A Day in the National Parks

Pictures from Auyuittuq National Park on Baffin Island in the Northwest Territories.

Located in Ontario, Point Pelée National Park attracts birds in its long grasses, and brilliant Monarch butterflies on its trees. Wooden walkways through the marsh facilitate access for numerous visitors. A film without words.

This short documentary by Bill Mason explores Pukaskwa National Park on Lake Superior, providing a background of the park's geological past and plant life. The film also shows scenes of hiking, canoeing and camping. The result is to put us back in touch with the natural elements that our ancestors both fought and enjoyed.

This short film illustrates a day in the life at Pacific Rim National Park. Located on Vancouver Island, the park houses giant trees, drooping moss and beautiful ocean views that provide breathtaking material for an eager eye.

After many years of careful conservation, Banff and Jasper National Parks have become vast zoological gardens. Deer, moose, bear, big-horn sheep, birds and small animals that live above the treeline are natural subjects for the close-up camera, with a backdrop of snowy peaks.

This documentary is about the conservation ethic in Canada that led to the national parks systems around the world. Includes interviews with the then-Minister of Natural Resources, Jean Chretien.

This short film illustrates a day in the life at Forillon National Park. Situated on the Gaspé peninsula in Quebec, the park offers spectacular views of sea, mountain and forest. A monumental landscape not to be missed. A film without words.

This short documentary focuses on a man-made island that became the first federal sanctuary for wildlife in Canada. Situated an hour east of Edmonton, it houses one of the world's densest collections of wildlife, maintained by Parks Canada. Elk Island offers a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes activity of the island.

A scenic tour of Canada's national parks, from the mountains of British Columbia to the sea-swept shores of Newfoundland. Besides the beauty of the unspoiled wilderness (and there is much of that), you see also the farsightedness of those who in the past century, set aside these territories for the enjoyment of future generations.

This short film tells the story of the creation, in 1885, of Alberta’s Banff National Park. When 3 young prospectors, seeking gold in the Rockies, discovered hot springs similar to those at famous international spas, they were eager to gain ownership of them. A conscientious surveyor, however, recognizing that a discovery of this importance should be preserved for the use and enjoyment of the public, was instrumental in having the springs and surrounding area declared a park. Based on the unpublished memoirs of one of the young prospectors, the story is re-enacted with humor and intercut with scenes of present-day Banff.

This short film paints a charming portrait of Fundy National Park in the early 1950s. We follow one family on summer vacation as they settle into life by the sea and explore all that the area has to offer: golf, tennis, swimming, frolicking on the beach and a multitude of other activities. We get a tour of the clubhouse, which serves as the centre of the park’s social life, and of the campsites by the bay, for those who are into a more serene vacation filled with fishing and hiking.