Photography and Filming in Wood Buffalo National Park

• Productions involving minimal equipment and crew size.
• Productions with minimum impact on the environment and visitors, e.g, avoiding locations that are more popular visitor attractions.
• Productions contributing to public awareness, appreciation and understanding of Canada’s national parks and Parks Canada.
• Productions that work with and respectfully incorporate the story of our Indigenous partners in the history and management of the parks.

Wood Buffalo National Park can be a year round filming destination and has hosted film projects in all seasons. It depends on the nature of your project and what you hope to capture. Spring colors are bright and bold as the land awakens from the cold. Summer is generally hot and beautiful with long, long days, but it can be a bit buggy for film crews. Fall is beautiful with the return of the night and a cooling that drops the bug numbers. The golden fall colors can be spectacular in contrast with the red samphire on the white Salt Plains. Winter holds its own wonders with snow laden trees and the enchanting Ice Road through the forest. Wild life can be seen along the roads depending on your patience and their cooperation year round with sightings of wood bison, black bear, lynx, wolves, moose and more. When the night sky returns Wood Buffalo’s status as the world’s largest Dark Sky Preserve steps up and you may see and film spectacular starry night skies and, when present, Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) shows that you will not soon forget.

The park is accessible by road year round via the fully chip sealed Highway 5 through Northern Alberta and Hay River to Fort Smith. There is also scheduled air access to Fort Smith and Fort Chipewyan through Edmonton and Yellowknife. Once in the communities you can access the park through automobile, hiking, bicycling, paddling, motor boat, skiing, snow shoeing and by charter helicopter. There is also charter float plane access to the communities of Fort Smith and Fort Chipewyan. Winter access is provided via the winter Ice Road between Fort Mc Murray, Fort Chipewyan and Fort Smith as well as the year round chip sealed Highway 5 from Fort Smith to Hay River and Enterprise with all road accessible points north or south from there.

Please contact Park staff for more information.

Parks Canada can help you with filming questions and ideas, but your application should include a detailed list of proposed filming locations and a filming schedule. We understand schedules change and we can try to accommodate changes. Providing specific dates and location information ensures a timely process for you and gives us a better idea of what is possible. We strongly recommend researching and scouting locations before submitting an application.

Fees may be reduced for proposals that assist Parks Canada in meeting its mandate and provide direct benefits to the park. An example of a direct benefit would be sharing of photos / footage for educational use by Parks Canada. Refer to list of fee reductions in the Film Guidelines for more details.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones) are increasing in popularity for hobbyists, photographers, and businesses. In national parks, the Canadian Aviation Regulations, and National Parks of Canada Aircraft Access Regulations, prohibit the take-off and landing a drone without a Parks Canada Restricted Activity Permit. Only Field Unit Superintendents may permit the use of unmanned aerial vehicles over Parks Canada property for purposes directly related to protected heritage area administration.

National parks, national historic sites, and national marine conservation areas represent the very best that Canada has to offer. This restriction in Parks Canada’s protected areas is important to ensure the safety of wildlife and the quality of the visitor experiences. This is consistent with how UAVs are managed in other protected sites.

Contravention of these regulations may result in law enforcement action, including a $3000 fine for flying too high or too close to buildings, people or wildlife.

Members of the public observing the use of drones are invited to contact the visitor information centre or park warden office in the park/site where use of the drone was observed or by calling our general information line toll-free at 1-888-773-8888.

Agency-approved drone usage supports Parks Canada’s mandate to protect ecological and commemorative integrity while presenting national parks, historic sites, and marine conservation areas to the public. A Field Unit Superintendent may authorize the use of drones for natural or cultural resource management, public safety, law enforcement, or park/site management purposes, including filming for outreach, education and promotional purposes. Parks Canada’s use of drones is carefully controlled.

The use of drones for research purposes directly related to park/site management may be authorized by a Field Unit Superintendent. A permit application and subsequent approval process is required.

The use of drones for commercial filming purposes may be authorized by a Field Unit Superintendent – similar to the use of helicopters or other filming methods. A permit application and subsequent approval process is required.

• Parks Canada manages one of the finest and most extensive systems of protected natural and cultural heritage areas in the world. A Field Unit Superintendent may authorize limited use for natural and cultural resource management, public safety, law enforcement, or park/site management purposes, including filming for outreach, education and promotional purposes.
• A permit must be sought from each national park or historic site before a drone can be operated because some commercial filming or research may support needs and goals associated with park or site management in one protected place but not in another.