the authoritative Canadian Rockies Trail Guide by this Banff publisher.

© Andrew Hempstead, from Moon Western Canada, 3rd Edition