Top 10 Things to Do in Canada's National Parks
A
backcountry skier slips down a couloir on Bow Peak in Banff National Park.
Photograph
by Ryan Creary, Photolibrary
- Spot Polar Bears in Wapusk
This Manitoba park’s name means “white bear” in the
Cree language, and for good reason—the remote realm on the shores of Hudson Bay
is one of the world’s biggest polar bear denning sites.
The bears can be seen by visitors on organized “tundra
buggy” tours that originate in nearby
Churchill but often fill up well ahead of
time. Bears congregate near the shoreline and prepare to take to the ice in
October and November, while in late February and March Wapusk is one of the few
places where people can get close enough to observe young cubs with their
mothers.
Hardy winter visitors to this subarctic spot can also
see the Cape Churchill caribou herd and have an excellent chance to enjoy one
of nature’s best sky shows, the aurora borealis.
- Drive the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton Highlands
The Cabot Trail rambles for 185 miles around Cape
Breton, stretching along some of Canada’s most scenic shoreline and clinging to
precipitous cliffs before plunging through the thick forests that cover the
island’s mountainous interior. Much of this journey is through Cape Breton Highlands National Park, a fantastic
Nova Scotia landscape of windswept heights and barrens, beaches, bogs, lakes,
and forests. The ride may well result in a rare opportunity to spot both whales
and moose.
Cape Breton also offers a chance to experience the
Gaelic culture of Atlantic coast communities like Ingonish and, across the
island, French-speaking Acadian culture in Gulf of St. Lawrence towns like
Chéticamp. When driving the trail between the two a counterclockwise direction
enhances the dramatic coastline views—but the faint of heart often reverse the
route. Cycling the trail is also popular for those who prefer to stretch their
legs.
- Ski Banff
This jewel of the Canadian Rockies is a paradise for
powder lovers, who have their choice of three major resorts within the park’s
boundaries: Lake Louise Ski Area, Sunshine Village, and Mount Norquay.
Away from the lifts, miles of snowy trails tempt
cross-country skiers and snowshoers, and backcountry adventure options are
limited only by the imagination. Skating, horse-drawn sleighs, and even dogsled
rides are also on offer for those who enjoy the stark beauty and chill air of a
Banff winter. All cold-weather pursuits are best followed by a relaxing soak in
the warm waters of famous spring-fed pools, such as Upper Hot Springs.
- Go Backcountry in Jasper
The largest national park in the Canadian Rockies
features some stunning scenic drives, but its real essence is a vast roadless
realm where grizzlies, moose, and elk are more numerous than people. The park’s
superlative mountain scenery of towering peaks, glaciers, flower-filled
meadows, and roaring rivers can be explored on 620 miles of trails for hiking
and biking. Eighty-two established backcountry campsites invite extended
exploration—and you won’t be in a hurry to leave.
For those seeking a bit more comfort, Jasper also has a network of backcountry lodges
that cater to everyone from horse packers to skiers, and the Alpine Club of
Canada maintains four alpine huts for climbers who test themselves on the
park’s peaks.
- Go Birding at Point Pelee
This park is tiny by Canadian standards and perhaps
the country’s least “wild,” but Point Pelee offers at least one sight none
other can match—an absolutely world-class birder’s haven.
In mid-May, when the spring birding season is in full
swing (and so are the crowds), 386 migrating species of warblers, flycatchers,
thrushes, and other birds use the park as a stopover. Birds flock during the
fall months as well, and in mid-September monarch butterflies depart en masse
for winter in Mexico.
Not all of Point Pelee’s avian species are transients.
The park’s freshwater marshes and Carolinian forest host fine breeding habitat
for species not commonly seen in Canada. Park visitors hoping to spot species
can stroll on boardwalks across the marshes, stretch their legs on hiking and
biking trails, or take to the park’s waters in a canoe.
6. Bike Kouchibouguac
The park’s 37 miles of dedicated bikeways make
Kouchibouguac a favorite cycling destination in Atlantic Canada.
Family-friendly, flat gravel paths make it easy to explore a number of scenic
cycling loops from 9 to 17 miles long. Cyclists can mix and match rides to take
in a full share of Kouchibouguac’s beautiful coastal landscape, which includes
bogs, salt marshes, tidal rivers, dunes, fields, and forests. Cool off
afterwards with a swim on one of the park’s many outstanding beaches and relax
at night under spectacular stars—the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada has
designated Kouchibouguac as a Dark Sky Preserve.
- Spot Whales in Forillon
Forillon sits at the tip of Quebec’s Gaspé
Peninsula, where the continental Appalachian Mountains terminate in a dramatic
display of limestone cliffs that tower over the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Hiking
trails here wander along the dizzying heights of those seaside cliffs and
highlands, looking down on coves, beaches, and fishing villages and out to
waters teeming with wildlife, including six different species of whales and
porpoises.
Sea kayaking in park waters is also spectacular and
offers prime views of cliffs hosting sea bird colonies. Inshore, most of
Forillon is heavily forested, and walkers may find moose, bears, foxes, or lynx
on the trail—as well as some 700 plant species, including flora typically found
only in arctic or alpine environments.
- Get Wet at Gwaii Haanas
Gwaii Haanas is a unique patchwork of protected areas
that stretches from the seafloor to the top of the archipelago’s highest peaks.
Diving here is for experts but offers great rewards; snorkeling allows everyone
to explore the incredible underwater realm of the National Marine Conservation
Area Reserve.
Kayakers can paddle around the islands for weeks, alone
(if suitably experienced) or as part of organized tours. Larger boats also ply
these waters—and from their decks passengers can observe whales, dolphins,
orcas, and even colonies of sea lions. Don’t forget to spend some time on dry
land as well. The islands are rich in indigenous flora and fauna, some of which
can’t be found on the mainland, and are home to the unique 12,000-year-old
culture of the Haida people, who host visitors here.
- Paddle Nahanni
Tackling Nahanni’s wild rivers is the trip of a lifetime
for canoeists, kayakers, and whitewater rafters. The Northern Territories park
reserve has a smorgasbord of epic river trips that last from several days to
several weeks. (Yes, Nahanni is that big.)
Potential paddlers take heed—the South Nahanni River
isn’t for the inexperienced. The remote river is wild in every sense of the
word, and its course is lined with canyons, waterfalls, whirlpools, and raging
rapids. But a wide selection of guided outfitters can make runs on the park’s
rivers safely accessible for most people, and some mellower options exist to
tailor trips for tamer tastes. And while running Virginia Falls is not an
option, few visitors will want to leave Nahanni without taking the time to
visit the cataract. It towers twice the height of Niagara.
- See How the Earth Moves at Gros Morne
The dynamic forces of Earth are on display in this Newfoundland park, which protects land shaped 450
million years ago by tectonic processes.
At the Tablelands, visitors can walk a near lunar
landscape of peridotite, a rock more commonly found 7.5 miles or more below the
Earth. Glaciers too have done their work here over the eons, creating valleys,
lakes, an alpine plateau, and fjords like the famed Western Brook Pond. That
dramatic waterway is framed by towering walls of rock that was once magma in
the Earth’s crust before welling up when Europe and North America separated
some 600 million years ago.
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