White Goat Wilderness Area


The White Goat Wilderness Area adjoins both Banff and Jasper National Parks. When it was established in 1961, it protected an area of 1,266.11 km². However, in 1973, under the Wilderness Areas Amendment Act, the Park was reduced in size by 65 percent, to 445 km² [1].

White Goat Wilderness Area, Image Courtesy of Alberta Wilderness Association
White Goat Wilderness Area, Image Courtesy of Alberta Wilderness Association

Map of the Area

Any maps and map views are for general information only. Do not rely on them for navigation or to determine legal boundaries.

Other Information

This WA contains spectacular peaks reaching over 3300 m in elevation (to 3312 m) with permanent snowfields and small glaciers. Above 2100 m, vegetation is alpine, consisting of grasses, sedges and wildflowers. Below 2100 m are forests of Engelmann and white spruce, Rocky Mountain alpine fir and lodgepole pine. Flowering season begins at lower elevations in June and finishes in the high alpine meadows in mid-July. Wildlife includes Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goats, Woodland Caribou, Elk, Cougars, Wolves and Grizzly and Black Bears.

Foot Travel Only in White Goat Wilderness Area. Horses and mountain bikes are not permitted. Hunting and fishing are prohibited. Before visiting, inform family or friends of your intended route, camping stops and expected return time. There are no developed facilities in White Goat Wilderness Area. All litter and refuse must be packed out; human waste should be buried at least 60 metres away from any water source.

Site Statistics

Site NameWhite Goat
Site TypeWA
SubtypeOrder-in-council (OC)
Natural Region(s)Alpine; Subalpine; Montane
O.C. No. (Land Ref. Manual)NA
PASite ID (Map Ref #)1103
Site # (Parks Website)397
Total Area44457.14 ha. (109856.00 ac.)
Steward-Status
Recreation ActivitiesCamping – backcountry, Hiking – backcountry
IUCNIB
Operated ByParks Division
Notes and Comments
Statistics and Details for White Goat WA
White Goat Site Map (Government of Alberta)
White Goat Site Map (Government of Alberta)

References

The following links are provided as a courtesy but are not verified or endorsed by SAPAA. Clicking on the link will cause you to leave the SAPAA website. Primary source of information is: Information & Facilities – White Goat Wilderness Area | Alberta Parks (All links accessed on 2023-01-17).

  1. Alberta Wilderness Association, Issues: White Goat Wilderness.

Further Reading

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s