Burgess Shale
Canada UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Burgess Shale is a paleontological site and geological shale formation that is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the 93 most looked-up sights in Canada and ranks 27th among the country's sights on English Wikipedia.
Planning a visit
The climate varies by month, with the warmest daytime highs of 15 °C occurring in July and August. These months also see around 16 rainy days. The coldest period is in December, when daytime highs reach -13 °C and lows drop to -19 °C. Other months experience temperatures ranging from -11 °C in January to 11 °C in June.
To reach the site, you can fly into Calgary International Airport, which is 174 km away. The location is 3,040 km from Ottawa. Visitors can combine a trip to the Burgess Shale with nearby locations such as the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site, which is 1.3 km away, or Yoho National Park, located 4.4 km from the site. Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are also nearby, at 16.7 km and 23.1 km respectively.
Weather by month
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 15 °C. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high, °C | -11 | -8 | -3 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 2 | -7 | -13 |
| Average low, °C | -17 | -16 | -12 | -7 | -3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | -8 | -15 | -19 |
| Rainfall, mm | 103 | 63 | 62 | 61 | 85 | 124 | 117 | 106 | 87 | 80 | 106 | 95 |
| Rainy days | 17 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 17 |
Temperatures and rainfall: 1981–2010 averages for this spot (4 km grid), from CHELSA. Rainy days: 2015–2024, NASA POWER.
