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Kootenay National Park

National Park

Kootenay National Park lies in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, in the East Kootenay region. Established on April 21, 1920, it covers about 1,406 square kilometers, spans portions of several ranges of the Canadian Rockies, and contains the Kootenay River along with the entire Vermilion River. It is one of seven contiguous parks forming the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site, created as part of a federal-provincial agreement to build the Banff-Windermere Highway, with land along the route set aside for park purposes. Its attractions today include Radium Hot Springs, the Paint Pots, and the Rockwall Trail.

Facts
Designation Category
National Park 2
Established Year
1920 2
Area (sq km)
1406.4 2
Governing Body
Parks Canada 1
IUCN Category
II 2
Classification
Governance Type
Governance by Government 1
Realm
Terrestrial 1
International Designation
UNESCO World Heritage Site 1
Governing Body
Governing Body (category)
Parks Canada 1
FAQs

Why was Kootenay National Park created along a highway?

The federal government traded highway construction for a strip of land on each side of the road, which became the park in 1920.

The province did not have enough funds to finish the Banff-Windermere road, so a deal was made with the federal government. Under the road agreement, the federal government would build the highway in exchange for 5 miles (8 km) of land on either side of the road for a national park. The park became a reality in 1920, three years before the road was completed.
Sources
1. Kootenay National Park (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead
    Kootenay National Park is a national park of Canada in southeastern British Columbia.
  • Source text, realm: terrestrial
    Kootenay National Park is a national park of Canada in southeastern British Columbia.
  • Infobox: governing_body
    Parks Canada
  • entity-description, international-designation unesco-world-heritage-site
    It is one of seven contiguous parks forming the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site, created as part of a federal-provincial agreement to build the Banff-Windermere Highway, with land along the route set aside for park purposes.
View the Source
2. Kootenay National Park (Wikidata)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Wikidata P31 (instance of) = Q46169
  • Wikidata item Q903323
    P31 protected-area class match, verified by search+class allow-list
  • Part Of: Canada, Wikidata item, property P17 (country)
View the Source
Wikidata: Kootenay National Park
Wikidata Q903323, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Wikidata: Canada
On Continent: North America, Wikidata item for Canada, property P30 (continent)View the Source
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