 To the peak of adventure
Gazing at the countless mountain peaks of Jasper National Park, the fact that they were once the floor of an ancient sea defies comprehension. Yet, 150 million years ago, two of the earth's continental plates began pressing against each other, forcing the seabed to break apart and fold upwards. Today, it towers above us as the Rocky Mountains.
Canada's First Nations people were the first humans to travel through these mountains. Then the Europeans came, driven by the fur trade that pushed them ever westward. The rocky cliffs and ice-clad peaks they encountered must have seemed impenetrable, a formidable landscape that continues to steal people's breath away hundreds of years later.
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To this day, people come from around the world to explore the soaring mountains, active glaciers and rugged backcountry of Jasper National Park. Founded in 1907, this vast 10,878 sq km (4,200 sq mi) territory is also part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site that was established in 1984. Here, herds of elk, bighorn sheep and the endangered woodland caribou still range. Despite summer's warmth, numerous peaks remain white with snow while glaciers from the last ice age pour in slow motion from the heights.
Ancient legends echo in the valleys below, their captivating power seemingly unchanged by the passage of time, beckoning visitors to countless sites and across some 1,300 km (808 mi) of trails that they can explore on foot, mountain bike or horseback.
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The coin
This 20 dollar coin is certified to be 99.99% fine silver with a weight of 31.39 grams and a diameter of 38 millimetres. Designed by Canadian artist Michelle Grant, it features the dramatic rock face of Mount Edith Cavell, one of the parks most recognized peaks that served as an important landmark during the days of the fur trade. The obverse features the portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11 by artist Susanna Blunt.
In a presentation case / display stand.
$79.95 CDN
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