View source for Wood Buffalo National Park

{{Short description|National park in Alberta and Northwest Territories, Canada}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Wood Buffalo National Park
| iucn_category = II
| iucn_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Protected Planet {{!}} Wood Buffalo National Park Of Canada|url=https://www.protectedplanet.net/611|access-date=2020-10-13|website=Protected Planet}}</ref>
| photo = Wood-Buffalo-NP Gros Beak Lake 2 98-07-02.jpg
| photo_caption = Grosbeak Lake
| photo_width = 240
| map = Canada#Alberta
| map_width = 240
| map_caption = Location of ''Wood Buffalo National Park''
| relief = yes
| location = [[Alberta]] and [[Northwest Territories]], Canada
| nearest_city = [[Fort Chipewyan]]<br />[[Fort Smith, Northwest Territories|Fort Smith]]
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 5
| mapframe-wikidata = yes
| embedded = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
  |child = yes
  |Criteria = Natural: vii, ix, x
  |ID = 256
  |Year = 1983
  }}
| coordinates = {{coord|59|23|N|112|59|W|type:landmark_region:CA_dim:500000|display=inline,title}}
| area_km2 = 44,741
| established = 1922
| visitation_num = 2399
| visitation_year = 2022–23<ref>{{Cite web |last=Canada |first=Parks |title=Parks Canada attendance 2022_23 - Parks Canada attendance 2022_23 - Open Government Portal |url=https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/57c69cfc-fc85-495b-9eef-555a08404034/resource/020bfd16-2079-4fa7-839f-f4cc8c19851c |access-date=2024-05-07 |website=open.canada.ca}}</ref>
| governing_body = [[Parks Canada]]
| website = {{Official URL}}
}}

'''Wood Buffalo National Park''' is the largest [[National Parks of Canada|national park of Canada]] at {{convert|44,741|sqkm|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks Canada Agency |first=Government of Canada |date=2022-11-15 |title=Stewardship and management - Stewardship and management |url=https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/nt/woodbuffalo/info |access-date=2023-03-11 |website=parks.canada.ca}}</ref> It is in northeastern [[Alberta]] and the southern [[Northwest Territories]]. Larger in area than [[Switzerland]],<ref>{{cite web|title=World's largest beaver dam|url=http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/nt/woodbuffalo/natcul/beaver_gallery.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160209055754/http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/nt/woodbuffalo/natcul/beaver_gallery.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 February 2016|website=Parks Canada–Wood Buffalo National Park|access-date=12 January 2016}}</ref> it is the second-largest national park in the world.<ref>{{cite web |last=Johnston |first=Karl |title=Heaven Below Me – Exploring Wood Buffalo National Park from the Air |url=http://www.letsbewild.com/exploring-wood-buffalo-national-park-by-helicopter/ |website=Let's Be Wild |access-date=16 November 2012 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402151043/http://www.letsbewild.com/exploring-wood-buffalo-national-park-by-helicopter/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The park was established in 1922 to protect the world's largest herd of free-roaming<ref>[https://yichuans.github.io/datasheet/output/site/wood-buffalo-national-park/ Natural World Heritage Site]</ref> [[wood bison]]. They became hybridized after the introduction of plains bison. The population is currently estimated at 3,000.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ottawa-produces-action-plan-for-wood-buffalo-national-park/|title=Ottawa produces action plan for Wood Buffalo National Park|work=The Globe and Mail |date=February 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=April 27, 2020|title=Wood Bison|url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/nt/woodbuffalo/decouvrir-discover/science_nature/bison|access-date=July 12, 2021|website=Parks Canada|archive-date=September 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220916033103/https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/nt/woodbuffalo/decouvrir-discover/science_nature/bison|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is one of two known nesting sites of [[whooping crane]]s.

The park ranges in elevation from {{convert|183|m|0|abbr=on}} at the Little Buffalo River to {{convert|945|m|0|abbr=on}} in the [[Caribou Mountains (Alberta)|Caribou Mountains]]. The park headquarters is in [[Fort Smith, Northwest Territories|Fort Smith]], with a smaller satellite office in [[Fort Chipewyan]], Alberta. The park contains one of the world's largest fresh-water [[river delta|deltas]], the [[Peace-Athabasca Delta]], formed by the [[Peace River (Canada)|Peace]], [[Athabasca River|Athabasca]] and [[Birch River (Alberta)|Birch]] rivers.

