Gates and Information Centres

The tradition of meeting our visitors face-to-face continues through the services offered by staff at the entrance gates, in the campgrounds and in visitor centres. Tap into the pool of expertise knowledgeable staff bring to their work with Parks Canada: we’re glad to be of service!

• Before you arrive
• At the Visitor Information Centres
• National Park Regulations

Information Centre staff © Parks Canada/J. Klafki/YNP

Front-line park staff play an important role in bear management. They are the human link that will help connect you to a greater understanding and appreciation of the wildlife and ecosystems the mountain national parks protect. Black and grizzly bears are just two species in the community of life that has evolved on this landscape. Don’t forget to look beyond the scenery to appreciate the wide variety of plants and animals that bears have evolved with as a whole ecosystem. Such a complete landscape is becoming rare in our busy world; our frontline staff will help you ‘see’ the beauty hidden in the details.

Before You Arrive

• Review our park web sites for pre-trip planning information. Then contact Parks Canada by telephone, mail or e-mail for further information to help you map out routes and itineraries. We can offer trip-planning advice, based on personal knowledge and provide local insights not always found in guidebooks.
• The Mountain Guide, Keep the Wild in Wildlife and Bears and People are important publications you should print and read at home as you prepare.
• Friends’ organizations sell guidebooks year-round through mail-order; trail guides and field guides for plants and animals are valuable resources. To get the most out of your visit, bring guidebooks, binoculars and a camera.

Welcome to Canada’s Mountain National Parks!
Parks Canada staff at entrance gates, campgrounds and in Visitor Information Centres are often the first ‘park experts’ visitors encounter when they arrive in the National Parks. We are conduits, pathways that information flows through. Visitors not only come to ask us for current information, they also give us information about trail conditions, wildlife sightings, and what they’ve observed as they experience and enjoy the parks. We, in turn, pass this information on to other visitors, and to our backcountry and wildlife specialists.

Hello, Bonjour! How can I help you?
It’s a standard greeting you’ll hear from Parks Canada staff -- a sincere offer to help you get the information you need to enjoy a safe visit. We also want to help you understand how your actions can protect wildlife and have minimum impact on the ecosystem, to ensure your well-being, and the well-being of other species and their habitat.

At the Visitor Information Centres you can . . .

• Confirm your plans based on up-to-date weather forecasts, trail conditions, trail restrictions, area warnings or closures, and discuss other opportunities;
• Talk to staff about backcountry camping locations, purchase a Wilderness Pass, and learn about minimum impact camping practices;
• Learn about regularly scheduled interpretive events;
• Purchase a National Park Pass, or renew or upgrade a previously purchased pass;
• Discuss safe wildlife viewing with park staff;
• Report wildlife sightings and trail conditions;
• Visit Friend’s retail outlets which carry books and items that support the park’s sense of place;
• Check out displays and exhibits about the park.

National Park Regulations
The regulations are published in the Mountain Guide. Think of the regulations as common-sense guidelines, or etiquette for visiting the National Parks. The National Parks protect ecosystems, and the regulations governing human behaviour offer down-to-earth, specific actions visitors can take to be part of this national protection ethic.