Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park
| Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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Cypress Hills
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 Location of Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park in Canada
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| Location | Cypress County, Alberta / Maple Creek No. 111, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Nearest city | Medicine Hat, AB; Swift Current, SK |
| Coordinates | 49°34′31″N 110°00′23″W / 49.57528°N 110.00639°WCoordinates: 49°34′31″N 110°00′23″W / 49.57528°N 110.00639°W |
| Area | 400 km2 (150 sq mi) |
| Established | 1951 (Alberta) 1989 (interprovincial) |
| Governing body | Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation and Saskatchewan Environment |
Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park is an interprovincial park straddling the southern Alberta-Saskatchewan boundary, located southeast of Medicine Hat. It is Canada's first and only interprovincial park.
The park consists of two protected areas, the 345 km2 (133 sq mi) west block, that straddles the Alberta/Saskatchewan boundary between Alberta Highway 41, the townsite of Elkwater, Saskatchewan Highway 615, Saskatchewan Highway 271 and Fort Walsh, and the centre block, an additional area of 58 km2 (22 sq mi) in Saskatchewan, west of Saskatchewan Highway 21.
The Cypress Hills plateau rises up to 200 metres above the surrounding prairie, to a maximum elevation of 1,468 metres (4,816 ft) at "Head of the Mountain" at the west end in Alberta, making it Canada's highest point between the Canadian Rockies and the Labrador peninsula. Eastward across the boundary is the highest point in Saskatchewan, at 1,392 metres (4,567 ft). The "West Block" of the Cypress Hills spans the provincial boundary. Battle Creek runs through the central part of the park. Although the hills seem relatively low, in a larger geographic context the plateau does rise gradually from many kilometres away so that the total elevation gain from Medicine Hat is approximately 600 metres.
Approximately 700 species of plants and animals thrive in the park, including 14 species of orchids.
The park protects the majority of the Cypress Hills landscape, which consists of three separate elevated blocks of lush forest and fescue grassland surrounded by dry mixed-grass prairie. The "west block" and "centre block" are protected as provincial parks, and are managed by Alberta Parks and Protected Areas and Saskatchewan Parks, respectively. The "east block" of the Cypress Hills, situated near Eastend, Saskatchewan, is not part of the park. The Fort Walsh National Historic Site is also located in the park's limits.
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