By Berne Broudy, Jayme Moye, Men's Journal
There's no better time to visit our neighbor to the north. This year marks the 150th anniversary of Canada's independence from Britain. It's also the centennial of its national parks — which are free all year long. Here's where to go and what to do.
There's no better time to visit our neighbor to the north. This year marks the 150th anniversary of Canada's independence from Britain. It's also the centennial of its national parks — which are free all year long. Here's where to go and what to do.
Nahanni National Park Reserve Northwest Territories
[post_ads]Prepare to get your feet wet: This 11,600-square-mile UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to countless rivers and streams. Most impressive: the South Nahanni, which winds through the four towering canyons it carved in the heart of the park. Kayak, canoe, or raft its rapids, hike along its banks, scale the walls of the granite Mackenzie Mountains Ragged Range, or cast in the river's riffles and nearby lakes. Afterward, soak in the Kraus hot springs.
Getting There
There are no roads into the park, so charter a floatplane from Yellowknife or Fort Simpson.
[post_ads]Prepare to get your feet wet: This 11,600-square-mile UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to countless rivers and streams. Most impressive: the South Nahanni, which winds through the four towering canyons it carved in the heart of the park. Kayak, canoe, or raft its rapids, hike along its banks, scale the walls of the granite Mackenzie Mountains Ragged Range, or cast in the river's riffles and nearby lakes. Afterward, soak in the Kraus hot springs.
Getting There
There are no roads into the park, so charter a floatplane from Yellowknife or Fort Simpson.
Canuck Wine Country
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
In this fertile, lake-dotted region 10 miles north of Washington, 8,620 acres of vineyards produce some of the best wines you've never tasted. It's also a road-biking mecca, with miles of roads that roll through undulating fields of grapes.
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
In this fertile, lake-dotted region 10 miles north of Washington, 8,620 acres of vineyards produce some of the best wines you've never tasted. It's also a road-biking mecca, with miles of roads that roll through undulating fields of grapes.
Canada's Mountain Town
Nelson, British Columbia
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Nestled in the Selkirk Mountains, 10,000 locals enjoy some of Canada's best mountain biking, hiking, trail running, climbing, skiing, kayaking, and hot springs. An added bonus: more restaurants per capita than San Francisco.
Nelson, British Columbia
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Nestled in the Selkirk Mountains, 10,000 locals enjoy some of Canada's best mountain biking, hiking, trail running, climbing, skiing, kayaking, and hot springs. An added bonus: more restaurants per capita than San Francisco.
Banff National Park
Alberta
[post_ads]Straddling the spine of the Canadian Rockies, Banff was Canada's first national park, and it's the most popular. The park is insanely diverse, with glaciated peaks soaring more than 11,000 feet; icy, turquoise lakes; the largest cave system in Canada; the charming towns of Banff and Lake Louise; three ski areas; and a golf course.
Getting There
Fly to Calgary, drive 80 miles west, about 1½ hours.
Alberta
[post_ads]Straddling the spine of the Canadian Rockies, Banff was Canada's first national park, and it's the most popular. The park is insanely diverse, with glaciated peaks soaring more than 11,000 feet; icy, turquoise lakes; the largest cave system in Canada; the charming towns of Banff and Lake Louise; three ski areas; and a golf course.
Getting There
Fly to Calgary, drive 80 miles west, about 1½ hours.
A Step Back In Time
Île D'orléans, Quebec
Accessed by a single bridge from Quebec City, this 21-mile-long island in the middle of the St. Lawrence River looks almost exactly the way it did in the 1700s. Explore centuries-old churches, pick wild raspberries, and shop for island-grown produce at roadside stands.
Île D'orléans, Quebec
Accessed by a single bridge from Quebec City, this 21-mile-long island in the middle of the St. Lawrence River looks almost exactly the way it did in the 1700s. Explore centuries-old churches, pick wild raspberries, and shop for island-grown produce at roadside stands.
