EKOS Communications, Inc.

I’ve just returned to Victoria from a nearly seven week long vacation. Over the course of this time, my wife and I visited numerous parks, protected areas and historic sites throughout Western Canada. Our travels took us to Waterton Lakes National Park, Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, Cypress Hills Provincial Park, Fort Walsh National Historic Site, Grasslands National Park, Riding Mountain National Park, Rushing River Provincial Park, Great Sandhills Special Management Area, Dinosaur Provincial Park, Royal Tyrrell Museum, Jasper National Park, Banff National Park and, finally, Kootenay National Park. In nearly every park or site, we camped, hiked and photographed. Between us, I think we returned with nearly 5,000 images!

But more than just filling my senses with the beauty and wonder of these special places, I also took time to talk with park managers, visitors, campground hosts, tourism operators and others to learn their impressions of how these protected areas were doing. As some of you might know, I wrote a book on the subject of our national park’s declining ecological health. I also teach a third year parks and protected areas course in the Department of Geography at University of Victoria. In short, I’m a confirmed “parkie.” I can’t get enough of these places.

I learned lots. Within the national parks, I saw many signs of aging infrastructure. Interpretive signs faded, chipped, or broken. Cook shelters with peeling paint. Firepit boxes rusted and grills bent beyond use. The list goes on. For this camping experience, Parks Canada charges a top dollar. Throughout the Rockies, in the front country, tent camping will run you $21.50. If you want a fire, that will cost you an extra $8.50 a night. Seems pricey to me when compared with the provincial parks in Alberta, Saskatchewan, or Manitoba. They tended to charge around $15 - $16/night and generally a washroom with hot and cold water plus showers came with that price.

Don’t get me wrong. I still think the camping experience within the national parks is not to be missed; however, with the costs of entry on top of the camping fees, I wonder whether or not the agency is pricing itself out of the market.

Anyhow, here are a few images from our trip. If I can make the time, I’ll edit more into a slide presentation and posted it to this site along with some commentary. This will have to wait, however, until after the start up of the new term of teaching.