Outdoor Activities
Canada's endless variety of landscapes makes for a fantastic playground. Whether it’s snowboarding Whistler’s mountains, surfing Nova Scotia’s swells or kayaking the white-frothed South Nahanni River in the Northwest Territories, adventures abound.
Skiing & Snowboarding
It seems like almost everyone in Canada was born to ski. Visitors will find some of the world’s most renowned resorts here – British Columbia (BC), Alberta and Québec host the premier ones – but it’s also worth asking the locals where they like to hit the slopes: for every big-time swanky resort, there are several smaller spots where the terrain and the welcome can be even better.
Québec boasts some big slopes – Le Massif, near Québec City, has a vertical drop of 770m (2526ft) – located handily close to the cities. Most of these lower-elevation resorts, such as Mont-Tremblant, are a day’s drive from Toronto and less than an hour from Québec City and Montréal. Ski areas in Québec’s Eastern Townships offer renowned gladed runs that weave through a thinned forest.
Head west and you’ll hit the big mountains and vast alpine terrains. Glide down gargantuan slopes at Whistler-Blackcomb, which has North America’s highest vertical drop and most impressive terrain variation. You’ll also slide through stunning postcard landscapes in the Canadian Rockies, especially at Sunshine in Banff National Park.
In BC's Okanagan Valley, resorts such as Apex and Big White boast good snow year after year. Snowpack ranges from 2m to 6m-plus, depending on how close the resort is to the Pacific Ocean. The deepest, driest snow in the world piles up in BC's Kootenay region. Ski it at Nelson’s Whitewater, Rossland’s Red Mountain or Fernie’s Alpine Resort.
For cross-country skiing, Canmore (www.canmorenordic.com) in Alberta offers popular trails that were part of that other Canadian Winter Olympics, Calgary in 1988.
For further information and resources covering the national scene, check the website of the Canadian Ski Council (www.skicanada.org).
Fishing
Built on its aboriginal and pioneer past, Canada has a strong tradition of fishing, and you can expect to come across plenty of opportunities to hook walleye, pike, rainbow or lake trout on your travels. Among the best fishing holes to head for are Lunenburg in Nova Scotia and the Miramichi River in New Brunswick. And while salmon are the usual draw on the Pacific coastline, hopping aboard a local vessel for some sea fishing off Haida Gwaii can deliver the kind of giant catches you’ll be bragging about for years to come.
Hiking
You don’t have to be a hiker to hike in Canada. While there are plenty of multiday jaunts for those who like tramping through the wilderness equipped only with a Swiss Army knife, there are also innumerable opportunities for those who prefer a gentle stroll around a lake with a pub visit at the end.
The country’s hiking capital is Banff National Park, crisscrossed with stupefying vistas accessible to both hard and soft eco-adventurers. At Lake Louise, for example, you can march through dense spruce and pine forests, then ascend into alpine meadows carpeted with wildflowers and surrounded by rugged glaciers and azure lakes. Also in the Rockies region, Wilcox Ridge and Parker Ridge offer breathtaking glacier views.
In BC’s provincial parks system (www.bcparks.ca), you’ll have a choice of more than 100 parks, each with distinct landscapes to hike through: check out Garibaldi Park’s landscape of ancient volcanoes (not far from Whistler) and Mt Robson Park’s popular Berg Lake alpine trail. Vancouver’s North Shore is home to the Grouse Grind, a steep forest hike that’s also known as ‘Mother Nature’s Stairmaster.’ Across the water in Vancouver Island's Pacific Rim Park, the lush 75km West Coast Trail (www.westcoasttrail.com) is undoubtedly one of the country's most breathtaking, combining traditional First Nations trails and life-saving routes used by shipwreck survivors.
Out east, awe-inspiring trails pattern the landscape. In southern Ontario, the Bruce Trail (www.brucetrail.org) tracks from Niagara Falls to Tobermory. It’s the oldest and longest continuous footpath in Canada and spans more than 850km. Though portions are near cities such as Hamilton and Toronto, it's surprisingly serene. Cape Breton Highlands National Park offers exquisite hiking over stark, dramatic coastline. Newfoundland's trails make for fantastic shoreline hiking and often provide whale views. The East Coast Trail (www.eastcoasttrail.ca) on the Avalon Peninsula is particularly renowned for its vistas.
And don’t forget the cities. Canada’s major metropolises offer some great urban hikes, an ideal way to get to know the communities you’re visiting. Slip into your runners for a stroll (or a jog) with the locals in Montréal’s Parc du Mont Royal or in Vancouver’s gemlike Stanley Park, where the idyllic seawall winds alongside towering trees and lapping ocean.
Kayaking & Canoeing
The Canadian Arctic, kayaking’s motherland, still remains one of its special places: cruise the polar fjords of Ellesmere Island and watch narwhals and walruses during the fuse-short summer. Further south, slide silently past ancient forests and totem poles in BC's Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, or in the province's Johnstone Strait and watch orcas breaching. The East Coast has sea kayaking galore. Paddlers in Witless Bay or Gros Morne, Newfoundland, often glide alongside whales.
