Home: Foothills

The Foothills Region

Most Albertans are familiar with the Upper and Lower Foothill regions of their province adjacent to the Rocky Mountains which, together with the Rockies, are commonly referred to as the Eastern Slopes. Comprised of flat-topped hills that rise 300 to 600 metres above the surrounding lowlands, the Foothills are not only a region of majestic beauty, they are also home to some of the most interesting species in the province, including the most inland race of grizzly bears in North America. The Foothill region however, also covers a large area northwest of the town of Peace River, extending from the Eastern Slopes northeast to the Swan Hills.

The Foothills Natural Region is transitional zone situated between the Rocky Mountain Natural Region and the Boreal Forest Natural Region. It consists of two subregions, the Lower Foothills and the Upper Foothills. It occurs from about Turner Valley in the south, north along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains in a gradually widening belt, and also includes several outlying hill masses such as the Swan Hills, Pelican Mountain, and the Naylor Hills.

Check out the Provincial Museum of Alberta Habitat Gallery Audio!

• The Mule Deer

The free downloadable RealPlayer plugin from RealNetworks is required to listen to the audio.

All kids and fun-loving adults will want to check out the Flash Zone to interact with species of the Foothills, including the Black Bear and Prickly Rose.

The free downloadable Flash Player plugin from Macromedia may be required.

[Lower Foothills][Upper Foothills]
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