Environments of the cordillera

The cordillera is a veritable jewel box whose spectacular and varied landscapes offer the gamut of climates, topographies and vegetation. It features the highest peaks in Canada, eternally capped in snow, as well as densely forested valleys, dry and arid plateaus, and coastal plains.

The mountain and coastal forests contain tree species not found anywhere else in Canada, such as western hemlock, western red cedar and Rocky Mountain fir. These trees sometimes assume gigantic proportions.