KANANASKIS COUNTRY - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 213

information booth located near the main entrance to Kananaskis Village operates through
the months of summer.
Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
This park is a southern extension of the Kananaskis Valley and protects the upper water-
shed of the Kananaskis River. It is contained within a high mountain valley and domin-
ated by two magnificent bodies of water: Upper and Lower Kananaskis Lakes. To the
west and south is the Continental Divide and British Columbia, while to the north is Spray
Valley Provincial Park and to the east is Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial Park. Origin-
ally named Kananaskis Provincial Park, it was renamed in 1986 after Peter Lougheed
(pronounced LAW-heed). Lougheed was the Albertan premier who, with the help of oil-
money-based Heritage Savings Trust Fund, began the development of Kananaskis Country
as a multiuse recreation area. The 500-square-kilometer (193-square-mile) wilderness area
is the second-largest provincial park in Alberta. Captain John Palliser passed by the Kana-
naskis Lakes in 1858, summing up the beauty of the lakes by writing “We came upon a
magnificent lake, hemmed in by mountains, and studded by numerous islets, very thickly
wooded. This lake, about four miles long and one-and-a-half miles wide, receives water
from the glacier above, and is a favorite place of resort to the Kootenie Indians.”
Highway 40 is the main route through the park. The most important intersection to
make note of is five kilometers (3.1 miles) along Highway 40 from the park's north bound-
ary. At this point, Kananaskis Lakes Road branches off to the west, accessing Upper and
Lower Kananaskis Lakes. These two lakes are the center of boating and fishing in the park,
and opportunities abound for hiking and camping nearby.
MM HIGHWOOD PASS
In the southeastern corner of the park, Highway 40 climbs to Highwood Pass (2,227
meters/7,310 feet), the highest road pass in Canada. On the way up to the pass, a pleasant
detour is Valley View Trail, a five-kilometer (3.1-mile) paved road whose route higher up
the slopes of the Opal Range allows views across the entire park to the Continental Divide.
The pass itself is right at the tree line, making it one of the most accessible alpine areas in
all the Canadian Rockies. Simply step out of your vehicle and follow the interpretive trails
through the Highwood Meadows. In the vicinity, the Rock Glacier Trail, two kilometers