If you’re on a tight schedule and don’t have time for multiday odysseys, there are plenty of more accessible ways to get your kayaking fix. Big cities like BC’s Vancouver and Victoria offer tours and lessons near town, while the province’s Sunshine Coast and Salt Spring Island offer crenulated coastlines combined with tranquil sea inlets.
As old as kayaking, and equally as Canadian, is the canoe. Experienced paddlers can strike out on one of 33 Canadian Heritage Rivers (www.chrs.ca). Some of the best include the Northwest Territories’ South Nahanni River (near Fort Simpson) and Ontario’s French River (near Sudbury).
oOutdoors Resources
Parks Canada (www.pc.gc.ca) National park action.
Canada Trails (www.canadatrails.ca) Hiking, biking and cross-country skiing.
Paddling Canada (www.paddlingcanada.com) Kayaking and canoeing.
Mountain Biking & Cycling
Mountain biking is a big deal in Canada. While cycling enthusiasts in Europe might be into trundling around town or along a gentle riverside trail, in Canada you’re more likely to find them hurtling down a mountainside covered in mud. Given the landscape, of course, it was just a matter of time before the wheels went off-road here.
If you need to ease yourself in, start gently with BC’s Kettle Valley Rail Trail (www.kettlevalleyrailway.ca), near Kelowna. This dramatic segment of converted railway barrels across picturesque wooden trestle bridges and through canyon tunnels.
Looking for more of an adrenaline rush? In Vancouver’s North Shore area, you’ll be riding on much narrower and steeper trestles. Birthplace of freeride mountain biking (which combines downhill and dirt jumping), this area offers some unique innovations: elevated bridges, log rides and skinny planks that loft over the wet undergrowth. It’s a similar story up at Whistler where the melted ski slopes are transformed into a summertime bike park that draws thousands every year – especially during the annual Crankworx Mountain Bike Festival (www.crankworx.com/whistler) in July.
For road touring, Canada's East Coast, with more small towns and less emptiness, is a fantastic place to pedal, either as a single-day road ride or a multiday trip. Circle Québec’s Lac St-Jean; try any part of the 4000km Route Verte (www.routeverte.com), the longest network of bicycle paths in the Americas; or follow Prince Edward Island's bucolic red roads and its Confederation Trail (www.tourismpei.com/pei-cycling).
Rock Climbing & Mountaineering
All those inviting crags you’ve spotted on your trip are an indication that Canada is a major climbing capital, ideal for both short sport climbs or epic big-wall ascents.
British Columbia's Squamish region, located between Vancouver and Whistler, is a climbing center, with dozens of accessible (and not so accessible) cracks, faces, arêtes and overhangs. Tap into the scene via Squamish Rock Guides (www.squamishrockguides.com). Canmore, near Banff, is another ideal destination for rock climbers, no matter what your skill level. For the adventure of a lifetime, the Northwest Territories' Cirque of the Unclimbables is certainly near the top of the list. If your trip takes you out east instead, Ontario’s favorite climbing havens dot the Bruce Peninsula.
If mountaineering is more your thing, the Rockies are the recommended first stop. Yamnuska (www.yamnuska.com) is one company that offers ice climbing, ski mountaineering and avalanche training in the region. The Matterhorn of Canada is BC’s Mt Assiniboine, located between the Kootenay and Banff National Parks. Other western classics include Alberta’s Mt Edith Cavell, in Jasper; BC’s Mt Robson and Sir Donald in the Rockies; and Garibaldi Peak, in Garibaldi Provincial Park, near Whistler. If you need a guide, check in with the excellent Alpine Club of Canada (www.alpineclubofcanada.ca).
Hockey: The National Pastime
Canadians aren't fooling around when it comes to hockey. They play hard and well and if they're not playing, they cheer and catcall like they mean it.
Grassroots hockey, aka pond hockey, takes place in communities across the country every night on a frozen surface. All you need is a puck, a hockey stick and a few friends to live the dream.
If you'd rather watch than play, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Montréal all have NHL (www.nhl.com) teams who skate tough and lose the odd tooth. Minor pro teams and junior hockey clubs fill many more arenas with rabid fans; check the Canadian Hockey League (www.chl.ca) and American Hockey League (www.theahl.com) for local stick wielders.
Surfing & Windsurfing
If you’re aiming to become a temporary beach bum on your Canada trip, head to the wild west coast of BC’s Vancouver Island and hang out on the beaches around Tofino. Surfing schools and gear rental operations stud this region and you’ll have an awesome time riding the swells (or just watching everyone else as you stretch out on the sand). Backed by verdant rainforest, it’s an idyllic spot to spend some time.
June to September is the height of the season here, but serious surfers also like to drop by in winter to face down the lashing waves. Check Surfing Vancouver Island (www.surfingvancouverisland.com) for a taste of what to expect.
Some 6000km away, the east coast of Nova Scotia can also dish out some formidable swells. The US south coast’s hurricane season (August to November) brings Canadians steep fast breaks, snappy right and left point breaks, and offshore reef and shoal breaks in areas like Lawrencetown, just outside Halifax, as well as across the entire South Shore region. There are also a couple of surf schools here. Scotia Surfer (www.scotiasurfer.com) has the lowdown.
Windsurfers set their sails for Howe Sound in Squamish, BC, and for Québec’s Magdalen Islands, a small chain in the Gulf of St Lawrence.