With 37 national parks spread across every province, forged by diverse landscapes including lakes, boreal forests and Pacific beaches, Canada is the ideal wilderness playground for adventurous souls.
The Green Gardens Trail is one of the most popular paths in the UNESCO-listed Gros Morne National Park, which celebrates its 50th birthday this year and remains one of the best outdoor destinations in Canada.
Untamed landscapes are a point of pride in Canada, a land laid out on such a scale that it touches three oceans. The fortress-like peaks and glacial lakes of the Rockies are the literal high-point of any journey across the country by road or scenic train, but that’s not the whole story. No matter how active you want to be, it’s easy to appreciate Canadian nature in all its forms — these five ideas for getting out into the wild begin on Atlantic shores shaped in the planet’s early years, then head west into the mountains and north towards the Arctic.
1. Best for geological wonders: Gros Morne
Despite being home to landscapes so otherworldly it’s landed its own starring role in this spring’s Disney film release, Peter Pan & Wendy, Newfoundland and Labrador remains one of Canada’s most overlooked provinces. Taking pride of place on its west coast is UNESCO-listed Gros Morne National Park, which celebrates its 50th birthday this year. Atlantic Canada’s second-largest national park, it’s a jostle of jagged cliffs knifing into deep, blue fjords, waterfalls and seaside villages. The park’s calling card is an ancient treasure — the Tablelands, a plateau pushed up from the Earth’s crust by shifts in the tectonic plates and one of only a few places in the world you can walk on the Earth’s mantle.
You don’t have to be a geologist to marvel at this monstrous upsurge of ancient history. Following the waymarked, 2.5-mile Tablelands Trail takes hikers over the ancient seabed and pits their calves against the strenuous 11-mile Gros Morne Mountain Trail for bucket-list views of the Ten Mile Pond fjord.
If you’d prefer a four-wheel adventure, try the 300-mile-long Viking Trail, which stretches from Deer Lake to St Anthony and passes through the park. Travellers with nippers in tow should try the Western Brook Pond Trail, a flat, five-mile loop ideal for short legs; spy crabs in the glass-clear water aboard rented kayaks, enjoy the kid-friendly museum at Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse or have bucket-and-spade playtime at sandy Shallow Bay Beach.
2. Best for soft adventure: Thousand Islands
One of Canada’s smallest national parks, Ontario’s Thousand Islands is located in a region of the same name, and made up of 21 isles and numerous smaller islets in the St Lawrence River, between Brockville and Kingston. Formed from the worn-down peaks of ancient mountains, much of it is open for camping — tent-cabin hybrids are a popular, family-friendly option here. Mallorytown, with its aquarium, forms the main hub. Most people get around by boat or kayak, and, come spring, the smell of maple sweet treats emanating from seasonal ‘sugar shack’ restaurants fills the air.
3. Best for a national park pilgrimage: Banff
Canada’s first national park, Banff sits in the palm of the snow-dusted Rocky Mountains and has drawn travellers to its natural hot springs since it first opened in 1885. Those mineral baths inspired the construction of the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, a 135-year-old, Scottish baronial-style castle on the shores of mint-blue Lake Louise. The action here centres around the skiing town of Banff, but the mountains are home to wildlife such as moose and grizzly bears. For the best chance of seeing them, head out at dawn or dusk and keep your eyes peeled.
Best for wildlife: Jasper
Banff’s northern, lesser-visited neighbour, Jasper, is double its size and the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies. A hiker’s region of wild peaks, it’s hard not to bump into wildlife here. Elk graze by the roadside, big horn sheep haunt the hillsides and the calls of wolves echo between the valleys. Time your visit for spring or autumn when wildlife-watching is at its zenith. Non-hikers can ride gondolas up the mountainside for superlative valley views and, come night, stay out to ogle the stars (Jasper is the second-largest Dark Sky Preserve in the world).
4. Best for hikers: Nahanni
A poster child for raw adventure, UNESCO-listed Nahanni National Park was named by the First Nation Dehcho people. Located in the Northwest Territories, it’s a jostle of vertiginous mountains cut through by the raging South Nahanni River. When winter’s grip has loosened, you can try whitewater rafting or board a scenic flight to see Virginia Falls (twice the height of Niagara). Most visitors come to attempt the Cirque of the Unclimables, a cluster of steep, granite peaks, including the 2,570-metre Lotus Flower Tower, considered a rite of passage for climbers in North America.
