Canada Guide
Alberta and the Rockies
Kananaskis Country
Most first-time visitors race straight from Calgary to Banff, ignoring Kananaskis Country, a dramatic foothill area that sprawls along the eastern boundary of Banff National Park. Created out of existing provincial parks to take pressure off Banff, Kananaskis remains almost the exclusive preserve of locals, who come to ski in the winter and to hike, bike and camp in the summer. The mountain scenery rivals that of parks and the possibilities for outdoor pursuits even better, thanks to more liberal protection policies. Canmore is the region's natural focus, much as Banff is in the neighbouring national park – though in many other ways the towns are dissimilar. The scope and variety of facilities and services are far more limited at Canmore, but then so are the levels of crowds and commercialism, and accommodation is cheaper and easier to find. Plenty of excursions are possible on foot from the town itself, but to get deep into adjacent provincial parks you'll need your own transport.