GOING PLACES
THIS SUMMER, EXPLORE THESE HIDDEN CANADIAN GEMS
Peyto Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta. The lake is in the form of a wolf’s head. Image credit: NEWS CANADA.
From NEWS CANADA
Canada is known for its natural beauty and stunning landscapes, and this country has long been a favourite destination for tourists from around the world.
According to a poll conducted by Toyota Canada, Canadians are rediscovering the joy of domestic travel.
Get some ideas for your summer road trip by learning about our country’s lesser-known-but-incredibly-picturesque drives and must-see destinations to add to your bucket list.
How many have you visited?
Mighty Fraser Circle Route. Follow this tour through the lower mainland, from Vancouver to Lillooet and back, discovering ancient traditions, historic sites and outdoor adventures. Visit the small communities that call BC’s largest river home.
Crowsnest Highway. Stretching from Southern Alberta to Vancouver, the Crowsnest Highway route is full of mining history and beautiful scenery. The Alberta portion starts a couple hours south of Calgary, with the charming towns of Bellevue, Hillcrest, Blairmore and Coleman. Explore the area’s coal mining history, picturesque hikes and quaint mom-and-pop shops.
The shores of Lake Winnipeg. Did you know that Lake Winnipeg is even larger than Lake Ontario? One great route takes you from Gimli to Riverton along the gravel Highway 222, passing through Camp Pemberton and Hnausa Beach Provincial Parks.
The Loyalist Parkway. This provincial highway hugs the shores of Lake Ontario, offering scenic rest stops and picnic areas. Throughout the 94 kilometres of the parkway, you can experience recreational activities like swimming, fishing, boating, exploring historical homes and museums as well as nature trails with wildlife.
St. Lawrence Route. Enjoy a unique view of the St. Lawrence River and discover the beautiful Charlevoix region of Quebec on this 78-kilometre road. Art and history museums, original watermills and windmills. Board the ferry to wander around L’Isle-aux-Coudres, a 23-kilometre island in the middle of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Sunrise Trail. This road trip takes you along Nova Scotia’s North Shore, with views of sandy beaches and the Northumberland Strait. Begin in Amherst and wind along the shore, stopping in Tatamagouche, Pictou, New Glasgow and Auld’s Cove.
L’Anse aux Meadows. A World Heritage Site at the tip of Newfoundland’s Great Northern Peninsula. Tour the archeological remains and experience a reconstruction of a thousand-year-old Norse encampment dating back to the Viking Age. Walk in a place immortalized in the Icelandic sagas five hundred years before the next Europeans arrived on this continent, all set against a rugged backdrop of icebergs, whales and moose. Enjoy archeological artifacts, expert tours, geocaching and even an escape room.
Gwaii Haanas. Immerse yourself in Indigenous culture, surrounded by rainforests and an ocean teeming with life on the beautiful islands of Haida Gwaii, the homeland of the Haida Nation – you’ll need a reservation and a trip permit.
Get an intimate view of nature and wildlife from the seat of a kayak or take a guided tour of ancient Haida village sites. Spot the carved poles lining the beach at SGang Gwaay and notice the remains of multi-tiered longhouses at T’aanuu and other historic communities. The Haida have called the 150-island archipelago home since time immemorial.
Grosse Ile. For over a century, Grosse Ile was the gateway for millions of European immigrants on their way to new lives in North America. Walk in their footsteps at this historic quarantine island, just fifty kilometres downstream from Quebec City, where incoming ships – and people – were inspected in an effort to prevent the spread of diseases. Tour the island by bike or trolley, and pay your respects at the memorial for the thousands of Irish immigrants who died there.
Louisbourg. The expansive 18th-century French fortress on the coast of Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island was reconstructed between the 1960s and the 1980s. The bustling town is brought raucously to life every summer by costumed Parks Canada interpreters who play music, bake fresh bread and showcase what life would have been like for many of the residents. You can also learn about the Mi’kmaq traditional territory it sits on. Recent research has revealed the lives of enslaved people who lived at the fortress, such as Guinea-born Marie Marguerite Rose, the first known Black businesswoman in Canada.
Dawson City. Once called “the Paris of the North,” this Yukon town was the heart of the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1890s. Today, it’s home to five national historic sites. Hike the Discovery Trail, explore local engineering feats and admire historic buildings, including one that used to be a brothel. Get to know the cultural and economic fabric of the time through tours of the town and nature adventures. Bask in the midnight sun in summer, and in winter, you might just catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights.
• Learn more about these destinations through Parks Canada’s history and archaeology podcast, ReCollections. You’ll find episodes with stories from each of these locations at parks.canada.ca/recollections, or wherever you get your podcasts.