Located in the heart of the spectacular Kananaskis Valley, Nakiska was specifically designed to host the alpine events of the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. Also known as Mount Allan, Nakiska is set within Kananaskis Country, a popular 4250 sq km/1615 sq mile) outdoor recreation area located an hour's drive southwest of Calgary (110km/68 miles) spanning both the foothills and the Rockies. Within Kananaskis Country there are 4 provincial parks; Peter Lougheed, Bow Valley, Bragg Creek and Elbow/Sheep Wilderness. The area is a real winter playground with a host of winter activities including cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating and dog sledding as well as downhill skiing and snowboarding. Accommodation is directly adjacent to Nakiska in Kananaskis Village.

When Captain John Palliser led a British scientific expedition through this area between 1857 and 1860, he wrote in his journal about the legend of an Indian named Kananaskis, "giving account of his most wonderful recovery from the blow of an axe to his head, which stunned but failed to kill him". Palliser gave the name Kananaskis to the Bow River tributary in the area. He named the Kananaskis River and the pass that he crossed, the Kananaskis Pass, which led him through the Rocky Mountains. The word Kananaskis is said to mean "meeting of the waters".

Today Kananaskis Country is not only a multi-use recreational area, but other activities such as timber harvesting, ranching and natural gas operations also co-exist with the diversity of recreational uses. Alberta's youngest Rocky Mountain resort, Nakiska was designed using computer technology to best create long, wide, fall-line runs, perfect for ski racing during the Olympics and now a cruiser's paradise.

The layout of the ski trails is simple and very user-friendly with expert terrain primarily at the top of the mountain, intermediate runs in the middle and beginner areas at its base. Skiers and snowboarders can depend on quality snow coverage as Nakiska is equipped with extensive and sophisticated snowmaking systems. This combined with a commitment to world class grooming makes Nakiska a great choice for those that enjoy long cruising runs on the "picture-perfect" corduroy daily snow reports consistently speak of.

Only 30 minutes drive away through some spectacular wilderness is the neighbouring ski resort of Fortress Mountain. Lift tickets are transferable so you can ski the 2 areas in one day. The town of Canmore 60km/37 miles is considered to be the residential community of the area with an established infrastructure geared towards an outdoor lifestyle. Canmore Nordic Centre, which hosted the cross-country skiing, biathlon and nordic combined events of the XV Winter Olympics is considered to have some of the best developed nordic ski trails anywhere in the world.