Wood Buffalo National Park
Wood Buffalo is a national park in the provinces of Alberta and Northwest Territories, Canada. It was founded in 1983. It is Canada's largest national park, covering an area of 44,807 km2.
At the borders of Wood-Baffalo Park are wooded plateaus, scarred forest fires, a plateau washed by glaciers, a significant freshwater delta formed by the three largest rivers, salt marshes and the best samples of North America's karst topography. It also includes the most extensive untouched herbal and special prairies in North America, creating the best living conditions for bison. The park has a long tradition in using natural livelihoods. He was settled recently as soon as the glaciers retreated, nomadic groups of the – mixes belonging to the first nations, some of which continue to hunt here, put up strength and fish. The climate is characterized by one of the longest and coldest winters and a short, warm summer, water bodies are free from ice only in June, July and August.
Among the 47 species of mammals living in the Wood-Baffalo National Park, there is a Canadian deer of caribou, a sand, an American black bear, a moose, beaver and ondatra, and 227 species of birds are registered, including falcons, a bald eagle, bearded and not to be full of polar owl. The reserve is also known for the fact that the largest wild herd of American bison ( about 2500 heads ) lives on its territory. The number of American cranes is approximately 140 individuals, of which 40 pairs are nesting. It is an amazingly beautiful bird, snow-white, 1.5 m high, wingspan – 2.6 m. Twice a year, these fabulous birds overcome the full danger path of 4,300 km to winter apartments in Texas. Back in 1941, only 15 individuals remained American cranes.
On the camp site - 36 sites intended for campsites. Several of them are located on Lake Pine Lake ( 60 km from Fort Smith ), the most extensive is Kettle Point Group Camp, it is intended for large groups of tourists. A place in this campsite must be reserved in advance. If it is necessary to organize night parking in the park, you must obtain permission from the Wood-Baffalo administration.
Wood Buffalo is open to the public all year round, every season has its own charms. The park has many hiking trails of different lengths and complexity, from very short walking to long and complex. Almost any path allows you to see the beauty of the surrounding nature indescribable in words. Since wild animals behave very carefully in nature, the probability of encountering them during a walk is very small, but from afar you can see a lot of interesting things. The park is interesting not only for travelers, but also for serious wildlife researchers. So in Wood-Buffalo Park, in its southern part, the world's longest beaver dam was discovered, its length is about 850 meters ( usually - 10-100 meters ). Many interesting materials on the development of the region and the protection of the wildlife of the region can be seen in the collection of the Fort Smith Museum. Fort Smith has the opportunity to rent a boat or canoe and walk Wood-Buffalo on the waterway to Fort Fitzgerald, Fort McMurray, Fort Chipuyani. On large rivers such as Atabasca River, Quater Foresche River, Pis River, Slave River are allowed to move in motor boats.
