Aprovincial park (orterritorial park) is apark administered by one of theprovinces of a country, as opposed to anational park. They are similar tostate parks in other countries. They are typically open to the public for recreation. Their environment may be more or less strictly protected.
Provincial parks (Spanish:Parques Provinciales) in theMisiones Province of Argentina include theUrugua-í Provincial Park andEsmeralda Provincial Park.[1][2]TheIschigualasto Provincial Park, also called Valle de la Luna ("Valley of the Moon" or "Moon Valley") due to its otherworldly appearance, is a provincial protected area in the north-east ofSan Juan Province, north-western Argentina.[3]TheAconcagua Provincial Park is inMendoza Province. The highest point is the north summit of the Cerro Aconcagua at 6,962 metres (22,841 ft).[4]TheParque Provincial Pereyra Iraola is the largesturban park in theBuenos Aires Province.[5] It is the richest center of biodiversity in the province.[6]
Provincial parks in Belgium (Dutch:provinciale domeinen,French:domaines provinciaux) include Bois des Rêves,[7] Chevetogne,[8] Hélécine,[9] Palogne,[10] and Wégimont.[11]These are typically public areas administered by theprovince for outdoor recreation such as swimming, canoeing, hiking and camping, with few or no fully protected portions.
Provincial parks in Canada areprotected areas of land and/or water designated by one of the provincial governments to protect nature or historical sites and to support recreation, tourism and education.The first provincial park,Queen Victoria Park inNiagara Falls, opened in 1888.[12] The largest is the 2,355,200-hectare (5,820,000-acre)Polar Bear Provincial Park onHudson Bay.[13]
Although provincial parks in Canada are not the same asnational parks, their structures and purposes are very similar. The provincial and territorial parks systems generally have various park categories. Parks may be ecological reserves without facilities for use by the general public, day use parks or recreational parks that offer many services to visitors, often includingbicycle,canoe, orkayak rentals,camping sites,hiking trails andbeaches.In the province ofQuebec, the provincial parks are labelled "national parks" and are allIUCN category II protected areas (like at the federal level, and as opposed to many provincial parks), and are managed bySociété des établissements de plein air du Québec. Many parks in the other provinces have the IUCN designation.[citation needed]
Nwanedi Provincial Park is a scenic nature and game reserve on the foothills of the Venda mountains in the northern part of theLimpopo province ofSouth Africa.[14]Mokolo Dam Provincial Park almost surrounds theMokolo Dam on theMokolo River. It is located 32 km south ofLephalale, just northeast of theMarakele National Park and not far from theLapalala Game Reserve.[15]Letaba Ranch Provincial Park in Limpopo Province is north ofPhalaborwa, next to theKruger Park and has an area of about 42,000 ha. TheLetaba River runs through the park.[16]