[1] One of the largest provincial parks in Alberta, it encompasses 304 square kilometres (117 sq mi) around Kananaskis Lakes.

The park provides amenities for camping and fishing along with trails for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing.

Key people in creating the park were Bill Milne, a Calgary architect and environmentalist and Alberta Highways Minister and area MLA Clarence Copithorne.

Clarence Copithorne was a rancher and planned to upgrade the road access into the Kananaskis Valley to direct people away from ranchlands.

Legend says Premier Lougheed created the park after a single helicopter flight over the area arranged by Milne and Copithorne.