I thought this would've been posted already but I can't find it anywhere on this forum.
In case you have not heard of this, you can get a free pass to Canadian national Parks for 2017, but you have to apply for it by the end of December
Just in case any of you are planning on wondering around the Canadian National Parks next year.
Free 2017 National Park Pass
They are giving out free 2017 National Park passes for 2017 to celebrate Canada 's 150th. Be sure to go on line and get one. Saves $136!
I just did it and it takes 2 minutes!
2017 pass is free all year. Share it with your family and friends.
This deal ends in December, so don?t wait!

http://email.leadcentre.ca/Mailservi...&linkID=816305

Quote from the Parks Canada news release of 9 Dec. 2016:

Discovery passes will be available throughout the whole year. And as in the past, Discovery passes will also be available at Parks Canada places starting January 1, 2017, and through our partners.

I believe that you can get the park passes at MEC also, not sure of the details.

it is great, but I still think some of that $$ is better used on back-country infrastructure, i.e. Athabasca bridge on Fortress Lake trail, Alexandra River, Maligne Pass, etc

It's a great deal for sure but I do agree it would have been better to maybe offer a discount, perhaps 50%, instead of totally free. A little while back we bought a two year deal, pay for one year get two years admission. Perhaps they should have kept that up

National parks needs more on-the-ground budget. Canada's federal deficit is now pushing $25 billion and likely to hit $35 to $40 billion next year. I'm willing to bet Parks Canada will head right to the back of the "budget line" when the inevitable cuts come along.

There is also a lot of challenges with front country infrastructure in the mountain parks. Lake Louise is bursting at the seams, the place is an absolute zoo in the summer. Banff isn't much better. I know their mandate is to protect the integrity of the parks, but they need some additional world class facilities to help spread out the tourists

It's remarkable how busy the mountains parks are now. We lived in Golden, BC in '86 to '88 and were part of the 'Friends of Yoho' volunteer group. There were often somewhat quieter summer weekdays when we'd all get together in field or banff. Not so now, these parks are busting out. I appreciate the conflict between preservation of wilderness and human encroachment but there needs to be more build out along the highways for the humans, or the animals will suffer.

As good as the deal for the 2017 parks pass is, free admission is only going to make things tougher to manage. Man, I hope they're hiring extra summer staff!

Very much agreed; I am quite sad what Louise for instance looks like in summer months.
Yes, anniversary should be celebrated, but as xj6 says 1/2 price with other half going into infrastructure would be better idea.

Kelly is bang on with front-country issues; I mentioned back-country only because it impacts me more. Earlier this year I visited Howse Pass trail, which IS part of Canadian Heritage -- this is maybe dumb, but I'd rather celebrate national parks anniversary by reopening this historical route instead of giving free pass to tens of thousands of tourists that clog Moraine Lake road, feed bears and throw garbage all over the place.

amen!!

Yup, totally agree. In 1987 there was a co-op provincial/federal project to re-establish the Howse Pass trail. I was involved in that and had hopes of one day hiking the completed route. It was never finished, although, from a previous TR by another CT'er, it seems our original signage is still in place at the pass. That is a real part of Canada's heritage but not one where millions of tourists can take selfies.

nice report on Howse pass trail, with video of martin belanger's solo trip
http://canadianrockiestrailguide.com...pearing-trail/

Parks Canada has a lot of pressures on them, we all know that, but wouldn't that be cool, to hike the same route as David Thompson did in 1807. That route was the first transcontinental trade route to the Columbia River.

You can read our TR here: https://forums.clubtread.com/34-alber...-crossing.html. A shamefully neglected trail that would have been worthy of some attention for 2017 commemorations, but those appear to be front-country related.

There was a large metal plaque on heavy frame and a few fancy cedar benches at an artificial clearing at Howse Pass, and we joked that this and the VIP's to dedicate it were certainly helicoptered in; clearly a monument built for a photo op.

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Thanks for that. That was great TR and I recall commenting on it. You sent me back to memory lane with your picture of the old Forest Service project sign dripping with pitch. I can't say for sure but I may have been the one who blazed that tree, or put the sign up, not sure but very cool to see it like that.

I don't think Canadians really grasp how much of our history is tied to these mountain parks. Imagine David Thompson bush whacking through there over 200 years ago, only to have that route later blocked by the hostile Peigan Indian blockade preventing the use of Howse Pass. (BTW. there's excellent book called "Forgotten Highways" by Nicky Brink on the historic Rocky Mountain trails. Great Chapter on David Thompson and Howse pass conflict)

Awesome, thanks for that book recommendation. In a perverse way I'm glad it was a challenge even if it only gave a slight taste of what Thompson faced. Want to tackle Jasper to Kakwa next year.

I've always wanted to get back there, not sure if I ever will, so your TR was especially cool to read. Well done on that trip.

I also think Canadian heritage relates in large part to National Parks. When one says Egypt, I think pyramids. Peru - Inca Trail & Machu Picchu. Chile - Rapa Nui. Canada? Rocky Mountains! North American continent is relatively young so you don't have remnants of ancient civilizations as in Europe or Far East, but you have these historical routes instead. It does not always have to be man-made artifact(s). It is rather the feeling -- walk in aspen forest around Astotin Lake, gaze at buffalo herds -- these are the Prairies! Feel the awe as you step out from ancient rainforest to the surf of Long Beach in Pacific Rim. Stand on the shore of Maligne Lake and feel the wonder imagining how it was when Mary Schaffer and her party discovered it on descent from Maligne Pass.

But I don't want to start bashing National Parks; they do have very difficult job facing exponential growth of human hordes that destroy everything on their path. In other thread I can't find now rachelo (our mod) said something to the effect 'Parks take back-country trail/bridge issues as convenient excuse to close/abandon the area'. This made me think. Maybe there is larger plan and intentional strategy; preserve what can be preserved by letting it revert back to wilderness and focus efforts on trying to control damage to what's already screwed up -- Louise, Johnston Canyon, etc etc. I just think there were better ways to commemorate the anniversary than giving away free passes.