Two hours from Jasper sits the largest world heritage site you’ve never heard of.

The Burgess Shale is widely considered the most important fossil bed in the world. More than two-hundred species from the Cambrian era – 500 million years ago – have been identified through study of the small site, which offers picture perfect remnants of the Cambrian explosion. A period of time where the signposts of modern life: backbones, complex muscle structures – appeared for the first time on the planet.

The site is so well preserved thanks to its proximity to something called the cathedral escarpment, which acted as a protective layer for limestone and shale for half a billion years. The conditions allowed even the organs of the species to be preserved, and countless large scientific finds have emerged from its slope.

I had the opportunity Saturday to visit the site as part of a Parks Canada tour of the Shale. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the discovery, Parks has re-introduced hikes to the site. Previously, only 1500 people a year were able to visit the Burgess Shale. Due to threat of thievery on the hike, visits must be limited, and are held under parks supervision. Samples of Burgess Shale specimens have turned up on ebay, commanding prices in the thousands of dollars. Mind you, posting stolen fossils on ebay is a pretty easy way to get caught. Fines are in the avenue of $25,000 to $50,000.

The ten hour hike through Walcott pass by Emerald Lake is picturesque, and should be no problem for those used to longer day trips in Jasper. A duffer of a hiker myself, I survived the meandering pace interjected with a fine commentary by parks Burgess Shale interpreter Claudia Harding, which was the perfect mixture of fine story-telling and scientific fact.

Upon arriving at the Burgess Shale, hundreds of fossils appear at your feet. Those inclined can spend hours flipping pieces of shale (technically it’s slate) discovering strange pieces of animals long deceased. While some of the species are forefathers for much of the sea life we see today, others did not survive the next jump in evolution.

The specimens are frankly otherworldly. Odd tentacles and antennae stretch out, masterfully preserved by an odd phenomena that stopped the regular decomposition cycle half a billion years ago. The alien nature of the cambrian creatures has inspired several science fiction creations, but one still marvels at the fact these creatures, so ancient and far removed from what one see today, formed the basis for our own existence. One also must wonder how drastically different the world would be today if some of those struggles for survival, in the muck of the Cambrian era, had turned out differently? Is our own existence accident or proof of the survival of the fittest doctrine?