Things to do in Kananaskis Country

Kananaskis Country sits south and east of Canmore, a provincial recreation area rather than a national park, and that distinction trips up a lot of visitors. Your Parks Canada pass from Banff, Jasper, Yoho or Kootenay does not cover it: K-Country requires its own Kananaskis Conservation Pass, roughly 15 CAD per day or 90 CAD per year per vehicle, checked separately at trailheads and day-use areas.

It is the single most common mix-up we hear about, people arriving with a Banff pass, or assuming one covers the other, and getting a ticket instead. Canmore itself sits outside both the national park and K-Country boundaries.

Once sorted, the region covers a wide stretch of hiking trails, wildlife-watching pull-offs and scenic drives through the front ranges, with specific sites like Ha Ling Peak and Spray Lakes worth their own look.