About Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it called the Cypress Hills?
The French and Metis in the area had mistakenly referred to the abundant lodgepole trees as jackpine. In the French language jackpine is cypres. This was then mistranslated by English speaking settlers who began referring to the region as Cypress, even though there are no cypress trees in the area.
What is the elevation of the park?
Fort Walsh, Saskatchewan sits at 1392 meters (4,567 feet) above sea level.
Bald Butte in the Center Block of Saskatchewan sits at 1275 meters (4,183 feet) above sea level.
And the Elkwater, Alberta townsite sits at 1234 meters (4048 feet) above sea level.
Where is the highest point?
The highest point in the park is at "Head of the Mountain" located at the west end in Alberta at approximately 1466 meters (4810 feet).
How did the park lakes originate?
Elkwater Lake Alberta is a naturally occurring, spring fed body of water.
Spruce Coulee Reservoir and Reesor Lake are dammed reservoirs, constructed in the 1960's.
During the late 20's early 30's relief workers dammed the naturally occurring springs creating Loch Leven and Loch Lomond in Cypress Saskatchewan.
