ESSENTIALS - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 549

Regulations and Licenses
Three different licenses are in effect in the Canadian Rockies—one license covers all the
national parks, another Albertan waters, and a third the freshwater of British Columbia.
National parks: Licenses are available from park offices and some sport shops; $10
for a one-day license, $35 for an annual license. The brochure Fishing Regulations Sum-
mary, available from all park information centers, details limits and closures.
Alberta: Alberta has an automated licensing system, with licenses sold from sporting
stores, hardware stores, and gas stations. To use the machines, the vendor needs you to
supply a Wildlife Identification Number (WIN) card. These numbers are sold by all license
vendors and cost $8 (valid for five years). Once you have your card, it is swiped through
a vending machine to purchase a license. An annual license for Canadian residents older
than age 16 is $28 (no license required for those 16 years or younger or Albertans older
than 64); for nonresidents older than age 16, it is $78, or pay $31 for a one-day license
or $55 for five days. The Alberta Guide to Sportfishing Regulations, which outlines all
the open seasons and bag limits, is available from outlets selling licenses and online at
www.mywildalberta.com . In addition to having the entire regulations online, this site also
holds statistics for the provincial stocking program (which lakes, when, and how many
fish) and details of Alberta's barbless hook rules.
British Columbia: In British Columbia, the cost of a license varies according to your
age and place of residence. British Columbia residents pay $38 for a freshwater adult li-
cense, good for one year. All other Canadians pay $22 for a one-day license, $38 for an
eight-day license, or $65 for a one-year license. Nonresidents of Canada pay $28, $58,
and $92, respectively. For more information, visit www.fishing.gov.bc.ca , which offers the
same online purchase process as neighboring Alberta.
WINTER RECREATION
Downhill Skiing and Snowboarding
Five world-class winter resorts are perched among the high peaks of the Canadian Rockies.
The largest, and Canada's second largest (only Whistler/Blackcomb is larger), is Lake
Louise, overlooking the lake of the same name in Banff National Park. The resort boasts
1,700 hectares (4,200 acres) of skiing and boarding on four distinct faces, with wide-open
bowls and runs for all abilities. Banff's other two resorts are Sunshine Village, sitting on
the Continental Divide and accessible only by gondola, and Ski Norquay, a resort with
heart-pounding runs overlooking the town of Banff.