For well over a century the majesty of Canada’s national parks has inspired awe in visitors from across the country. Whether it’s hiking in the Rocky Mountains, exploring the unique formations of PEI’s coast, or camping out alongside bison on Elk Island, the parks offer a unique way for Canadians to interact with the natural landscape that make their country so unique.
These vintage photos, gathered from government archives, show how important these protected places have been to the Canadian identity over the years. While many of the images were taken more than 50 years ago, the experiences they capture are eternal.
Art Gault helps his son Jimmy with fishing gear at Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta.
Children toasting hot dogs in a bonfire on Waskesiu Beach in Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan.
On the shore near Cavendish, Prince Edward Island National Park, P.E.I.
Kathleen Hart and Dave Phipps sunbathing on the beach at Point Pelee National Park, Ontario.
Woman and young boy view the scene over Freshwater Lake from the lookout above the entrance to Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia.
New Brunswick School of Arts and Crafts students sketching at Point Wolf in Fundy National Park, New Brunswick.
Woman sketching on Wolf River in Fundy National Park, New Brunswick.
A couple getting ready to go fishing on Cameron Lake in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta.
Man and woman on bicycles at the beach in Prince Edward Island National Park, Prince Edward Island.
Beach party at Ingonish Beach in Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
Man and woman on horseback on the Bertha Trail in Waterton Lakes National Park.
Woman sitting on riverbank at Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park, British Columbia.
Teenagers enjoy a bonfire on Waskesiu Beach in Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan.
Peter Trim of Prince Alber, and Joanne Martin of Regina, on paddle boards on Lake Waskesiu in Prince Albert National Park.
Three people water-skiing in Waterton Lakes National Park.
A camp supper in Elk Island National Park, Alberta.
Man on dock, woman in canoe on Lake Waskesiu, Prince Albert National Park.
Man, woman and little girl on the rocks below the lighthouse at Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, Nova Scotia.
Donna Webb, of Saskatoon, and Jack Bruce, of Prince Albert, ready the "Westwind" for a day's sailing on Lake Waskesiu in Prince Albert National Park.
Trail Riders in Waterton National Park.
Family camping in Fundy National Park.
Skier Shirley Cain in Banff National Park.
Seated woman watches man fish on Bow River in Banff National Park, Alberta.
Two women skiing along Lake Moraine Road in Banff National Park.
Two women feeding a black bear at Nuisance Grands in Banff National Park.
Students painting some of the remarkable scenery in Banff National Park. A view of the entire valley can be seen.
Guests rock climbing near Lake Minnewanka in Banff National Park.
Fishing on the Bow River in Banff National Park.
The Gault Family making camp at the main campsite in Waterton Lakes National Park.
Woman and young boy on the beach at Freshwater Lake in Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
Art Gault, making a film of his family, who are standing at the base of Cameron Falls in Waterton Lakes National Park.
Two men and two women picnic on the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
Man and woman at Banff-Jasper Highway looking down on the Peyto Valley in Banff National Park.
One man, two women and two young girls on a beach in Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site.
Mr. and Mrs. G. Dooley, of Bismarck, North Dakota, at Norgate Lookout Tower in Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba.
A high-angle view looking down on the valley in Banff National Park. In the foreground students of the sketching class can be seen obtaining an instruction from their teacher.
Shirley Emerson , of Saint John, New Brunswick, lines up her gear to go fishing with her father, R.B. Emerson, on Bennett Lake in Fundy National Park.
Two men and two women sit on a dock below a lifeguard at Clear Lake in Riding Mountain National Park.
Mr. and Mrs. B.R. Hansal, of Akron, Ohio, having dinner outside their tent in Fundy National Park.