It is also known for its [[karst]] [[sinkhole]]s in the north-eastern section of the park. Alberta's largest springs (by volume, with an estimated discharge rate of eight cubic metres per second), Neon Lake Springs, are in the Jackfish River drainage.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rollins |first=John |title=Caves Of The Canadian Rockies And Columbia Mountains |url={{google books|AFjcUjyWtk0C|p=300|plainurl=yes}} |publisher=Rocky Mountain Books  |isbn=978-0-92110-294-6 |location=Surrey, Canada |date=2004 |access-date=25 May 2015}}</ref> Wood Buffalo is located directly north of the [[Athabasca Oil Sands]].

This area was designated in 1983 as a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] for the biological diversity of the Peace-Athabasca Delta, and for the population of wild bison. It is the most ecologically complete and largest example of the Great Plains-Boreal grassland ecosystem of North America.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wood Buffalo National Park: Statement of Significance |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/256 |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date=18 December 2014}}</ref>

On June 28, 2013, the [[Royal Astronomical Society of Canada]] designated Wood Buffalo National Park as Canada's newest and the world's largest [[dark-sky preserve]]. The designation helps preserve nighttime ecology for the park's large populations of [[little brown bat|bats]], [[common nighthawk|night hawks]] and [[great grey owl|owls]], as well as providing opportunities for visitors to experience the [[Aurora (astronomy)|northern lights]].<ref>{{cite press release |last=Thompson |first=Deborah |title=RASC Designates Wood Buffalo National Park as a New Dark Sky Preserve |url=http://www.rasc.ca/news/rasc-designates-wood-buffalo-national-park-new-dark-sky-preserve |location=Toronto, Canada |date=2 August 2013 |access-date=3 August 2013}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Before the park ===
{{main|Peace River country|Athabasca Country}}
This region has been inhabited by human cultures since the end of the last ice age.  Aboriginal peoples in this region have followed variations on the [[Indigenous peoples of the Subarctic|subarctic lifeway]], based around [[Hunter-gatherer|hunting, fishing, and gathering]].  Situated at the junction of three major rivers used as canoe routes for trade: the [[Athabasca River|Athabasca]], [[Peace River|Peace]] and [[Slave River|Slave]] rivers, the region that later was defined as the national park was well travelled by indigenous peoples for millennia.

In recorded times, the [[Dane-zaa]] (historically called the Beaver tribe), the [[Chipewyan people]], the [[Slavey|South Slavey]] (Dene Thaʼ), and [[Woodland Cree|Woods Cree people]] inhabited the region, where they sometimes competed for resources and trade. The Dane-zaa, Chipewyan, and South Slavey speak (or spoke) languages from the [[Northern Athabaskan languages|Northern Athabaskan family]].  These languages are common also among the peoples in the regions to the north and west of the park, who call themselves the [[Dene]] collectively.  The Cree, by contrast, are an [[Algonquian people]]. They are thought to have migrated here from the east within the timeframe of recorded history, as most Algonquian-speaking peoples are along the Atlantic coast, from Canada and south through much of the United States.

Sometime after 1781, when a [[1775–82 North American smallpox epidemic|smallpox epidemic]] decimated the region, the Dene and Cree made a peace treaty at [[Peace Point]] through a [[ceremonial pipe]] ceremony.  This is the origin of the name of the Peace River that flows through the region: the river was used to define a boundary between the Dane-zaa to the North and the Cree to the South.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}

Explorer [[Peter Pond]] is believed to have passed through the region in 1785, likely the first European to do so, followed by [[Alexander Mackenzie (explorer)|Alexander Mackenzie]] three years later. In 1788 British fur traders established posts at [[Fort Chipewyan]], just east of the current boundaries of the park, and [[Fort Vermilion, Alberta|Fort Vermilion]] close to the west. Fur traders followed the First Nations in using the Peace River as part of their [[Canadian canoe routes|network of canoe routes]] for the [[North American fur trade]]. The [[Métis people (Canada)|Métis people]], descendants initially of European traders and indigenous women, developed as another major ethnic group in the region.

