Travel Planning

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

• Tourism British Columbia
• www.hellobc.com
• Learn more about the province, plan your travels, and order tourism literature.

• 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.

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 western Canada’s national parks (fees, camping, and wildlife) and national historic sites.

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

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 300 locations through western Canada. Includes weather archives such as seasonal trends and snowfall history.

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

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 includes studies, publications, and human-use guidelines for the region.

• Bow Valley Wildsmart
• www.wildsmart.ca
• This non-profit 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
• Non-profit 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 along the Canadian Rockies from the United States north to the Yukon.

• Yukon Conservation Society
• www.yukonconservation.org
• This Whitehorse-based organization is active in a variety of natural resource issues, but also offers public programs of hikes and lectures.

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 western Canada.

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

• 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.

• Heritage House
• www.heritagehouse.ca
• With more than 700 non-fiction books in print, this large Vancouver publisher is known for its historical and recreation titles covering all of western Canada.

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

• 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