Kananaskis: An explainer on Alberta's cherished park and G7 host location

Winnipeg Free Press

a day ago

CALGARY – For the next week, Derek Ryder will be temporarily divorced from his favourite mountain range and beloved trails in Kananaskis, Alta., so the world's most powerful people can safely gather for the G7 leaders summit.
The spokesman for Friends of Kananaskis Country, an environmental stewardship group for the region, has been trekking in Kananaskis Country, informally known as K-Country, since 1976.
'I've been basically everywhere,' says Ryder, who added he's traversed more kilometres in Kananaskis than he can count.
As the G7 leaders prepare for the annual meeting in Kananaskis, which first hosted the summit in 2002, the world's eyes will be on the region's dense forest and jagged alpine.
What is Kananaskis?
Comprising several provincial parks, Kananaskis was created by former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed in 1978. The Alberta Parks website says Lougheed was convinced to establish the park after a single helicopter ride over the jagged mountains.
From above, the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge — chosen as the leaders' residence for the summit — is a mere pinprick surrounded by over 4,000 square kilometres of Rocky Mountain wilderness abutting Banff National Park.
Unlike past summits in urban centres, the leaders are to be cordoned off from the outside world. Kananaskis has a small local population of 156, according to the most recent census.
'Block one road on two ends, and you pretty much have an isolated world in K-Country,' Ryder says.
Who will be at the G7?
Prime Minister Mark Carney will chair the summit.
He is to be joined by: U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The presidents of the European Council and European Commission usually represent the European Union.
A prominent group of invited non-G7 leaders are also to attend, including Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The late Pope Francis was at last year's G7, becoming the first pontiff to address the forum. There's been no public chatter about whether Pope Leo XIV might be in Kananaskis.
The three-day summit starts Sunday.
How do you get to Kananaskis Village?
Kananaskis Village is roughly 75 kilometres southwest of Calgary.
It has two entry points. The first is off the Trans-Canada Highway en route to Canmore and Banff. Drivers can otherwise enter through a rural road.
Other sections of the park, mostly south of the village, are still set to be open during the summit.
Is it similar to Banff?
Though it shares a mountain range with Banff National Park, Ryder says the wilderness in Kananaskis has a unique feel that separates itself from the national parks.
'To me, it feels less like a museum,' he says.
The area's popularity has increased over the past decade, adds Trevor Julian, executive director of Friends of Kananaskis. But its relatively quieter trails are alluring to some hikers, he says.
Banff, meanwhile, attracts more than four million people every year.
'I find there's so many hidden pockets of Kananaskis where you can go for the day — or days — and not see people.' Julian says.
Are bears a risk?
Kananaskis is native bear territory, Ryder says, and the animals happily traverse through Kananaskis Village on any given day.
Two layers of fences line the perimeter of the village. Ryder doesn't believe that will keep them out.
'Fences, unless they're electrified, don't stop bears from doing anything,' Ryder says.
But bears are more interested in eating plants than wreaking havoc on talks between prime ministers and presidents, he says.
During the 2002 summit in Kananaskis, a bear climbed a tree near the site and, as conservation officers tried to lure it down, the animal fell and died from its injuries.
'There's no magic in this,' Ryder says. 'There's only really good people doing the best job we can.'
What else should I know about Kananaskis?
In 2013, Kananaskis saw hundreds of kilometres of trails washed away by sudden flooding, which also forced out 110,000 people downstream in Calgary.
The historic flood wiped out much of the picturesque 36-hole golf course at Kananaskis and took five years to rebuild. Darren Robinson, general manager of Kananaskis Country Golf Club, says a few employees stayed on during the closure.
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Ryder, who has written a book about the flood, says it 'massacred' trails and the road winding through Kananaskis. In some areas, the flood redirected water flows in such a way that former ponds are now dry pits.
'It was pretty traumatic,' he says.
Ryder was among an army of volunteers who helped rebuild trails, bridges and boardwalks, though many trails have permanently disappeared.
'In restoring K-Country, I think in a lot of ways, we restored ourselves,' he says.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025.