After nearly another century of domination by the [[Hudson's Bay Company]], Canada purchased the company's claim to the region. Agriculture was never developed in this part of Western Canada, unlike to the south. Hunting and trapping remained the dominant industry in this region well into the 20th century, and are still vital to many of its inhabitants. Following the [[Klondike Gold Rush]] of 1897, the Canadian government was keen to extinguish [[Aboriginal title]] to the land. It wanted to be able to exploit any mineral wealth found in the future without having to contend with possible objections from First Nations. The Crown signed [[Treaty 8]] with these peoples{{Clarify|reason=''these people''! Who?|date=April 2022}} on 21 June 1899, acquiring much of the territory as Crown land.

=== As a national park ===
{{see also|History of bison conservation in Canada}}
[[File:Corraling buffalo in Wainwright Buffalo Park (20752653102).jpg|thumb|Plains bison were transferred here from [[Buffalo National Park]] in the 1920s, but they carried disease and hybridized with the wood bison, causing their numbers to drop.]]
[[Image:Wood Buffalo National Park Location.png|thumb|left|upright|Location and extent of the park (dark green)]]
Established in 1922, the park was created on Crown land acquired through Treaty 8 between Canada and the local First Nations. The park completely surrounds several [[Indian reserves]] such as [[Peace Point, Alberta|Peace Point]] and [[ʔejëre Kʼelnı Kuę́]] (also called Hay Camp).

Despite protests from biologists, between 1925 and 1928 the government relocated nearly 6,700 [[plains bison]] here from [[Buffalo National Park]], to avoid unwanted mass culling at the latter park due to over-population there.<ref>Jack Van Camp, 1989. "A Surviving Herd of Endangered Wood Bison at Hook Lake, N.W.T.?", ''Arctic'', 42(4):314-322.</ref> The plains bison [[hybrid (biology)|hybrid]]ized with the local 1,500–2,000 wood bison, and carried such diseases as [[bovine tuberculosis]] and [[brucellosis]], which they introduced into the wood bison herd.<ref name=John2013 /> Since that time park officials have tried to undo this damage, making successive culls of diseased animals.

In 1957, a healthy and relatively pure wood bison herd of 200 was discovered near Nyarling River. In 1965, 23 of these bison were relocated to the south side of [[Elk Island National Park]]. Today, they number 300 and are the most genetically pure wood bison remaining.

Between 1951 and 1967, 4000 bison were killed and {{convert|2|e6lb|t|abbr=off|order=flip}} of meat were sold from a special [[abattoir]] built at Hay Camp. These smaller culls did not eradicate the diseases. In 1990, the government announced a plan to destroy the entire herd and restock the park with disease-free bison from Elk Island National Park.{{r|hunting}} The public quickly reacted negatively to this plan and it was abandoned.<ref name=John2013>{{cite web |last=Sandlos |first=John |title=Northern bison sanctuary or big ranch? Wood Buffalo National Park |url=http://www.environmentandsociety.org/arcadia/northern-bison-sanctuary-or-big-ranch-wood-buffalo-national-park |website=Arcadia Project |publisher=Environment & Society Portal |issn=2199-3408 |date=2013 |access-date=25 May 2015}}</ref>

Local governance within the Alberta portion of Wood Buffalo National Park was introduced on January 1, 1967, with the incorporation of an [[List of improvement districts in Alberta|improvement district]]. Originally numbered as Improvement District No. 150, it was renumbered as [[Improvement District No. 24]] on January 1, 1969.<ref name=IDprofile>{{cite web | url= http://www.municipalaffairs.gov.ab.ca/cfml/MunicipalProfiles/basicReport/IDST.PDF | title=Municipal Profiles: Improvement Districts | publisher=[[Alberta Municipal Affairs]] | page=29 | date=October 1, 2021 | accessdate=October 3, 2021}}</ref>

In 1983, a 21-year lease was granted to [[Canfor|Canadian Forest Products Ltd.]] to log a 50,000-hectare area of Wood Buffalo National Park. The [[Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society]] filed a lawsuit against [[Parks Canada]] for violating the ''[[National Parks Act (Canada)|National Parks Act]]''. Before the trial commenced in 1992, Parks Canada acquiesced and recognized that the lease was invalid and unauthorized by the provisions of the act.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Boyd |first1=David R. |title=Unnatural Law: Rethinking Canadian Environmental Law and Policy |date=2004 |publisher=UBC Press, University of British Columbia |location=Vancouver |url={{google books|SeYgVGE9j3EC|p=173|plainurl=yes}} |isbn=0-7748-1048-3 }}</ref>

