Stony Mountain Wildland Provincial Park is a
wildland
Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...
provincial park
Ischigualasto Provincial Park
A provincial park (or territorial park) is a park administered by one of the provinces of a country, as opposed to a national park. They are similar to state parks in other countries. They are typically open to the ...
in
Wood Buffalo,
northern Alberta
Northern Alberta is a geographic region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.
An informally defined cultural region, the boundaries of Northern Alberta are not fixed. Under some schemes, the region encompasses everything north of the cent ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. The park was established on 20 December 2000
[ and has an area of .][ The park is part of the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan.
]
Location
The park is south of Fort McMurray
Fort McMurray ( ) is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It is located in northeast Alberta, in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands, surrounded by boreal forest. It has played a significant ...
and equidistant between Highway 63 and Highway 881. The park is remote; access is east of Highway 63 on a forestry road for to a dead-end staging area. The remaining trail into the park is approximately and accessible by off-highway vehicle or snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...
.
Ecology
The park is in the Lower Boreal Highlands subregion of the Boreal Forest
Taiga (; rus, тайга́, p=tɐjˈɡa; relates to Mongolic and Turkic languages), generally referred to in North America as a boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, ...
natural region of Alberta. The park preserves examples of patterned and non-patterned fen
A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetlands along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires. T ...
s. Six provincially rare plants have been identified in the vicinity of Maqua Lake, which is located just north of the park.Boreal woodland caribou
The boreal woodland caribou (''Rangifer tarandus caribou''; but subject to a recent taxonomic revision. See Reindeer: taxonomy), also known as woodland caribou, boreal forest caribou and forest-dwelling caribou, is a North American subspecies of ...
herd.
Activities
The park has no developed facilities so only wildlife viewing, backcountry hiking, and random backcountry camping are available. Off-highway vehicles and snowmobiles are permitted on existing trails only. Aircraft access and landing in the park requires authorization. Hunting is allowed with proper permits.
See also
*List of Alberta provincial parks
This is a list of protected areas of Alberta. Protected areas are managed by the Government of Canada or the Government of Alberta. The provincial government owns 60% of Alberta's landmass but most of this has not been formally p ...
*List of Canadian provincial parks
This is a list of all provincial/territorial parks and other provincial/territorial protected areas in Canada.
Alberta
Alberta's provincial parks and protected areas are managed by Alberta Parks and Alberta Government's ministry of Alberta ...
References
External links
*
{{Alberta parks
Parks in Alberta
Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo