Big Hill Springs Provincial Park

Big Hill Springs Provincial Park in Alberta, northwest of Calgary in the Rocky Mountain foothills, is known for clear springs, small waterfalls, and mossy rocky terraces in an unusually lush setting. Its year-round stream is fed by springs that release carbon dioxide and deposit calcium carbonate, creating tufa that coats vegetation and sometimes preserves plant casts. The water rises where ancient sand and gravel deposits meet the Paskapoo Formation bedrock. The valley and Big Hill Creek reflect meltwater erosion from the end of the Wisconsin glaciation, and the park also contains ruins of a historic fish hatchery and Alberta’s first commercial creamery.

Alberta · Canada