The Caribou Mountains are a mountain range surrounding an elevated plateau in northern

Northern Alberta

Northern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.Its primary industry is oil and gas, with large heavy oil reserves being exploited at the Athabasca Oil Sands and Wabasca Area in the east of the region...

 Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 and which rise north of the lower Peace River

Peace River (Canada)

The Peace River is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River flows into the Slave River, a tributary of the Mackenzie River. The Mackenzie is the 12th longest river in the world,...

, and are bounded to the north and east by the Wood Buffalo National Park

Wood Buffalo National Park

Wood Buffalo National Park, located in northeastern Alberta and southern Northwest Territories, is the largest national park in Canada at . The park was established in 1922 to protect the world's largest herd of free roaming Wood Bison, currently estimated at more than 5,000...

.

The mountains reach an elevation of 1030 m (3,379 ft), almost 700 m (2,297 ft) higher than the surrounding area, and have a unique environment, including fragile wetland

Wetland

A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....

s and an elevated plateau that is the core habitat

Habitat

* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...

 of a threatened woodland caribou herd.

The Caribou Mountains Wildland Park

Caribou Mountains Wildland Park

Caribou Mountains Wildland Park is a large wilderness area in northern Alberta, Canada. It is located in the Caribou Mountains, immediately west of Wood Buffalo National Park in a remote backcountry area. The closest community in Alberta is Fort Vermilion....

is protecting the particular environment of the region.