by Ellen Sipp
Chances are you’ve probably set up camp a time or two and spent some time exploring the great outdoors. Ready to pack your rucksack again and reconnect with nature? Here are 10 truly unique Canadian camping experiences to enjoy this year. [Image credit: iStock.com/Geribody]
If you’re into kayaking, canoeing, hiking, or climbing, camping may just be what you do to get an early start on the high-energy fun. But camping is a joy in itself, putting you back in touch with nature and with yourself. Camping also helps people, especially children and teens, learn new skills, feel more independent and finally put the cell phone down! It’s even said to be good for your overall physical and mental health. If it’s time for a vacation or you’re looking for an adventure, check out these 10 sites that offer uniquely memorable experiences for campers.
Named after the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies, this park gives you breathtaking views of mountain landscapes along with lakes, waterfalls, canyons, and limestone caves. The Berg Lake campground is located right at the northern base of the 3,954-metre peak, which is about a day’s hike in. Nearby trails will take you by glaciers, icefields, meadows and more.
If you’ve grown tired of the tent or RV, this park is one of the few national parks offering yurt rentals. Make sure you visit the Bay of Fundy where the world’s highest tides make for some great kayaking. You also can’t miss the incredible Acadian forest waterfalls. If you’re looking for even more entertainment, the park also hosts music and cultural festivals each summer and has its own golf course.
This park is situated west of Calgary in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. One of the largest provincial parks in Alberta, it’s a real nature-lover’s dream. You can ski and snowshoe in the winter and hike, canoe, horseback ride, boat, and bike throughout the warmer months.
Ontario’s Thousand Islands is one of Canada’s smallest national parks with a total surface area of only 24.4 square kilometres. The park’s 21 islands, once ancient mountaintops, give you your own private retreat; 12 of them have reserveable campsites. If you prefer a shelter with actual walls, the roofed oTENTik cabins can keep up to six people cozy.
This UNESCO World Heritage site on the west coast of Newfoundland is the second-largest national park in Atlantic Canada. At the Tablelands, you will see oceanic crust and rocks of the Earth’s mantle that have been pushed up and exposed due to continental drift. You’ll also be treated to sandy beaches, freshwater fjords and towering cliffs. The diverse landscape leads to plenty of activities!
From May to September, the Kathleen Lake campground sees visitors come from far and wide to camp, hike, paddle and fish. Mountaineering is especially popular as Kluane is home to 17 of Canada’s 20 highest peaks. Flightseeing over the park’s glaciers and rafting the winding Alsek River will also keep you out enjoying the wilderness.
If you’re looking for a family-friendly park, this one is wonderful. Between the seven supervised beaches and more than 50 kilometres of hiking and cycling trails, you’ll definitely be kept busy. Literature lovers, you can see what inspired L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables at the nearby Green Gables Heritage Place and even explore the original house.
A campground on the picturesque shore of the Northumberland Strait, the Amherst Shore Provincial Park offers 42 wooded overnight sites. When you’re done hiking through the woodlands, go wander around the shore and admire the area’s red sandstone cliffs or swim in some of the warmest saltwater north of the Carolinas.
Quebec’s first national park is home to forests, salt marshes, sand dunes, cliffs, a coastline, and part of the Appalachians. Keep an eye out for whales and seals while you kayak or complete an oceanside hike as you’re sure to spot a few. There are also opportunities for scuba diving, fishing, kite surfing, mountain biking, and cross country skiing.
Named after the painted turtles that call this park home, Turtle Mountain Provincial Park features rolling hills, dense forests and more than 200 lakes and wetlands. This site is a favorite for large groups and will provide mountain bikers, horseback riders and boaters multiple opportunities for fun.
You'll have so much to see and do at all of these campsites! Plan your next camping trip in Canada today.
