PaRx has officially launched in every province across Canada. Stay tuned for upcoming launches in the North.
Visit BC Parks Foundation's website for volunteer or career opportunities with PaRx.
Please get in touch via our Contact page or send us an email at parx@bcparksfoundation.ca to explore a possible partnership.
Any healthcare professional governed by a regulatory body or college in Canada can choose to register to become a PaRx prescriber. This varies between provinces and territories. Please check with your healthcare association to determine if your health profession is currently regulated in your jurisdiction.
Prescribers can prescribe 1 Parks Canada Discovery Pass per month, which gives patients unlimited access to over 80 national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas for a year. Please prioritize patients who live close to Parks Canada administered sites, and for whom the cost of a pass would be a barrier to nature access. Note that youth 17 and under enjoy free access to Parks Canada administered locations. You can find a step-by-step guide on how to prescribe a Parks Canada Discovery Pass here.
PaRx is on a mission to connect people to nature across Canada, no matter where they live. In addition to the positive health effects of spending time in nature patients enjoy with a PaRx prescription, we’re also collaborating with other nature-based organizations to offer free admission, discounts and other benefits to reduce their barriers to nature access. Find a list of PaRx Partner Offers by region here.
Please note that although you can only prescribe one Parks Canada Discovery Pass per month, general PaRx prescriptions are unlimited.
Any team of healthcare professionals can register together in bulk, rather than individually on our website here. To get started, please get in touch with us via our Contact page or send us an email at parx@bcparksfoundation.ca.
In order to participate in our program, patients must receive a nature prescription from a registered PaRx prescriber enrolled in our program. If your healthcare provider is not registered with us, consider telling them about PaRx during your next regularly scheduled appointment.
Any regulated health professional in any province in Canada can prescribe nature through our program. This includes family doctors working in regular practices or walk-in clinics, other physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists and more.
Unfortunately we are unable to share lists of prescribers or connect patients to prescribers in our program due to privacy reasons.
Your PaRx prescription is meant to fit your lifestyle, so start by adding those green activities into your routine in ways that feel natural. Spending time in any kind of nature offers meaningful health benefits - whether that is walking your dog, birdwatching in a nearby green space, or gardening at home. Visit our Patient page for tips on how to make the most of your PaRx nature prescription.
Licensed healthcare professionals registered in the PaRx program may prescribe Parks Canada Discovery Passes to patients they feel will benefit most from them during the course of regular medical appointments scheduled for pre-existing health conditions.
Please do not book an appointment with a primary care provider solely to request a prescription for a pass, as this is not a visit that would be covered under provincial health insurance. Note that passes are prioritized for adults who live close to Parks Canada administered sites—youth 17 and under enjoy free access—and also for those for whom the cost of a pass would be a significant barrier to nature access.
The Parks Canada Discovery Pass gives you unlimited access to over 80 national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas for a year. Click here for a list of these locations in your region. For more information about the Discovery Pass, please visit: https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/voyage-travel/admission.
First, sign your Discovery Pass immediately so the pass is valid. When you enter a Parks Canada administered site, the Discovery Pass should be hung from the rear-view mirror of the vehicle with the date facing forward, or it can be placed on the front driver side dashboard with the date facing up. If you are motorcycling or bicycling through a national park, you must produce your pass at the gate or upon request by a Parks Canada team member. The Discovery Pass must also be presented in person at the admission kiosk of a national historic site.
The Parks Canada website provides detailed information on hours of operation, what visitors can expect, how to prepare for a visit and what services may be available. Visitors are asked to plan ahead by checking the website before they travel.
Your nature prescription is meant to be lifelong. However, if you would like a new Parks Canada Discovery Pass, please ask your healthcare provider to issue you a new PaRx prescription along with a Parks Canada Discovery Pass, and check the “I was prescribed a Parks Canada Discovery Pass” box when logging your prescription on our website.
The Parks Canada Discovery Pass is a physical pass that we mail to you, so we are unable to provide a digital copy of it. A physical pass needs to be shown at the gate or upon request by a Parks Canada team member.
As part of our partnering agreement with Parks Canada, PaRx prescribers can prescribe one Adult Parks Canada Discovery Pass per month, not a Family/Group pass. Note that youth 17 and under enjoy free access to Parks Canada administered locations.
For questions about visits to Parks Canada administered places, please consult the website of the specific place you are planning to visit. The Parks Canada website provides detailed information on hours of operation, what visitors can expect, how to prepare for a visit and what services may be available. Visitors are asked to plan ahead by checking the website before they travel.
If you have a Parks Canada Discovery Pass valid during months in which the Canada Strong Pass is valid, Parks Canada will automatically extend the pass. No action is required to get the extension. Use Park’s Canada extension calculator to see how long your pass will be extended for.
If you were prescribed a Parks Canada Discovery Pass but haven't logged it on the website yet, please log it on the website as usual.
More information about the Canada Strong Pass is available from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
