Avenue Calgary — January 2018

54 avenueJANUARY.18

BY Valerie Berenyi

Photograph by Matt Kunh

The park’s tiny townsite, Elkwater, sits at nearly

the same altitude as Banff.

This high country was formed by layer upon

layer of sedimentary deposits, followed by mil-

lions of years of erosion. Later, during the Ice

Age, glaciers flowed around the Cypress Hills,

but never swallowed them. Today, the park is a

geographical anomaly with a cooler, wetter mi-

croclimate and unique ecosystem of evergreen

forests, aspen woodlands, wetlands, lakes and

grasslands. In summer, it’s a magnet for nature-

lovers. In winter, it’s a hushed, magical realm of

snow, ice and skies forever.

MOUNTAINS

Head to the Alberta-

Saskatchewan border

for a wonderland of

snow and outdoor

adventure with a vibe

all its own.

Winter in

Cypress Hills

C

ome wintertime, you head west to

play outside, right? We Calgarians

rarely venture in the opposite direc-

tion, but if you’re up for an offbeat

adventure, drive five hours east to find

a hidden pocket of alpine paradise.

Located just southeast of Medicine Hat,

Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park straddles the

Alberta-Saskatchewan border, Canada’s first and

only interprovincial park. Rising from the prairie

like an island from the ocean, the ancient moun-

tains are the highest point in mainland Canada

between the Rocky Mountains and Labrador.

Hidden Valley Ski Resort.