Waterton Lakes National Park
Alberta
Do you love Glacier National Park but hate the throngs? A mere 30 miles north sits Waterton Lakes, where you'll enjoy the same glacial lakes, thundering waterfalls, and mind-expanding Rocky Mountain vistas — with barely 600,000 visitors a year, compared with more than 2 million at Glacier. The park encompasses 195 square miles, with 125 miles of hiking trails. Our favorite: the nail-biting Crypt Lake trail, which snakes along exposed ledges to four towering waterfalls and a glistening alpine lake.
Getting There
Fly to Calgary, drive south 175 miles, about three hours.
Alberta
Do you love Glacier National Park but hate the throngs? A mere 30 miles north sits Waterton Lakes, where you'll enjoy the same glacial lakes, thundering waterfalls, and mind-expanding Rocky Mountain vistas — with barely 600,000 visitors a year, compared with more than 2 million at Glacier. The park encompasses 195 square miles, with 125 miles of hiking trails. Our favorite: the nail-biting Crypt Lake trail, which snakes along exposed ledges to four towering waterfalls and a glistening alpine lake.
Getting There
Fly to Calgary, drive south 175 miles, about three hours.
The Great Trail
This year also marks the debut of Canada's Great Trail — a nearly 15,000-mile route linking 15,000 communities in Canada's 10 provinces and three territories. (The Appalachian Trail, by comparison, is a paltry 2,190 miles.) Begun in 1992, the Great Trail links existing, locally managed paths into a continuous corridor for hikers, cyclists, paddlers, cross-country skiers, equestrians, snowmobilers, and dogsledders alike.
This year also marks the debut of Canada's Great Trail — a nearly 15,000-mile route linking 15,000 communities in Canada's 10 provinces and three territories. (The Appalachian Trail, by comparison, is a paltry 2,190 miles.) Begun in 1992, the Great Trail links existing, locally managed paths into a continuous corridor for hikers, cyclists, paddlers, cross-country skiers, equestrians, snowmobilers, and dogsledders alike.
Torngat Mountains National Park
Newfoundland and Labrador
Take the Scottish highlands, add Inuit locals and polar bears, and you have Torngat. Corralled by the Saglek Fjord in the south, Quebec in the west, and the iceberg-choked Labrador Sea to the east, this park has Canada's highest mainland mountains east of the Rockies, where polar bears hunt seals in the shadow of remnant glaciers and caribou herds cross the park to and from their calving grounds.
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Getting There
Fly to Nain, then take an air or boat charter north into the park.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Take the Scottish highlands, add Inuit locals and polar bears, and you have Torngat. Corralled by the Saglek Fjord in the south, Quebec in the west, and the iceberg-choked Labrador Sea to the east, this park has Canada's highest mainland mountains east of the Rockies, where polar bears hunt seals in the shadow of remnant glaciers and caribou herds cross the park to and from their calving grounds.
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Getting There
Fly to Nain, then take an air or boat charter north into the park.
Prince Edward Island National Park
Prince Edward Island
Imagine a more remote Acadia National Park, with oysters, not lobsters — that's Prince Edward Island. It's tiny — just 8.5 square miles of broad beaches, sandy dunes, freshwater wetlands, and salt marshes. Still, more than 30 miles of hiking and biking trails crisscross the remnants of an Acadian forest and coastal headlands past dramatic sandstone cliffs. Wildlife abounds, with 300 bird species and 400 varieties of plants, as well as coyotes, foxes, raccoons, beavers, and mink.
Prince Edward Island
Imagine a more remote Acadia National Park, with oysters, not lobsters — that's Prince Edward Island. It's tiny — just 8.5 square miles of broad beaches, sandy dunes, freshwater wetlands, and salt marshes. Still, more than 30 miles of hiking and biking trails crisscross the remnants of an Acadian forest and coastal headlands past dramatic sandstone cliffs. Wildlife abounds, with 300 bird species and 400 varieties of plants, as well as coyotes, foxes, raccoons, beavers, and mink.
