CALGARY -- Located right at the Canada-U.S. border, Waterton Lakes National Park is known for lush grasslands, mountain vistas, herds of bison and fast internet speeds.
That's according to a recent study conducted by Speedtest.net, a web-based service that provides detailed analyses of Internet access performance metrics.
Three of Canada's mountain parks, all of which are in Alberta, had the top mobile download speeds, with Waterton Lakes National Park taking the top spot.
"Waterton Lakes National Park had the fastest median download speed during the period. Jasper and Banff were second and third, respectively. Riding Mountain National Park had the slowest median download speed, followed by Yoho National Park and Saguenay-St. Lawrence National Park. For comparison, the median mobile download speed in all of Canada was 66.90 Mbps during Q1 2021," Speedtest wrote in the study.
When it comes to 5G networks, only Banff and Jasper National Parks had enough samples to make the list.
"5G offers the fastest speeds for travelers looking to make arrangements on the go or tether to a laptop to fit in a few hours of remote work," the report reads. "Data from Android users with 5G-capable phones during Q3 2020-Q1 2021 showed 36 national parks in the U.S. and two in Canada with sufficient samples to confirm 5G at least somewhere in the park."
While it's good to have high download speeds inside a remote location like a national park, Speedtest says it only means something when you can acquire a signal for your device.
It says while Waterton has the fastest speed among all Canadian national parks, visitors will only find reliable service in certain areas.
"Travelers will only find reliable 4G service in the eastern half of the park, particularly along Highway 5, the first half of Red Rock Parkway, and the road to the Waterton Valley View Point," it said. "There’s also spotty connectivity on the Crypt Lake Trail."
As Parks Canada has warned visitors, there is no cell coverage in B.C.'s Kootenay National Park.
Speedtest says their research has confirmed that claim.
"We saw almost no service along Highway 93 along the length of the park. There were small pockets of 4G service near the Stanley Glacier and Radium Hot Springs, but visitors facing an emergency will likely need to seek out the emergency phone at Kootenay Crossing as advised by the Park."
