WILD CANADA

If you like to travel around and discover new places, this article might be just what you need.

Canada stands out not only for maple syrup, polite people or moose—the real beauty of Canada lies in its diverse and spectacular territory. 90 percent of the Earth’s land between 60 and 75 degrees geomagnetic latitude is Canada, and it is wonderful. From lush boreal forests to astonishing, giant lakes, going over blue glaciers and untamed mountain ranges, Canada has everything—including wildlife.

So if you’re already planning your trip to Canada (and if you’re not… you definitely will after reading this), here are 5 places that you should definitely put on your list to visit. Prepare for a lot of eye-candy.

This is a truly unique park. You cannot only find coastal lowland and lakes, but also waterfalls, cliffs, soaring peaks and even a former fjord. And the best is you can see all of that in just a couple of days. Gros Morne is world-renowned for its complex geology, and it was here where geologists proved the theory of plate tectonics—it’s an area where the earth’s mantle is exposed, displaying the process of continental drift. The park stretches across 1.805 square kilometres; discover its beauty in the manner of your choosing: hiking, by boat or skiing for example.

This huge park in the western Yukon is home to Canada’s tallest peak, called Mount Logan (altitude 5.959 m). 

You can see the 22.000 square kilometers of glaciers, mountains and valleys from the sky—aboard a helicopter or an airplane—or you can hike on the vast network of trails. If hiking isn’t your thing, you can go rafting or fishing, too. Kluane is also part of the greatest internationally protected wilderness area in the world; expect to find grizzly bears, dall sheep, moose, wolves and mountain goats.

You can find this gorgeous site all the way through prairie grasslands full of pronghorn antelopes and rattlesnakes. The largest concentration of Aboriginal petroglyphs and pictographs—from rock carving to paintings—is made up of 4,000 acres of protected territory. Its native name is “Áísínai’pi”, which translates to “it is written”. Written-on-Stone is considered a sacred spot for spirits by the Blackfoot tribe, and it’s been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Fun fact: An annual rodeo is held on land next to the park.

A small town called Liard River (pronounced Lee-ard) on a large river with the same name. Once a trade route, now it’s home to one of the largest hot springs in Canada. The water here never freezes—not even in the depths of winter, which usually lasts around eight months— which is why you can enjoy pools full of sulphur-rich, hot water. At 107ºC (or 126ºF), it’s a bit steamier than a normal hot tub. Don’t worry if that’s too much for you—the Liard Hot Springs pools have a variety of temperatures, you’ll be able to find the right one for you at some point.  

Over the past few decades, Yellowknife has seen a surge of visitors—all there for the same thing: Northern Lights, the Aurora Borealis. They’re actually electrically charged particles, which create a particle of light when they collide with our magnetic field. This results in green, blue, pink and purple curtains in the sky, mysterious and alluring. The best time to see them is from midnight to 3 a.m.; you can even go out to the middle of the lake and see a beautiful display of lights reflected all around you. Shouldn’t you get to see the lights, locals guarantee you’ll come back for a second time. Fun fact: Yellowknife has a road called Ragged Ass Rd—locals had to rivet the address plates to their houses, since they were often stolen by tourists.

Was this good enough of a tourist guide? You will surely want to visit Canada now, right? Well, in case this wasn’t enough, tune in to Wild Canada, premiering in October—and see much more of the gorgeous landscape and wildlife this beautiful country has to offer.