Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park

Cypress Hills Provincial Park - access to which is by way of the Buffalo Trail (Highway 40) - lies about 60 km (37 mi.) south-east of Medicine Hat by the TransCanada Highway. This impressive piece of countryside extends into the neighboring province of Saskatchewan. The plateau are covered with rich forests in the midst of a flat, dry prairie. Scientists assume that about 30 million years ago a river running westwards deposited both coarse and fine sediment over an area which thus gradually became higher and was then shaped by the forces of erosion.

In the middle of the prairie wooded mountainous country rises to as high as 1462 m (4800 ft) above sea-level. During the last Ice Age this region was not covered by glaciers. When John Palliser arrived here in 1859 when on an expedition he described it as a green oasis in the middle of the dry prairies he had spent weeks in crossing. The hills rising 500 m (1640 ft) above the flat surrounding countryside represent an eco-system which is unusual for this part of Canada, and the vegetation is somewhat reminiscent of Alpine regions. Until the early 20th c. these hills provided a refuge for many species of animals threatened by the increasing numbers of settlers on the plains; the last bison was shot here in 1882, the last puma in 1912 and the last wolf in 1925. Today only a few wild turkeys still live here.

For more than 7000 years the Indians came to Cypress Hills and its sheltered valleys abounding in water. In the 1870s the hills provided hide-outs for American traders selling illegal whisky to the Indians.

Being 1392 m (4568 high), the Cypress Hills are the highest in Saskatchewan. The region has pine forests and rare wild flowers and animals such as the wapiti and the endangered trumpet-swan. In many areas prairie falcons, some rare species of song-birds and elk can be seen. The park has some very instructive walks - that to Bald Butte being particularly picturesque - and also contains an artificial lake. Its main attractions include the Conglomerate Cliffs as well as a swimming-pool, beach, golf-course, riding stables, camp sites and tennis courts. In winter cross-country skiing and rides on snowmobiles are possible.