Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park

Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park IUCN Category II - National Park
Mount Assiniboine as seen from Sunburst Lake
location	British Columbia (Canada)
surface	390.5 km²
WDPA ID	10451
Geographical location	50 ° 57 ′  N , 115 ° 45 ′  W Coordinates: 50 ° 56 ′ 40 "  N , 115 ° 44 ′ 30"  W
Setup date	Feb 6, 1922
administration	BC parks
particularities	Backcountry park

In the Canadian province of British Columbia located Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park is a provincial park in the Canadian Rockies , who with the World Heritage of UNESCO belongs. The park is between Kootenay National Park in the west and Banff National Park in the east on the border with Alberta . There are no roads into the park. Access is only via footpaths and bridle paths or by helicopter. It is one of the oldest of the Provincial Parks in British Columbia . Only three of today's more than 600 provincial parks are older.

The park is a category II protected area ( national park ).

history

The Aboriginal people of Canada lived in the area of ​​the current park for about 11,000 years. The tribes on both sides of the Rockies did intensive trade. The Peigans, Assiniboine , Siksika, and Kootenai crossed the Rockies on many mountain passes. Today's Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park is part of the area traditionally assigned to the Ktunaxa Kinbasket or Kootenai First Nations tribe .

The first European to tour the Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park area was Sir George Simpson , governor of the Hudson's Bay Company . In 1841 he traveled from the Bow River to the Columbia River via Healy Creek, Simpson Pass and Simpson River. The first mention of Mount Assiniboine goes back to the Jesuit father Pierre-Jean De Smet , who wrote in his diary in 1845: "The monuments of Cheops and Chephren are disappearing in view of this enormous natural rock architecture."

R. Barrett and T. Wilson approached the area via Simpson Pass and were the first to stand at the foot of Mount Assiniboine in 1893 . On this route, the area was regularly visited by mountain adventurers. Various parties tried from 1899 to conquer Mount Assiniboine. On September 3, 1901, Sir James Outram, accompanied by the two Swiss guides Christian Hasler and Christian Bohren, finally managed to climb the summit over the southwest face.

From 1920 the area was used regularly by the "Wheeler Walking Tours" taking tourists on a 120 km long round trip through the area. As a result of these tours, the first historical buildings were erected. These tours ended in 1926, but word of the beauty of this area had already spread. At the urging of the Alpine Club of Canada , the province of British Columbia founded the park on February 6, 1922 as the fifth Provincial Park of British Columbia around Lake Magog and Mount Assiniboine. The park had a size of 5,120 hectares. The Alpine Club of Canada bought 18 hectares north of Lake Magog in 1924 and built one large and five small log houses on it. These buildings were called the Wheeler Cabins or Wheeler Camp, today they are called Naiset Huts and are still used as cheap accommodation for tourists. Mount Assiniboine Lodge was built in 1928 and consists of the main building wing and six separate log houses. It offers space for 24 people in winter and 30 people in summer. The property is owned by the Province of British Columbia but has been operated by Barb and Sepp Renner since 1983. In 1973 the park area was increased seven times to protect and maintain the integrity of the surrounding alpine areas and now covers 39,050 hectares. As part of the parks in the Canadian Rockies, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990, which also includes the Banff, Jasper, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks and the Mount Robson and Hamber Provincial Parks .

Flora and fauna

British Columbia's ecosystem is divided into different biogeoclimatic zones using the Biogeoclimatic Ecological Classification (BEC) Zoning System . Biogeoclimatic zones are characterized by a fundamentally identical or very similar climate and the same or very similar biological and geological conditions. This results in a very similar population of plants and animals in the respective zones. The park is mainly assigned to the Montane Spruce Zone with the Subzone Dry Cold (MSdk2), the Engelmann Spruce-Subalpine Fir Zone with the various Subzones Dry Cold (ESSFdk, ESSFdku, ESSFdkp, ESSFdkw) and the Interior Mountain-heather Alpine Zone . The Montane Spruce Zone is predominantly assigned to parts of the park area below an altitude of 1200 m, while park areas above 2,450 m are generally assigned to the Interior Mountain-heather Alpine Zone . The park area between these heights is then normally assigned to the Engelmann Spruce-Subalpine Fir Zone .

Predators

Black bear , grizzly bear , puma (rare), lynx , wolf , coyote , weasel

Ungulates

Bighorn sheep , mountain goat , red deer , mule deer , white-tailed deer , elk

Rodents

Fifteen different rodents have been spotted in the park. Chipmunks , Columbia ground squirrels, and marmots are particularly common. A campsite in the park is even named after the tree porcupine: Porcupine Campground. American pikas (ger .: pikas) are also seen from time to time.

Birds

93 species of birds have been spotted in the park. Most frequently occur: Harrier , Gray Jay , Clark's Nutcracker , grouse , grosbeak , Rotfink, Pine Siskin , coal tit , Chipping Sparrow and white-crowned sparrow .

Attractions

• Mount Assiniboine The rock pyramid towering over everything
• Lake Magog - Lake located directly below Mount Assiniboine Lodge
• Cerulean Lake - Lake in the Sunburst Valley
• Sunburst Lake - Lake in the Sunburst Valley with a sunburst log cabin
• Elizabeth Lake - Lake in the Sunburst Valley
• The Nublet - Popular panoramic mountain
• Gog Lake - Lake at Wonder Pass
• Og Lake - lake with campground, stage destination
• Sunshine Meadows - a plateau in the north of the park with several small lakes

tourism

Mount Assiniboine Lodge and Lake Magog area

The Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park is accessible exclusively with footpaths and bridle paths and a helicopter landing pad at Mount Assiniboine Lodge. Access for mountain bikes has been prohibited since 1997. There are at least eleven routes in the park; most visitors use one of the following approaches:

• Sunshine Meadows
• Assiniboine Pass
• Wonder Pass (often chosen to exit the park)
• Simpson River

The accommodations have limited capacity. The average number of visitors from 1989 to 2001 was 7,428 visitors per year. The park has around 75 spaces for tents. The campsites are at Lake Magog, Porcupine Camp, near Citadel Pass, Mitchell Meadows, Rock Isle Lake and Simpson River.

The park is also used in winter. The main activities are concentrated around Mount Assiniboine Lodge.

Web links

• Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park ( English, French ) In: The Canadian Encyclopedia .
• Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park . In: BC Geographical Names (English)
• Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park . In: English language website of the park at BC Parks
• Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ World Database on Protected Areas - Mount Assiniboine Park (English)
2. ↑ Biogeoclimatic Zones of British Columbia. British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations , accessed May 4, 2016 . 
3. ^ Mount Assiniboine Park Approved Management Plan. (PDF; 2.28 MB) British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks , November 2012, accessed on May 4, 2016 . 
4. ^ Ecosystems of British Columbia. (PDF; 9.85 MB) British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, February 1991, accessed on May 4, 2016 .