All Aboard! Partnering to Reach Canada’s National Historic Sites and Parks
Parks Canada celebrates its special partnerships with other
organizations this November. Who are Parks Canada's partners?
Some obvious partnerships include the Trans Canada Trail
Association, the Canadian Tourism Commission, Canada Post, the
Royal Canadian Mint, and Fairmont Hotels. A unique
partnership between Parks Canada and VIA Rail has developed to
highlight the special relationship between rail travel, historic
places, and the importance of protecting these places. Many
historic places are accessible by rail, and information about them
can be found on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.
There is nothing quite like travelling
by train across Canada. For 125 years, trains have moved
people from coast to coast. For almost as long, Canada has
been protecting its cultural and natural resources. Since
1911, Parks Canada has been protecting Canada's natural spaces and
historic places, telling the special stories of the land and
people, and helping visitors gain unique experiences from their
encounters with these places. Since 1977, VIA Rail has been
providing country-wide passenger rail service, helping connect
people. Today, VIA Rail serves over 450 communities across
the country, on a rail network of 12,500 kilometers, which runs
near many historic places and national parks. Because there
was a natural link in overall objectives, Parks Canada and VIA Rail
decided to forge a better working relationship two years ago.
Wait for a train in a heritage railway station, travel West on
the same route as immigrants and tourists have done for over a
century, or ride the rails through a national park in Canada's
Rockies, and you are in for a memorable experience. To
enhance the experience of rail travel, Parks Canada and VIA have
collaborated in the following ways: a "Surprise and Delight"
interpretive program was brought onboard VIA's "Ocean Route" in the
Maritimes; articles about Parks Canada's historic places and
natural areas have been profiled in VIA's Destinations
magazine; and a system map has been posted in all VIA railway
stations which highlights the National Parks and National Historic
Sites of Canada located near VIA's rail routes.
To celebrate Parks Canada's Centennial, the Parks Canada
Centennial and Christmas in November getaway package, from
November 1-6, 2011, is being offered by Parks Canada, VIA-Rail, and
Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. Starting from Toronto, Vancouver,
Winnipeg, or Edmonton, passengers take VIA's transcontinental train
The Canadian to Jasper National Park. To help travelers
gain a better understanding of the vast Canadian landscape,
on-board Parks Canada costumed interpreters will be on -board to
tell stories, play music, and conduct other special
activities. All guests will receive a copy of The
National Geographic Guide to the National Parks of Canada (the
official guidebook for Parks Canada's Centennial), as well as a
customized program schedule, a 100th anniversary lapel
pin and zipper pull, a
Centennial brochure, and travel planners. The package also
includes entrance fees to Jasper National Park, all accommodation
and most meals on the train and in Jasper Park Lodge. Even a
prize trip for four on VIA Rail will be given away to a lucky
traveler!
If you start your journey in Toronto, then the breathtaking
Beaux-Arts Union Station (built in 1914) is your point of
departure. The trip, departing on November 1st, lasts
four days and three nights, with the rich cultural and natural
heritage of the Canadian landscape unfolding along the
journey. The train heads North and then West through Northern
Ontario, passing near Georgian Bay Islands National Park, the
historic mining towns of Sudbury and Cobalt, and then Sioux Lookout's beautiful
Tudor Revival heritage railway station.
On the second day of the journey, the train stops in
Winnipeg, Manitoba, where passengers will see the recently
renovated and awe-inspiring century-old Beaux-Arts Winnipeg Union Station. Winnipeg is a
city rich in culture, and interpreters will likely narrate fur
trade and Métis stories related to Lower Fort Garry NHS, The Forks NHS, and Riel House NHS. While arriving and departing
Winnipeg, keep an eye out for the Red River Floodway NHS, an engineering marvel
which has saved the city from disastrous spring floods for many
years; or spot some of the outstanding Chicago-style commercial
buildings that define the city skyline and which are part of Winnipeg Exchange District NHS.
Continuing West, the train passes the modest Portage La Prairie
CNR heritage railway station and the Saskatoon heritage railway station designed in the International
Style. On this stage of the journey, interpreters will
probably talk about the interesting prairie ecosystems preserved in
nearby Riding Mountain, Grasslands, and Prince Albert National Parks. Heading
Northwest, some historic places worth noting include the bungalow
style Grand Trunk/CNR heritage railway station at Biggar, Saskatchewan, the
early Royal Canadian Mounted Police post of Fort Battleford NHS, and the unusual Ukrainian Pioneer home in Elk Island National
Park near Edmonton, Alberta. After Edmonton, the Rocky
Mountains appear on the horizon as the train enters the wild and
beautiful mountain scenery of Jasper National Park, one of Canada's oldest
national parks and now part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
If you start your journey in Vancouver, then your point of
departure is the handsome Beaux-Arts Canadian National Railways station (built in
1917). The train departs on Nov. 3rd, and for one night
and one day, passengers experience on-board interpretive
programming focussed on the national parks and historic sites of
British Columbia, including the incredible railway engineering feat
of Rogers Pass NHS and the wild natural beauty
found in Mount Revelstoke, Glacier, and Yoho National Parks.
Heading East from Vancouver, the train follows the Fraser River and
passes the historic Hudson's Bay fur trading post Fort Langley NHS as well as the Xá:ytem / Hatzic Rock NHS, an ancient and
spiritually-charged Aboriginal landmark. In the British
Columbia interior, the train passes the Kamloops CN heritage railway station, and through diverse landscapes
that have supported ranches - including the sprawling Hat Creek Ranch - and mining towns such as Barkerville NHS. The train enters Jasper
National Park via the breathtaking and historic Yellowhead and Athabasca passes, first traversed two centuries
ago by explorer David Thompson in his quest to reach the Pacific
Ocean.
At Jasper's charming Arts and Crafts Canadian National heritage
railway station rail passengers receive a
special greeting by Parks Canada employees before a shuttle bus
transfers travelers to the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge for a two or
three night stay. From November 4-6, guests of the hotel will
experience the 23rd annual Christmas
in November event, which includes a welcome reception,
gala dinner, and seminars that focus on personal wellness, positive
energy, and healthy living. What a way to end one's rail trip
across the country!
The relationship between Parks Canada and VIA Rail is a special
one. The railway expands our horizons, brings us together,
and connects us to our historic places and natural
landscapes. Who could ask for a greener, more human way to
reach the National Parks and National Historic Sites of Canada!