The Wildlife of Kananaskis Country

While visiting with my sister and seeing her new-to-me place was a priority during my trip to Alberta, the mountains and scenery were a welcome bonus!  But there was something else that drew me to the remote area of Kananaskis and that's the wildlife.  "There are deer, elk, bears and bighorn sheep everywhere" was all I heard from anyone who was familiar with the region and I certainly wasn't disappointed on this trip when it came to the abundance of wildlife. 

As soon as we turned off the Trans Canada onto the Kananaskis Trail, we saw three deer and several bighorn sheep.  While unpacking, I heard stories from my sister and her partner about animal encounters in the area.  A neighbor's dog was injured in a cougar attack, a grizzly bear wandered through the backyard in broad daylight and black bears raided some nearby campsites. 

The second day I was there, I saw three black bears.  One mamma bear and her cub eating in someone's backyard and a huge black bear walking down a remote road. Later that same day as we watched from on top of a hill overlooking the golf course, a very large grizzly bear walked around an area where several golfers were teeing off nearby. I don't think they had any idea that the bear was in the area and the bear didn't seem to be bothered by the activity nearby. 

I was a little afraid to drive by myself after my sister went back to work.  There were so many animals wandering onto the road at all hours of the day, I was scared I would hit one and damage her car or one of the sheep would turn and attack the car as I tried to get by them.  Those bighorn sheep like to block traffic and honking, waving and yelling does nothing to get them to move any quicker or budge an inch so you can get by.  They move when they feel like it.  Sometimes they move and several others will run out of the woods from the other side and sometimes they turn around and look like they are going to start kicking or head bunting the car. 

Here at home, the whitetail deer either run out in front of cars or stand in the middle of the road.  They are constantly getting hit!  But in Kananaskis, the deer just stayed in the ditch nibbling on grass.  I didn't see any on the road at all.  

Grey squirrels are certainly plentiful in Kananaskis but it was there strange behavior that caught my attention.  In the mornings, the little squirrels were lined up along the highway on their hind legs and facing the sun.  Not sure why they were doing this but it was definitely a cute and funny thing to see.

Although I had seen a grizzly on the golf course, it was so far away, I couldn't get a decent picture.  I kept hoping to see another one from a safe but closer distance and I finally did get that chance.  I dropped my sister off at work and drove to the entrance of Peter Lougheed Provincial Park.  I noticed a car pulled over to the side of the road and two people with cameras looking in a grassy area.  I scanned the area looking for whatever it was that caught their attention and there it was; a large grizzly bear calmly eating some grass and making it's way across the field to a little stream. 

 

There's Nothing like a Morning Drive Through the Mountains

I knew my time with my sister would be limited as she had to return to work while I was still there. She allowed me to use her car while she was gone as long as I drove her to work in the morning and picked her up again in the afternoon.  I didn't mind that at all!  It was an excuse for me to go for a drive through the mountains with my morning coffee. 

Although I was sick with a cold, I still managed to get up at 6 AM, take some cold medicine and get an early start to the adventures of the day.  For three mornings, we left the house at 7:30, I dropped her off at work and than kept driving towards the Trans Canada Highway.  I didn't turn off onto the highway but instead pulled into the Gas Station / Tim Hortons that was located right before it.  I grabbed my breakfast and some coffee, gassed up and headed back the way I came from.  Instead of going back to homebase, I kept driving to Peter Lougheed Provincial Park.  After June 15th, you can keep driving further into the backcountry but that section of highway was closed during my visit so that was as far as I could go. 

Every morning, I'd see so much wildlife along the road.  Black bears, deer, bighorn sheep.  It wasn't until the second day that I finally saw what I had wanting to see since I got there; a grizzly bear.

I saw a grizzly on the Kananaskis Golf Course a few days earlier but it was so far away, I couldn't even get a picture of it.  This bear on this day was so close, I didn't feel safe wandering any more than a foot away from my car.  And I made sure to leave the door open too!  

The bear was wandering in a field close to the entrance of the provincial park.  Several other people were already stopped to take pictures.  The bear looked calm and content as it sniffed the ground and inched towards some trees at the edge of the field. For a few seconds, the bear sprinted and I had a chance to see just how fast these huge, powerful animals can run.  I was glad I met him like this and not on a remote trail in the forest.  

I made this drive every morning for three days but I stopped at different points-of-interest every day.  Once I stopped at Barrier Lake to sit by the water and drink my coffee, another time I drove up a road to see where it went and another time I just sat and admired the beauty of the area.  I always made it back to homebase by noon where I spent the afternoons relaxing in the backyard hammock or catching up on emails.  At 3 PM, I left to pick up my sister and from there we would head home to have supper and relax for the evening.  