In March 2019, [[Kitaskino Nuwenëné Wildland Provincial Park]] was established on the borders of Wood Buffalo National Park. The [[Mikisew Cree First Nation]] had first proposed protecting this land as a park. It preserves the natural ecosystems from the expanding industrial areas north of [[Fort McMurray]]. The park was created after three oil companies, [[Teck Resources]], [[Cenovus Energy]], and [[Imperial Oil]], voluntarily gave up certain oilsands and mining leases in the area, following negotiations with the Alberta government and Indigenous groups. This provincial park is closed to forestry and new energy projects. But existing wells can keep producing, and traditional Indigenous land uses are allowed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thenarwhal.ca/three-oilsands-companies-surrender-land-for-new-alberta-park-to-be-co-managed-with-first-nations/|title=Three oilsands companies surrender land for new Alberta park to be co-managed with First Nations|last=Narwhal|first=The|website=The Narwhal|date=25 March 2019 |language=en|access-date=2019-04-08}}</ref>

In June 2019, UNESCO expressed concerns about the management of the park's ecological health and Indigenous usage, noting decline in water quality. It warned the park that it could be delisted from the World Heritage List if conditions deteriorated too much.<ref>[https://globalnews.ca/news/5388537/un-critique-plan-rescue-wood-buffalo-national-park/ UN says Canada's plan to rescue Wood Buffalo National Park needs 'considerably more effort', Bob Weber, ''The Canadian Press'', June 13, 2019]</ref> In response Canada announced allocating $27.5 million to solve the problems. UNESCO questioned the plan and has not lifted the potential delisting of the park. The World Heritage Committee will review Canada's report and plan for preserving the park in 2021.<ref>Sarah Pruys, [https://cabinradio.ca/17467/news/environment/wood-buffalo-doomed-without-quick-action-as-un-extends-deadline/ Wood Buffalo 'doomed without quick action' as UN extends deadline]. [[Cabin Radio]], July 3, 2019.</ref>

==Climate==
In the park, summers are very short, but days are long.<ref name="PCweather">{{cite web|url = http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/nt/woodbuffalo/visit/visit6.aspx |title = Wood Buffalo National Park Weather |publisher = Parks Canada |access-date = August 22, 2015}}</ref> Temperatures range between {{convert|10|and|30|C|1}} during this season.<ref name=PCweather/> On average, summers are characterized by warm and dry days; in some years, there may be a pattern of cool and wet days.<ref name=PCweather/> The mean high in July is {{convert|22.5|C|1}} while the mean low is {{convert|9.5|C|1}}.<ref name=PCweather/> Fall tends to have cool, windy and dry days, and the first snowfall usually occurs in October.<ref name=PCweather/> Winters are cold with temperatures that can drop below {{convert|-40|C|1}} in January and February, the coldest months.<ref name=PCweather/> The mean high in January is {{convert|-21.7|C|1}} while the mean low is {{convert|-31.8|C|1}}.<ref name=PCweather/> In spring, temperatures gradually warm up as the days become longer.<ref name=PCweather/>

== Wildlife ==
Wood Buffalo National Park contains a large variety of wildlife species, including [[American black bear]]s, [[American marten]]s, [[bald eagle]]s, [[Canada lynx]]es, [[Great Grey owl|great grey owl]]s, [[hawks]], [[marmot]]s, [[North American beaver]]s, [[Northwestern wolves]], [[peregrine falcon]]s, [[red fox]]es, [[ruffed grouse]]s, [[sandhill crane]]s, [[snowshoe hare]]s, [[snowy owl]]s, [[Western moose]], [[whooping crane]]s, [[wolverine]]s, [[wood bison]]s, and the world's northernmost population of [[Red-sided garter snake|Red-sided Garter snake]]s, which form communal dens within the park. [[Grizzly bear]]s, [[North American cougar]]s, [[feral horse]]s, and [[muskox]]en have been recorded within and in the vicinity of the park.<ref>{{Cite journal|s2cid=131593564|doi=10.14430/ARCTIC778|title=Cougars (''Puma concolor'') in the Northwest Territories and Wood Buffalo National Park|year=2001|last1=Gau|first1=Robert J.|last2=Mulders|first2=Robert|last3=Lamb|first3=Tamara|last4=Gunn|first4=Libby|journal=Arctic|volume=54|issue=2|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Cohen|first=Sidney|date=July 26, 2019|title=Gotta see it to believe it: Man hunts muskox in northern Alberta|language=en-US|work=CBC News|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/arctic-muskox-northern-alberta-1.5225396|access-date=2020-11-22}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=June 20, 2012|title=Musk ox sighted in northern Alberta|language=en-US|work=CBC News|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/musk-ox-sighted-in-northern-alberta-1.1141883|access-date=2020-11-22}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=March 22, 2016|title=Wild horses spotted near Wood Buffalo National Park|language=en-US|work=CBC News|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/wild-horses-wood-buffalo-park-1.3501714|access-date=2020-11-22}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-03-16|title=Wild Horses Roam Wood Buffalo|url=https://edgenorth.ca/article/wild-horses-roam-wood-buffalo|access-date=2020-09-08|website=_EDGE}}</ref>

