National parks in Alberta

Alberta has 5 national parks: Banff, Elk Island, Jasper, Waterton Lakes, and Wood Buffalo.

Banff National ParkAB
Canada’s first national park in the Rockies — Lake Louise, Banff townsite, icefields, and busy alpine valleys.
Elk Island National ParkAB
A fenced plains park near Edmonton focused on elk and bison conservation, with lakes and aspen parkland.
Jasper National ParkAB
Large Rockies park with icefields, lakes, and the town of Jasper. Quieter than Banff but still a major mountain hub.
Waterton Lakes National ParkAB
Where Rockies meet prairie on the Alberta–Montana border. Twin of Glacier (US) in the peace park.
Wood Buffalo National ParkAB / NT
Canada’s largest park — wood bison, whooping crane nesting, and the Peace–Athabasca Delta.

Other parks within reach of Alberta

Parks ranked by distance from the centre of Alberta
Park	Straight-line distance	Estimated drive	Realistic trip
Elk Island National Park	160 km (99.6 mi)	2 hr 48 min	Doable as a day trip
Banff National Park	177 km (110 mi)	3 hr 3 min	Best as a weekend
Yoho National Park	211 km (131 mi)	3 hr 33 min	Best as a weekend
Kootenay National Park	222 km (138 mi)	3 hr 43 min	Best as a weekend
Glacier National Park	281 km (174 mi)	4 hr 35 min	Best as a weekend
Jasper National Park	286 km (178 mi)	4 hr 39 min	Best as a weekend
Mount Revelstoke National Park	326 km (202 mi)	5 hr 14 min	Best as a weekend
Waterton Lakes National Park	360 km (223 mi)	5 hr 44 min	Best as a weekend
Glacier National Park	392 km (243 mi)	6 hr 13 min	Worth a longer road trip
Prince Albert National Park	527 km (328 mi)	8 hr 12 min	Worth a longer road trip

5: Banff National Park, Elk Island National Park, Jasper National Park, Waterton Lakes National Park, and Wood Buffalo National Park.

Elk Island National Park, roughly 160 km (99.6 mi) out and about 2 hr 48 min of driving from the centre of Alberta.