Canada is blessed with a ton of amazing and unforgettable hikes and pristine destinations. Trails lead to almost all of the country’s geographical highlights, along its rugged coastlines and up its craggy summits. With a pair of boots, a pack and a little sweat you can get to some of the wildest and most beautiful spots on earth.
Looking for a good reason to start hiking right now? Check out this article.
Here are five of the most unforgettable hikes in Canada that you should visit soon.
North Coast Trail, Cape Scott Provincial Park
Running across the northern shore of Vancouver Island for 46 kilometres the North Coast Trail is the wild brother to the better known West Coast Trail. Stretching from Shushartie Bay to Cape Scott is beach, board walk, cable car, stairs, trail and old road following traditional First Nation and settler routes. Along the way look for signs of the Danish utopians that set up homesteads here around 1900, but were eventually scared off by the isolation and tough weather. Plan on four to six days to thoroughly enjoy the unspoiled and barely traveled beaches.
Lake O’Hara Alpine Circuit, Yoho National Park
In an area known for its amazing day hikes the Alpine Circuit around Lake O’Hara ranks as the best. But it’s not easy. The four to five hour loop starts at Lake O’Hara and circles around the nearby peaks, hitting three high points, several alpine lakes and numerous exceptional views. Traversing high mountain sides you spend the whole hike looking eye to eye with glaciers and the craggy peaks of the Continental Divide and looking down into the valley far below. The ultimate is to go in late September when the alpine larch trees give the whole scene a gold leaf accent.
Acropole des Draveurs, Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie
The Acropole des Draveurs trail in Quebec’s Charlevoix region offers one of the most stunning hiking experiences in the province. The 10.4-kilometre round-trip hike is known for its steep climb, gaining more than 800 metres in elevation, but the effort is well rewarded with breathtaking views over the dramatic Malbaie River Valley and the surrounding cliffs. The panoramic vistas from the summit, particularly in fall when the leaves are ablaze with colour, are some of the best in all of Quebec. It’s a challenging hike, but the beauty at the top is unparalleled.
Centennial Ridges, Algonquin Provincial Park
The best day hike in Algonquin Provincial Park, and perhaps the best day hike anywhere, the Centennial Ridges Trail connects two parallel ridges in a big loop. Walking it clockwise ends with the climax views above Whitefish Lake. It’s just the best of several panoramas enrooted as the trail regularly skirts granite cliff tops. In between it descends to ponds, wetlands and lakes, prime moose and beaver habitat, and cuts through deciduous forests full of forest birds and butterflies.
Snowbird Pass, Mount Robson Provincial Park
Just getting to the trailhead is worth the trip – a long day with overnight packs beneath the towering massif of Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies and a massive mountains, rising more than a mile above the valley floor. From a camp at Berg Lake, where glaciers calve ice cubes, the nine kilometer Snowbird Pass hike follows glacial moraines up and away through alpine meadows, with more marmots than you’ve ever imagined, and finally the pass itself, peering down on the vast Reef Icefield, which looks as if it was transported from Antarctica.
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