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Bold statement, but I’ll tell you why.
The Canadian Yukon is home to:
The planet’s most massive mountain
A region known as "the Patagonia of the North"
A National Park bigger than Jasper & Banff combined
The largest non-polar icefield in the world
A National Park which sees less annual visitors than the summit of Mt Everest
Loads of mountains (1368), not many people (35k) and So. Much. Wildlife.
Some of the best Northern Lights viewing opportunities in Canada!
All of which make this remote and rugged wilderness one of the best kept secrets of the hiking world.
The Yukon is home to 1368 mountains, many of them unexplored - photo by Bex Dawkes
If you’re not familiar with Canada’s best places to hike, you may not know much about The Yukon, other than that it’s cold, and some dude found gold there once. Although it does get chilly in the winter, mild temperatures and exceptionally long daylight hours during the summer months make The Yukon a fantastic hiking destination in Canada, and also host to a massive amount of beautiful natural attractions and fun things to do.
One thing that really set the Yukon apart from the hiking trails in the Canadian Rockies is the vast expanse of untouched wilderness: much of it relatively unexplored and uninhabited. Cell service is limited, resupply stations are minimal and wildlife roams free. In a remote and wild environment like this one, planning and preparation is key. But those who put in the work are rewarded with empty trails, breathtaking scenery and a trip you’ll remember for a lifetime.
Yukon area is right next to Alaska and shares some of the States National Park regions as well!
Browse through our Yukon hiking guide below and discover some of the best places and trails to hike in Canada’s north.
The view of Kluane from Haines Junction - photo by Bex Dawkes
Perched in the South West corner of the territory, holding its own against Alaska, is Kluane. This National Park covers more than 22,000km2 (bigger than Jasper & Banff combined) and contains 17 of Canada’s 20 tallest mountains. Including the tallest - Mt Logan, which is also considered the most ‘massive mountain’ in the world, due to its enormous circumference. The park also houses the biggest non-polar icefield in the world, and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest protected area on the planet.
Much of Kluane is unexplored by foot and can only be accessed by plane or helicopter. That being said, there are extensive hiking and mountaineering opportunities available on the fringes of this mountain wonderland.
Top trail tips:
The ‘gateway’ to Kluane is the tiny town of Haines Junction - home to just 613 year round residents. So even during the ‘busy’ summer months, you still won’t see more than a couple of other people out on the trail each day!
King’s Throne reflected in Kathleen Lake, Kluane National Park - photo by Bex Dawkes
Often referred to as ‘the Patagonia of the North’ and known as the ‘ragged mountain land’ by the local First Nation community; this magnificent park spans both the continental divide and the legendary Dempster Highway. Dramatic rock formations, striking peaks, windswept tundra, unusual permafrost landforms and rare Beringian plant species can all be discovered in a park which feels out-of-this-world.
A frontcountry campground is accessible just off the Dempster Highway, close to the park’s interpretive centre and offers a number of short trails and day hikes nearby. For the real taste of the Tombstones however, you’ll want to get further into the backcountry. Permits are required for this, so be sure to book before heading out there.
As with many other Yukon hiking destinations, marked trails in this park are rare and most of the hikes involve route finding and advanced navigation. Make sure you’re prepared for all eventualities and weather conditions - snow in July is not uncommon.
Top trail tips:
View from Miles Canyon while hiking in Whitehorse - photo by Bex Dawkes
Do you know how many people summit Mt Everest every year? I’ll tell you: around 800. And how many people visit Ivvavik National Park each year? About 100.
Nestled in the very northwest corner of The Yukon, this 9775km2 park borders Alaska to the west and the Arctic Ocean to the North. Created as part of an aboriginal land claims agreement, Ivvavik is a vast expanse of wilderness that very few people have explored. In fact, paths are so untrodden that there are no marked hiking trails within the park at all - meaning any visitors must be adept at navigation or hire a guide.
The park is home to hundreds of different species including: muskox, polar bears, grizzlies, moose, dall sheep, Arctic char, gyrfalcons and migrating herds of porcupine caribou, making the wildlife watching second to none.
With no roads into Ivvavik, the only way to access the park is via charter plane from Inuvik (North West Territories) or by booking a guided trip directly with Parks Canada. As Ivvavik is “about as far away as you can get from anywhere” very few put in the time and effort it takes to plan an expedition. But those who do, are rewarded with endless hiking opportunities in one of the last great wildernesses.
