Alberta's Rockies

Alberta's Rockies comprises the Canadian Rockies in the province of Alberta, Canada. It is a region on the southwestern part of the province, along the British 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 Canadian Rocky Mountains, and includes the Banff National Park and Jasper 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 the Yellowhead Pass from east to west, while the Bow Valley and Athabasca River valley are followed by the longitudinal Icefield Parkway. Another important waterway that crosses this region is the North Saskatchewan River.

Tourism

Some of the best ski resorts of the Rockies are located in this region, and are important tourist destinations. They include Fortress Mountain, Lake Louise, Marmot Basin, Mount Norquay, Nakiska and Sunshine Village.

Other tourist attractions include the glaciers of the Columbia, Wapta and Waputik Icefields such as the Athabasca, Bow, Crowfoot, Hector, Peyto, Saskatchewan and Vulture Glaciers.

Glacial lakes 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 the Trans-Canada Highway and the Yellowhead Highway into British Columbia. David Thompson Highway leads from the Rockies into central Alberta from Saskatchewan River Crossing, and Banff Windermere Parkway leads from Castle Junction (south of Lake Louise) through the Kootenay National Park to the Columbia River valley. The Bighorn 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 the Aspen 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 - Banff

Politics

On a provincial level, southern Alberta is represented in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta by MLA's elected in the ridings of Banff-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 Village

The 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