Here is a piece of mountain paradise so packed with mind-blowing adventure that it needs its very own web page. Known by the locals as K-Country, Kananaskis Country is year round backcountry bliss. In summer, get out and hike, bike, fish, ride, paddle or climb. Get the adrenaline pumping on a wet and wild whitewater rafting trip. 

Winter in K-Country is all thrills and chills, with dog sledding, ice climbing, skating, snowmobiling, and world class skiing. As if this weren’t enough, add jaw-dropping mountain vistas, over a dozen protected areas and subtract the crowds of the nearby national parks. The result is pure Rocky Mountain high.

Less than an hour west of Calgary, Kananaskis Country is on the doorstep of the Canadian Rockies. Follow Highway 40 along the Kananaskis River for a photo-friendly road trip through the foothills and front ranges of the mountains. The town of Canmore is your perfect temporary home, surrounded by peaks and just five minutes from the gates of Banff National Park. See for yourself why K-Country is the location of choice for Hollywood movies like Brokeback Mountain, X-Men 2, Van Helsing and Inception.

Backcountry thrills. Olympic legends. Pristine parks. Movie Mecca. Here’s your insider Kananaskis Country checklist!

Parks Galore!

Kananaskis is a massive patchwork of five provincial parks, four wildland provincial parks, an ecological reserve, and six provincial recreation areas. Hit the trails and see the best of K-Country. Sleep under the stars in a provincial park campsite, or get a permit and spend the night in the backcountry. Join an interpretative program in Bow Valley or Peter Lougheed provincial parks. Wander along the lakes of Spray Valley or snap pictures of the bighorn sheep in Sheep River.

Gorgeous golf

Tee off on top of the world at Silvertip Golf Course, Kananaskis Country Golf Course, Brewster's Kananaskis Ranch Golf Course, the Canmore Golf Club and the Stewart Creek Golf Club.

Party!

Shake it up the Rocky Mountain way at the Canmore Folk Festival every summer. Family-friendly fun since 1978.

A night to remember

Sleep in a tipi or a trapper’s tent at Sundance Lodges. Experience the untamed backcountry and be completely pampered at Mount Engadine Lodge. Relive the wild west at one of K-Country’s guest ranches.

Take a hike

K-Country has more trails than you can shake a walking stick at. Learn the Aboriginal secrets of medicinal plants, making moccasins or wilderness survival skills along the Mahikan Trails.

Make a splash

Get wet and wild on a whitewater rafting trip along the Kananaskis River.

Winter is cool

Hit the slopes in the tracks of Olympians at Nakiska , where the world’s best battled for gold in the 1988 Winter Olympics. The Canmore Nordic Centre was designed for the Olympics and you can ski or showshoe along its world class trails (you can cycle there in summer). Feel the cool rush of ice climbing with Yamnuska Mountain Adventures and the Alpine Club of Canada.