Wild Canada
Although it has compelling urban spaces, you won’t truly get a handle on the essence of Canada until you spend some time journeying through and soaking up its huge breadth of natural landscapes. This is a country that can at times still seem like an alluringly unexplored wilderness, with untamed rivers, quiet lakes, isolated coastline and lofty mountains. With abundant flora and fauna – much of it found in the extensive network of national and provincial parks – as well as countless opportunities for outdoor activities, it’s nature that is likely to provide the most abiding memories of any Canadian twist.
Landscapes
Canada encompasses virtually every possible terrain, from the desert-like Saskatchewan badlands and temperate rainforests of British Columbia, to New Brunswick’s rugged shores and the wildlife-rich forests and parkland of the country’s central interior.
Foremost in the public imagination are the jagged mountains, pristine lakes and massive glaciers of the Rockies, particularly in the Banff, Jasper, Yoho and Kootenay regions. Less well-known but equally awe-inspiring are Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba, a vast piece of escarpment rising out of the prairies, and Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula, home to fine, lakeside hiking and a magnet for divers. This medley of geography continues as you move into Quebec’s Gaspe region, particularly at Forillon and l’Île-Bonaventure parks, which combine rolling hills and wildflower-strewn meadows with glimpses of stunning waterscapes.
With all of this it’s easy to forget the western and easternmost coasts. Yet Pacific Rim National Park’s Long Beach in the west is one of the continent’s greatest stretches of wild shoreline, and in the east, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Highlands and Newfoundland embrace a collection of sheer cliffs, quiet beaches, remote coves and atmospheric fishing villages.
Outdoor activities
Having so much variety and space makes Canada an outdoor enthusiast’s dream destination. Wherever you are, you can be sure you’re never that far away from an opportunity to hike, ride, camp or mountain-bike. You may have to plan a bit more carefully or travel a little farther if you want to downhill or cross-country ski, snowboard, ice-climb or give something like snowmobiling, dog-sledding or snow-shoeing a shot - but even then the 42 national and countless hundreds of provincial parks make indulging in the great outdoors easy. Urban tastes won’t be disappointed either - run along Ottawa’s Kideau Canal, cycle Vancouver’s Stanley Park Seawall or inline skate Calgary’s riverside pathways.
Fishing, canoeing, kayaking and other watery activities — including whale watching — are widely available; Ontario alone has an estimated 250,000 lakes and 35,000km of waterways, 25,000km of which have been mapped out as superb canoe routes. Complementing the varied terrain and spectacular scenery is an invariably excellent infrastructure. In most places you’ll be able to turn up, ask some questions, rent some gear and get going.
The best parks to…
Canoe: It’s pure paddling pleasure in Ontario, with Point Pelee National Park’s winding freshwater marshes and Algonquin National Park’s network of lakes.
Drive: Jasper’s Icefields Parkway is a superlative mountain drive, but the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Highlands is a fine maritime alternative.
Hike: Banff’s credentials can’t be denied, but to escape the crowds, head to Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland.
Raft: Nahanni National Park in the Northwest Territories just edges Jasper for wild white-water thrills.
Soak: In Radium or Banff Upper hot springs in the Rockies: both offer steaming waters to soothe the tired traveller.
Island hop: British Columbia’s lush Gulf Islands or the islets of Quebec’s Mingan Archipelago, both national park reserves.
Flora and Fauna
The best place for wildlife sightings are the national parks designated to help preserve specific plants or animals. These include Wood Buffalo, in the Northwest Territories and Alberta, designed to conserve the Wood bison, and Tuktut Nogait, in the Northwest Territories, which protects the calving grounds of the Bluenose caribou.
Still, a sighting of some sort – a swathe of spring wildflowers, a moose lumbering into the roadside trees, a black bear sniffing at the water’s edge – is almost guaranteed in any park, and there are other top natural attractions that are also easily seen.
Among them are the ancient cedars – some over one thousand years old – in the rainforest of British Columbia’s Mount Revelstoke National Park. Elsewhere, there’s no need to go trekking to see the distinctive spiralled horns of Dall Sheep; they’ll probably be grazing happily near the highway in the Yukon. Elk, too, are common, and still amble around Banff’s streets, despite rangers’ best efforts to discourage them. Far more intimidating are polar bears, which can be seen near Churchill, Manitoba at Wapusk National Park, one of the world’s largest denning areas for this magnificent animal. Aquatic encounters also abound, with sea otters and sea lions bobbing about off Vancouver Island’s west coast. Plenty of whales seasonally patrol the same waters, as well as those off the coastal parks of Quebec and the Maritimes.
Spring brings a carpet of flowers to most parks, especially high alpine meadows, but Nunavut’s Auyuittuq or Sirmilik national parks are renowned for the remarkable June or July blooming of the otherwise barren tundra.