Wood Buffalo Park contains the only natural nesting habitat for the endangered whooping crane. Known as [[Whooping Crane Summer Range]], it is classified as a [[Ramsar list of wetlands of international importance|Ramsar site]]. It was identified through the [[International Biological Program]]. The range is a complex of contiguous water bodies, primarily lakes and various [[wetlands]], such as [[marsh]]es and [[bog]]s, but also includes streams and ponds.

In 2007, the world's largest [[beaver dam]] – about {{convert|850|m|ft|adj=on}} in length – was [[beaver dam#WoodBuffaloNP|discovered in the park]] using satellite imagery.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://vancouversun.com/technology/Giant+beaver+pond+visible+from+space/2993219/story.html |title=Giant beaver pond visible from space |first=Karen |last=Kleiss |agency=[[Canwest News Service]] |date=6 May 2010 |newspaper=[[The Vancouver Sun]] |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100508175144/http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Giant+beaver+pond+visible+from+space/2993219/story.html |archive-date=8 May 2010 |access-date=18 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Comte |first1=Michel |last2=Lemieux |first2=Jacques |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100505/sc_afp/canadascienceenvironmentanimalbeaver |title= World's biggest beaver dam discovered in northern Canada |website=[[Yahoo!]] |agency=[[Agence France-Presse|L'Agence France-Presse]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509073029/http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100505/sc_afp/canadascienceenvironmentanimalbeaver/print |archive-date=9 May 2010 |date=5 May 2010 |access-date=18 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Largest Beaver Dam Seen From Space |url=http://news.discovery.com/animals/zoo-animals/beaver-dam-canada-space.htm |work=Discovery News |agency=L'Agence France-Presse |date=6 May 2010 |access-date=25 May 2015 |archive-date=10 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160510230541/http://news.discovery.com/animals/zoo-animals/beaver-dam-canada-space.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The dam, at {{Coord| 58|16.3|N|112|15.1|W |type:landmark_region:CA-AB|display=inline}},<ref>{{cite web |first=Jean |last=Thie |url= http://www.geostrategis.com/p_beavers-longestdam.htm |title= Exploring Beaver Habitat and Distribution with Google Earth: The Longest Beaver Dam in the World |website=EcoInformatics International |access-date=18 September 2014}}</ref> about {{convert|200|km}} from Fort Chipewyan, had only been sighted by satellite and fixed-wing aircraft since July 2014.<ref>{{cite news |title= U.S. Explorer Reaches World's Largest Beaver Dam: Adventurer Bushwacks Through Dense Northeast Alberta Boreal Forest |first=Scott  |last=Lilwall |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/world-s-largest-beaver-dam-explored-by-rob-mark-1.2771964 |newspaper=CBC New Canada|publisher=CBC/Radio-Canada|date=19 September 2014|access-date=14 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=U.S. Explorer Reaches World's Largest Beaver Dam: Adventurer Bushwacks Through Dense Northeast Alberta Boreal Forest |first=Marty |last=Klinkenberg |date=18 September 2014 |url=http://www.wsabc.ca/archives/3326 |agency=[[Edmonton Journal]] |publisher=Water Supply Association of B.C. |access-date=25 May 2015 |archive-date=4 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604055227/http://www.wsabc.ca/archives/3326 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Hybrid bison===
As above-mentioned, "wood bison" in the park are hybrid descendants, the product of unions with plains bison that were transferred to the park in the 1920s from Buffalo National Park.  The plains bison were more numerous and were found to have been carrying diseases that became established among the bison in the park. That, plus the hybridization that ensued, threatened the survival of true wood bison.<ref name=Van1986>C. G Van Zyll de Jong, 1986, ''A systematic study of recent bison, with particular consideration of the wood bison (Bison bison athabascae Rhoads 1898)'', National Museum of Natural Sciences</ref> A 1995 study detected that there have been notable differences in morphology among each herd within the park, which have developed different degrees of hybridization. The herd at the Sweetgrass Station near [[Peace–Athabasca Delta]], followed by Slave River Lowlands herd, preserve a phenotype closer to the original wood bison before the 1920s. They are more true to the original types than the preserved herds at Elk Island National Park and Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1382350 | jstor=1382350 | title=Phenotypic Variation in Remnant Populations of North American Bison | last1=Van Zyll De Jong | first1=C. G. | last2=Gates | first2=C. | last3=Reynolds | first3=H. | last4=Olson | first4=W. | journal=Journal of Mammalogy | date=1995 | volume=76 | issue=2 | pages=391–405 | doi=10.2307/1382350 | url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==Transportation==
Year-round access is available to Fort Smith by road on the [[Mackenzie Highway]], which connects to [[Northwest Territories Highway 5|Highway 5]] near [[Hay River, Northwest Territories|Hay River]]. Commercial flights are available to Fort Smith and Fort Chipewyan from [[Edmonton]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/nt/woodbuffalo/visit/visit1_E.asp |website=Parks Canada |title=Wood Buffalo National Park of Canada - How to Get There |access-date=25 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615190157/http://pc.gc.ca/pn-np/nt/woodbuffalo/visit/visit1_e.asp |archive-date=15 June 2006 }}</ref>  Winter access is also available using winter and ice roads from Fort McMurray through Fort Chipewyan.

