BC has the best national park in North America
TRAVEL | National Geographic ranks British Columbia park the best.
British Columbians often boast about the province’s pristine wilderness. Now we have got a bigwig nature publication backing us up.
National Geographic Traveler magazine has just ranked B.C.’s Gwaii Haanas as the best national park in North America. That is, the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, the National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, and the Haida Heritage Site.
The best national park in North America is located on the Queen Charlotte Islands.
It is managed by both the Haida nation and the federal government (don’t get me started on that can of colonizing worms). Most significantly, Gwaii Haanas hosts a mere 3,000 visitors a year. Oh, and only 300 people at any one time. These low visitor allowances are key to keeping the area pristine, a major factor in the win.
55 parks were surveyed by National Geographic in total.
Another British Columbia park, or rather, an abutting pair of parks, Kootenay–Yoho, also appeared in the top five (tied for 3rd).
Two other Canadian parks, Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia, and Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland, tied for 2nd.
In other words, Canada’s coasts dominated.
No park scored 90 (out of 100) points or more. A 90+ score would have indicated that it was “unspoiled and likely to remain so”.
But Gwaii Haanas came close with their score of 88. The park was praised for “high cultural integrity,” and called “a great model for other regions.”
National Geographic Traveler geotourism editor Jonathan Tourtellot spearheaded the survey.
He solicited findings from 300 expert panellists. Included were park management, archaeology, and historic preservation experts. Tourtellot says he was surprised at Gwaii Haanas’s win because before conducting the survey, he’d never heard of it.
The top American park – Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (also tied for 2nd) – is also small, and welcomes fewer than 200,000 visitors each year. In contrast, Zion National Park, Utah, which placed 9th, welcomes nearly 3 million visitors every year.
Park Spokesperson Kate Alexander says Gwaii Haanas’s representatives are proud of the win, but she’s not particularly surprised.
She knew the park was great all along.
A version of this piece about the best national park in North America published in Dose in July, 2005. See clipping below. More writing tagged travel is here.
Published in Dose, July 2005