As published in the Banff Crag and Canyon, August 28, 2001

SuperGuide to the Rockies

Books in the Altitude SuperGuide series resemble an encyclopedia in a paperback and the newest in the collection is no exception.

The Canmore & Kananaskis SuperGuide, by Canmore author and photographer, Ward Cameron, contains 256 pages filled with information on the area, including special events, restaurants, galleries, grocery shopping, natural and human history and dozens and dozens of striking colour photographs.

The book is actually a second edition to the Kananaskis guidebook published in 1995, Cameron said, with the addition of a comprehensive section on Canmore and an extended hiking trail section.

"It's exciting for it to finally come out," Cameron said. "There's not a single book on Canmore in terms of tourism literature."

The only books ever written about Canmore, Cameron said, deal exclusively with the Town's history.

"Canmore is such a diverse community, starting as a mine and expanding into tourism and not stopping, just growing and growing. The eastern slopes is just such a moving target," Cameron said. "What I'm hoping is that this book does become the main reference for Kananaskis and Canmore."

The dynamic nature of the area presented constant challenges, Cameron said, including having three more provincial parks designated in K-Country the very next day after the book hit the shelves.

For visitors, the information contained in the Canmore & Kananaskis SuperGuide is invaluable.

Over the past few years Canmore has grown and developed into a first rate vacation destination of its own, instead of an add-on to those visiting Banff just a few minutes down the road.

The sheer volume of Cameron's carefully compiled facts on the people, wildlife and natural environment of Canmore, right down to where to go for a dip on a hot summer afternoon, is testimony to town's value as a vacation destination in its own right.

Like the others in the SuperGuide series, the book is filled with treasures and tidbits not only of interest to those visiting, but which even longtime locals might find amusing, surprising and informative.