This Tiny Village in the Canadian Rockies Has Hundreds of Miles of Hiking Trails, Turquoise Lakes, and 1,500 Square Miles of Wilderness-and No, It's Not Banff

"Wedged between rolling frontcountry foothills and the towering peaks of the Canadian Rockies, Kananaskis is a patchwork of parks and protected areas spanning more than 1,500 square miles of mountain wilderness west of Calgary. With hundreds of miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding, plus cerulean lakes for canoeing and kayaking, Kananaskis has been Alberta's outdoor playground for decades. Now, thanks to hosting the G7 Summit in Kananaskis Village in June, it's had its global debut."

"I've been returning to Kananaskis for 25 years for these reasons. It's a place where I can hike or camp in a mountain setting right out of the movies ("The Revenant" and "Brokeback Mountain" were filmed here), but still feel like I have the forest path or picnic spot to myself. Even Kananaskis Village-the region's hub with a hotel, restaurants, a spa, a general store, and an outfitting company-is in a serene valley surrounded by trails."

Kananaskis sits west of Calgary and spans more than 1,500 square miles of parks and protected mountain wilderness. The region offers hundreds of miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding, plus cerulean lakes for canoeing and kayaking. Kananaskis Village serves as a serene hub with a hotel, restaurants, a spa, a general store, and outfitting services. The area is quieter and more secluded than Banff while offering similar scenic beauty and film-worthy mountain settings. Wildlife sightings include black bears, moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats. Hosting the G7 Summit brought recent global attention.

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