- Alberta's Rockies
Alberta's Rockies comprises the
Canadian Rockies in the province ofAlberta ,Canada . It is a region on the southwestern part of the province, along theBritish Columbia border. It covers all but the south of Census Division 15.The main industry in this region is tourism. [Travel Alberta. [http://www1.travelalberta.com/en-rockies/ Alberta's Rockies] ]
Geography
The region contains the Central Front Ranges and the
Continental Ranges of the CanadianRocky Mountains , and includes theBanff National Park andJasper National Park , as well as the higher part of the Kananaskis park system and the Willmore Wilderness. [Alberta Heritage. [http://www.albertaheritage.net/places/alberta_map.html Alberta Regions] ]The main transportation corridors run through the
Kicking Horse Pass and theYellowhead Pass from east to west, while theBow Valley andAthabasca River valley are followed by the longitudinalIcefield Parkway . Another important waterway that crosses this region is theNorth Saskatchewan River .Tourism
Some of the best
ski resort s of the Rockies are located in this region, and are important tourist destinations. They includeFortress Mountain , Lake Louise,Marmot Basin , Mount Norquay,Nakiska andSunshine Village .Other tourist attractions include the glaciers of the Columbia, Wapta and
Waputik Icefield s such as the Athabasca, Bow, Crowfoot, Hector, Peyto, Saskatchewan andVulture Glacier s.Glacial lake s line the Icefield Parkway and dot the surrounding valleys. Some of the more spectacular are Bow, Hector, Louise, Maligne, Moraine, Peyto, Pyramid and Vermilion lakes.Infrastructure
Banff and Jasper are the main communities in the region. The length is defined by the
Icefield Parkway , and it is crossed by theTrans-Canada Highway and theYellowhead Highway into British Columbia.David Thompson Highway leads from the Rockies intocentral Alberta from Saskatchewan River Crossing, and Banff Windermere Parkway leads from Castle Junction (south of Lake Louise) through theKootenay National Park to theColumbia River valley. TheBighorn Highway defines most of the eastern limit of the region.Calgary Health Region is the health region insuring well-being in the south of this region [Cite web| url= http://www.calgaryhealthregion.ca/hospitals/index.html |author= Calgary Health Region | authorlink= Calgary Health Region | title= Hospitals| accessdate= 2007-06-24] , while the north is supervised by theAspen Regional Health Authority . [Cite web| url= http://www.aspenrha.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=61 |author= Aspen Regional Health | authorlink= Aspen Regional Health Authority | title= Healthcare centres| accessdate= 2007-06-24]Health care centres established in the area are:
*Seton Jasper Healthcare Centre - Jasper
*Hinton Healthcare Centre - Hinton
*Canmore General Hospital - Canmore
*Banff Mineral Springs Hospital - BanffPolitics
On a provincial level, southern Alberta is represented in the
Legislative Assembly of Alberta by MLA's elected in the ridings ofBanff-Cochrane and part of Rocky Mountain House and West Yellowhead.Communities
The following communities are located in Alberta's Rockies
* Town of Banff
* Town of Canmore
* Specialized Municipality of Jasper* Hamlet of Lake Louise
* Saskatchewan River Crossing
* Resort of Kananaskis VillageThe towns of Grande Cache and Hinton, located on the eastern edge of the Rockies, are sometimes considered as part of this region. [Cite web| url= http://www.ama.ab.ca/road_report/Mountain.htm | title= Mountain Parks Region| author= AMA | authorlink= Alberta Motor Association| accessdate= 2007-06-24]
;Improvement Districts
* Western part of Improvement District 5 (Kananaskis Country )
* Improvement District 9 (Banff National Park )
* Improvement District 12 (Jasper National Park )
* Improvement District 25 (Willmore Wilderness Park )ee also
*
List of regions of Canada References
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