Features

Area:

• The Castle Wilderness is approximately 1,700 km² located within the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem in extreme southwestern Alberta. It extends along the Alberta-British Columbia border immediately north of Waterton Lakes National Park and south of the Crowsnest Pass.
• The Castle is a natural extension of the internationally renowned landscapes of Waterton Lakes National Park and the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.
• The importance of the Castle Wilderness extends far beyond its borders. Traversed by north-south wildlife corridors, it is a vital link connecting protected areas to the north (Banff and Jasper National Parks) to those further south (Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park). The Castle Wilderness is a key component of the Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) vision.

  

  Loaf Mountain. Photo: N Douglas

  
  

Natural Regions:

• alpine, sub-alpine, montane, foothills fescue and foothills parkland. The latter 3 ecological regions are all underrepresented in Alberta's current system of protected areas.

Township and Range map: JPG | PDF		Natural Subregions map:  JPG | PDF

Watershed:

• 34 alpine lakes and tarns, as well as numerous alpine and sub-alpine wetlands. Over 26 major headwater streams of the Oldman River originate here, 23 off which support populations of native trout.

  

  Headwaters of Yarrow Creek. Photo: N Douglas

  
  

Biodiversity:

• The Castle Wilderness and Waterton areas combined have the highest diversity of plant and animal species in Alberta. The funnelling of southwesterly, gale-force Chinook winds down the Front Range Canyons create an ecosystem unique in Canada. Combined with some of the highest precipitation levels in Alberta, the result is a landscape of sparse and contorted tree cover, grasslands at elevations that normally support forests and remarkable plant diversity. In fact, one can travel through all 5 ecological regions with an elevation gain of only 275 metres!

  

  Hawker dragonfly. Photo: N Douglas

  
  

Plants:

• The importance of the Castle Wilderness is particularly evident when one considers the outstanding flora diversity. Plant species common in the northern mountains and arctic can be found along with those normally associated with more southern and coastal environments. Over half of Alberta's 1600 plants can be found in the Castle, including over 120 provincially rare and 38 nationally rare species. By comparison, Banff National Park that is over 8 times the size of the Castle Wilderness has fewer species overall and only 36 species that are provincially rare.
• The Castle is also home to the largest stand (approximately 5 square kilometres) of big sagebrush in Alberta, a rare floral community.

  

  Alpine Townsendia. Photo: N Douglas

  
  

Forests:

• The Castle's remaining old growth forests are rich in biological diversity and provide critical habitat to numerous species that can survive nowhere else. Tree species include whitebark pine, sub-alpine fir, Engelmann spruce and lodgepole pine. Douglas fir can be found at lower elevations.

  

  Old whitebark pine stump. Photo: N Douglas

  
  

Wildlife:

• Parks Canada has identified the Castle as having an unusual diversity of butterflies, including species found nowhere else in Canada.
• Four species of amphibians occur in the Castle; the northwestern toad, leopard frog, spotted frog and long-toed salamander.
• Approximately 105 species of birds breed here, while some 60 others migrate through the area. The Castle is a major migration route for both bald eagles and golden eagles.
• Other notable species include Cooper's hawk, northern waterthrush and harlequin duck.
• 59 species of mammals can be found in the Castle Wilderness. The high diversity of carnivores include the grizzly bear, black bear, cougar, grey wolf, bobcat, lynx, marten and wolverine. Ungulates include elk, moose, mule deer, white-tailed deer, mountain goat and bighorn sheep. The wandering shrew is an extremely rare species and in Alberta is only found in the Westcastle valley. The bison and probably the river otter have been extirpated from the Castle Wilderness.

  

  Moose in the West Castle Ecological Reserve. Photo: N Douglas

• The 1979 Integrated Management Plan for the Castle River noted:
•  “The eastern canyons of the Front Ranges contain some of the best bighorn sheep range in North America.”
• “Approximately 600 head of elk have been recorded on winter range in the area.”
• “Lakes and streams comprise some of the most productive and popular trout-producing waters in Alberta.”
  

Cultural:

• Culturally significant wildland for Peigan First Nations.

  

  Hikers in the South Drywood. Photo: N Douglas

  
  

Sustainable Activities:

• The Castle is an outstanding location for various low-impact recreational opportunities; hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, wildlife photography, hunting, fishing, berry picking and horseback riding.

Environmentally Significant Areas map:  JPG | PDF