 

A Rocky Mountain Road Trip - Camore, Banff and onto Field, British Columbia

My sister works full time just a few minutes down the road from her house but she was able to get several days off to spend with me.  On her last day off, we decided to take a drive to the British Colombia border and spend time in the little town of Field British Columbia.  

Along the way, we stopped in Canmore Alberta to admire the stunning mountain town known for its beautiful alpine architecture and stunning scenery. 

Next, it was on to Banff Alberta.  I wanted to stop there because I enjoyed wandering around the little mountain town the last time I visited.  My sister gave me a weird look when I suggested we go there.  "Why would you want to go there?  It's overrun with tourists.  trust me, it's nothing like you remember it !"  I shrugged off her comment and said I still wanted to go and check out some cafes and shops.  I was there five minutes and begged her to leave.  While it's still a beautiful mountain town, it's no longer a place I wish to spend any time in.  The older I get, the less I like crowds and the more I want to be away from as many people as possible.  In Banff, there are people and cars everywhere!  

Since we were in the area, I asked my sister is we could check out Moraine Lake and Lake Louise.  Once again, I got the same strange look but she agreed to check them out. We arrived at the road to Lake Louise to learn that you can no longer drive up to the lake and the only way to get there is to get a shuttle from a parking lot where the fee to park is 35 dollars.  I said "no thanks" and we hightailed it out of the area and back onto the Trans Canada Highway towards B.C. I had already experienced Lake Louise and Moraine Lake the last time I was in Alberta so there was really no need to see it again.  Besides, the lakes of Kananaskis Country are just as beautiful but without the crowds.  

A little ways up the highway near the border between Alberta and British Columbia we stopped at what looked like a rest stop.  We got out to stretch our legs and take in some of the pretty scenery and noticed that it was actually a historical site called Spiral Tunnels dedicated to the history of the train tunnels that dotted the side of the nearby mountains.  As luck would have it, a train happened to be passing by and we were able to witness it passing through one of these distant tunnels as if it were driving right into the mountain!

Upon arrival in Field, we planned to hike to nearby Takakkaw Falls British Columbia
which is the second tallest waterfall in Canada.  I was looking forward to the short hike to this beautiful natural wonder but we arrived to discover that the road leading to the trail to the falls was closed until June 15th. 

I was just a little over a week too early. 

We decided that since we drove that far, we would make the most out of it and see what we could of the area. We parked the car on a dead end street and began walking when I noticed that a small crowd of people gathered on the grass and taking pictures of something in a backyard. I scanned the area and stopped on a small black mass.  It was moving but it wasn't until a passerby said "did you see the little bear?  Mother is over there behind the tree." A mother bear and her cub were feeding so close to people seemingly unbothered by the paparazzi that gathered to admire them. Even if this was all I got to see that day, that long drive would have been worth it!

 

We drove around the area randomly and happened upon a little park at the end of a road.  The sign indicated that it was an area where two different colors of freshwater converged.  Seemed interesting enough to check out so we climbed down a little embankment to the riverbank and witnessed more stunning scenery.  Of course, this area of the country has no shortage of such views but it's always nice to accidentally find these hidden places where there are no crowds.  

 

On the way back to Kananaskis, we stopped in Lake Louise to eat at the Station Restaurant.  My sister ate there years before and said it was good and sometimes the trains pass by while you're eating.  No trains passed during our meal but the food was very good and the atmosphere was peaceful unlike many of the other restaurants in the area. 

 

We arrived home quite late and sat outside watching the forest for wildlife.  The squirrels and birds were busy and a deer passed by in the distance.  That night I noticed something peculiar that I hadn't noticed the previous night; the sky stays bright very late in Alberta.  At 10:00, it was still light out!  Now that was something that took some getting used to!

 

When it Comes to Land and Sea Life, There's Always Something to See Around Cape Breton

You just never know what you might see while out and about around Cape Breton Island, especially when it comes to wildlife....both on land and in the water!  Moose, fox, coyote, black bear, bobcat, lynx, whales, dolphins and hundreds of species of birds make their home on the land and in the waters around Cape Breton.  You'll see something every time you venture out, guaranteed!

There's so much wildlife around Cape Breton.  Take this giant Leatherback turtle I spotted a few years ago on a whale tour near Ingonish.  I'd never seen one before.  In fact, at that time, I didn't even know they were in the waters off Cape Breton.  I wasn't expecting to meet this guy but what a treat it was when he was spotted swimming right next to the boat!

The Black Black is just one of the Many Animals that can be Spotted on Cape Breton Island

Wildlife is plentiful on Cape Breton Island.  Deer, moose, coyote, fox, rabbit, bobcat, lynx and bear are commonly spotted around the island especially in the more remote areas of the south coast and the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

I spotted this young black bear along the road going through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park near Cheticamp.