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Wood-Buffalo-NP Waldbison 3 98-07-02.jpg|[[Wood bison]] (not pure)
Image:Wood-Buffalo-NP Murmeltier 2 98-07-03.jpg|[[Marmot]]
Image:Fort Smith Nashornpelikane 1 98-07-01.jpg|American white pelicans at Rapids of the Drowned ([[Slave River]])
Image:Wood-Buffalo-NP Beaver's Lodge 1 98-07-02.jpg|Beaver lodge
Image:Wood-Buffalo-NP Pine Lake 98-07-03.jpg|Pine Lake
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Buffalo National Park]]
* [[Garden River, Alberta]]
* [[List of mountains of Alberta]]
* [[List of national parks of Canada]]
* [[List of protected areas of the Northwest Territories]]
* [[List of protected areas of Alberta]]
* [[List of trails in Alberta]]
* [[List of waterfalls of Alberta]]
* [[National parks of Canada]]
{{Portal inline|Canada}}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="hunting">{{Cite web
 |url         = http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=b1643c32-9dcd-4f1f-ab8b-dc864492c8fb
 |title       = Alberta to allow hunters to kill Hay-Zama bison
 |last        = Brooymans
 |first       = Hanneke
 |publisher   = Canwest Digital Media/[[The Vancouver Sun]]
 |date        = 2008-05-14
 |access-date  = 2008-06-02
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20121104113055/http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=b1643c32-9dcd-4f1f-ab8b-dc864492c8fb
 |archive-date = 2012-11-04
}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{mapbox|type=shape|text=Map Highlighting Park's Boundaries|stroke-color=#00ff00}}
* {{Wikivoyage-inline}}
* {{Official website}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160428001812/http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/ja15/wood-buffalo-national-park.asp "Aerial photos of Wood Buffalo National Park"], ''[[Canadian Geographic]]''
* [https://whc.unesco.org/sites/256.htm Park at UNESCO World Heritage Site]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060426050957/http://www.greatcanadianparks.com/alberta/woodbufnp/index.htm Great Canadian Parks]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080216005923/http://www.iucn.org/bookstore/HTML-books/BP4%20-%20Indigenous_and_Traditional_Peoples_and_Protected_%20Areas/casestudy4.html Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada] (IUCN)

{{Alberta parks}}
{{Northwest Territories parks}}
{{National parks of Canada}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Canada}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Wood Buffalo National Park| ]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1922]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Canada]]
[[Category:Dark-sky preserves in Canada]]
[[Category:1922 establishments in Alberta]]
[[Category:Bison herds]]
[[Category:Parks in the Northwest Territories]]
[[Category:Parks in Alberta]]
[[Category:1922 establishments in the Northwest Territories]]
[[Category:Parks established in the 1920s]]