Features

Willmore Wilderness Features

Located in the “elbow” of Alberta, at the northern extent of the Canadian Rockies within the province just south of the town of Grande Cache.
Approximately 4,600 km² bordering British Columbia, Jasper National Park, Kakwa Wildland Park, and Rock Lake–Solomon Creek Wildland Park.
Elevation ranges from 300 m in the northeast to over 3,050 m for some peaks along the Continental Divide.
Terrain includes exposed mountains, alpine meadows, and sub-alpine forests. There are numerous rivers, creeks, lakes, and unnamed tarns throughout the Willmore.

Township and Range map: JPG | PDF

Natural Subregions map: JPG | PDF

Alpine Subregion characterized by lands above treeline including tundra, rockland, snowfields and glaciers.
Sub-alpine Subregion characterized by forests of lodgepole pine and Engelmann spruce.

Most of Willmore has been designated a Prime Protection Zone under the Eastern Slopes Policy.
(1977). Under this designation, the objective is the preservation of “environmentally sensitive terrain and valuable ecological and aesthetic resources.”
The entirety of Willmore has been designated an internationally significant area under the Government of Alberta’s Environmentally Significant Areas (ESAs).

Environmentally Significant
Areas map: JPG | PDF

The diverse scenery in the Willmore is a product of different rock types, complex folding and faulting and erosion by running water and glacial ice.
Three physiographic units can be recognized: the foothills, the front ranges and the main ranges of the Rocky Mountains.
As the ice sheets receded at the end of the last glacial period, alpine glaciers gouged-out many of the river valleys to their present U-shapes and created such landforms as cirques, arrets, and cols.

Originating in Jasper National Park and snaking north to Grande Cache and beyond, the Smoky River is the largest river in the park, with many of the smaller rivers and creeks draining into it.
Other important rivers include the Berland, Wildhay, and Muskeg Rivers in the east and the Jackpine, Muddywater, and Sheep Creeks in the western part of the park.
There are numerous lakes and unnamed tarns tucked in the valleys and alpine slopes throughout the park.

The vegetation in Willmore Wilderness Park is characteristic of the Rocky Mountain Natural Region with spruce-fir and pine forests at lower elevations and mosses, lichens, and other dwarf plants at the higher altitudes.
In summer, showy displays of alpine flowers can be found in meadows, including paintbrush, elephant head, and mountain marigold.

Home to some of Alberta’s iconic wildlife species, the Willmore is crucial habitat for the dwindling species of grizzly and woodland caribou.
Caw Ridge, an adjacent area and once part of Willmore, is home to the largest population of mountain goats in Alberta.
Other species present include cougar, wolf, and bighorn sheep.

The Willmore has a long and rich heritage for Aboriginal peoples and early outfitters.
With the help of Iroquois guides, early trappers working for the Hudson Bay and North West companies sought out beaver, lynx, and marten in the Willmore, making it an important fur trading area.
In 1910, the Aseniwuche Winewak – or Rocky Mountain People – were relocated to Grande Cache from Jasper when the federal government created Jasper National Park.

This magnificent pristine wilderness is ideal for low-impact recreational pursuits.
There are approximately 750 km of trails in the eastern part of the park for hiking, backpacking, and trail riding.
Consumptive activities such as hunting and trapping are sustainable if managed properly under the values of healthy wildlife populations and biodiversity.