Canadian Outdoor Adventures
Things to do in the great white north
With the vast list of activities at your disposal in Canada, picking just a few simply won't do. Canada's sheer size does not allow tourists to take in everything in a week or two - it can take that long or longer just to cross the country. So if you're planning a vacation, narrow down your expectations and focus on a region and a season.
Blessed with four very distinct seasons, activities differ depending on the time of year you choose to visit. Summer activities include backpacking, bird watching, camping and canoeing. However, if you're a hearty trekker you can also backpack and camp in winter - but dress for the snow.
Favorite Canadian winter activities include dogsledding, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, polar bear watching and snowshoeing. Meanwhile Canadians practice many activities such as fishing, rock climbing and whale watching year round.
Canadians have a lot of outdoors - with most of the population concentrated in its three major urban centers of Vancouver, Toronto and Montréal, many parts of the country remain uninhabited and wild.
In Ontario and Québec alone there are over 1500 campgrounds and with more freshwater than any other country in the world, boating and water sports continue to grow in popularity. Sea kayaking comes to Canadians via the country's First Nation's peoples but has grown into a popular sport cherished by Canadian all over from Newfoundland and Labrador to British Columbia.
If you love to roam national parks, Alberta has two of the best in the world, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park located within miles of each other.
Your trip to Canada will never be complete without a stop in the Atlantic Provinces. Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the landscape is as colorful as the hearty people that inhabit these four provinces.
Central Canada refers to Ontario and Québec. Ontario is the country's financial hub but also offers great outdoor adventures in its many parks including Algonquin Park. Québec, the country's majority French speaking province claims some of the best skiing east of the Rockies.
However, there's no substitute for the real thing. Canada's Rocky Mountains straddle British Columbia and Alberta. Ski lovers must visit Whistler at least once in their lives.
There's a lot to do in Canada - your outdoor adventures depend on you.
