Alberta national parks fan accounts go viral with steamy TikTok trend

Alberta’s national parks are world-renowned — places like Jasper and Banff known for their breathtaking mountains, serene forests and clear blue waters. Now, they’re also gaining a new reputation: being a little… spicy.

Fan accounts of some of Canada’s national parks have jumped aboard a viral TikTok trend that uses risqué content to draw attention to the great outdoors. The trend began in the United States, with a Yellowstone National Park-themed parody account blending real park footage with videos of adult content creators — one of whom is Johnathon Caine Walton.

“I was away on vacation when all this happened. I was out of cell range, I was fly fishing in the mountains,” Walton said. “So I just picked up my phone and naturally, notifications, everything was flooded with just tons of national parks being tagged. That’s much different than what my notifications usually look like. So yeah, it was very surprising.”

The trend quickly gained traction in Canada. A Banff National Park fan account gained more than 100,000 followers in a single week by posting videos of Walton alongside educational facts about the parks.

Walton, a social media content creator and outdoor enthusiast, said he didn’t expect some of his more provocative videos to be used in this context.

“I never thought the style of videos being used of mine would be used to promote the parks,” he said. “Like maybe one of my fishing videos or outdoor videos, but they decided to use the thirst traps. Which I guess I understand, because it draws attention. I think it’s fitting. It’s very funny. It’s enjoyable to be a part of.”

The movement took off in the U.S. following reports that president Donald Trump had proposed slashing the National Park Service’s budget and transferring some federal lands to state-level control. In response, park fans created parody accounts to spotlight what they saw as a threat to protected lands.

Canadian counterparts have picked up the trend, not only to show support but also to highlight issues closer to home — such as the receding Athabasca glacier is in the Columbia Icefields and the dangers of feeding wildlife.

While official Parks Canada accounts have no affiliation with the parody content, creators say the campaign’s purpose is gaining traction.

“The actual national park accounts, they have to stick to an agenda, they can’t really do things like this,” Walton said. “So the parody accounts sort of started doing this to bring attention to the parks, and I think it’s such a fun spin-off, to have different worlds come together to bring attention to the parks.”

Walton hasn’t yet made his first trip to Canada, but says he now has even more reason to visit. Asked whether he’d pick Jasper or Banff as a destination, he couldn’t decide.

“Can I say both? Am I allowed to say both?” he said. “When I’m researching, correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s like a three-hour drive between the two parks? So if I’m going to make the trip all the way to Canada to fish, I might as well just visit both.”