Top tips:
The best time to visit for hiking is mid June - mid August.
Call Parks Canada directly to discuss your trip plan with them
Hiking in the Yukon offers many of Canada’s best hiking trails.
Whitehorse is home to more than 80% of The Yukon’s population. And while this bustling urban area contains all the creature comforts you might need, it isn’t known as The Wilderness City for nothing.
Drive for just 15 minutes out of the downtown hub to get into the backcountry. If you’re willing to go a little further afield, you can access areas like the Carcross Desert and Marsh Lake within an hour - offering a huge diversity of landscapes to experience, right on the doorstep.
Whitehorse has even got some amazing hiking options if you don’t have a vehicle. There are a number of hikes accessible via public transit, plus there are a couple of interpretive trails running along the banks of the Yukon River - telling the fascinating story of the Gold Rush era. While some sections might only take you an hour, it is possible to link multiple trails together to reach Miles Canyon - giving you a full day loop hike, starting right in the city centre.
Top trail tips:
Montana Mountain (Carcross)
The Yukon is a majestic, undiscovered gem of a hiking destination. Whether you’re looking for epic mountain ranges, amazing wildlife experiences, well-trodden trails or peaceful off-the-beaten path adventures; this incredible corner of Canada has it all.
To make the most of your Yukon hiking experience, discover one of the Fresh Adventures Yukon hiking guided trips - all of the epic with none of the hassle.
The Yukon is one of the best places in Canada for hikers, but can be made even better by combining with a trip in the Rockies, which are not far south of here (by Canadian standards). Check out our guide to the best backpacking trails in the Rockies!
Bex may not have grown up in the mountains but if you saw her gallivanting around the Kootenays you’d think she was a local as grizzled as any! Among hucking herself off pillows and paddling through remote ocean passages, she manages to find time to keep the adventure travel world informed and capture jaw dropping beauty on her camera. She’s easiest to track down at a local brewery and, if you’re lucky enough, you may just be able to explore with her on some of our tours too!
At 32,134 km², Vancouver Island is much bigger than most people realize - in fact, it’s about ¾ the size of Switzerland and contains about the same number of mountains! It takes 6 hours to drive from the bottom to the top (500km from Victoria to Port Hardy) and 5 hours to drive across it (Nanaimo to Tofino), so it’s definitely not just a day trip on your big Canada adventure. Vancouver Island is a unique destination deserving of its very own vacation, especially if you are interested in wildlife. Avid hikers flock to the West Coast Trail each year in search of solitude and wildlife!
This large land mass located off the west coast of British Columbia, is home to hundreds of thousands of animals and vast expanses of wilderness. If you’re looking for iconic keystone species, magnificent megafauna or beautiful birds, Vancouver Island has it all. And justifiably, it is known as one of the best destinations in the world for wildlife watching.
So whether you’re wistful for whales, burning for bears or searching for the salmon spawn, read on to get an inside scoop on the best spots to view wildlife on Vancouver Island.
DISCLAIMER: Even if you visit these destinations during the peak season, it is never guaranteed that you will see the wildlife you are hoping for. Manage your expectations, and plan other exciting things into your trip to Vancouver Island too. That way, you hopefully won’t be devastated if you have to leave before catching a glimpse of that one elusive animal.
Be patient and quiet. Wildlife is unlikely to reveal itself to you if you’re making a lot of noise. It’s also unlikely to just magically appear in the first few moments you arrive. Stay a while: good things come to those who wait.
Be cautious. You’re in bear country - carry bear spray, hike with a friend and keep your eyes out for signs of bears, wolves and cougars.
Be respectful. These animals are wild and can behave unpredictably. Do not approach them. Do not feed them. Do not attempt to habituate them in any way. Before you arrive on the island, educate yourself on the laws, regulations and best practices of wildlife watching.
Bring a pair of binoculars or a camera with a good zoom lens. Having either of these will enable you to get a good look, while remaining at a safe distance.
Hire a guide, or join a reputable wildlife watching tour. Although more expensive than going on a self-guided adventure, the locals and professionals are much more likely to know the best spots to head to. Plus, they should be well practiced on adhering to regulations and know how to remain at a safe and respectful distance.
Seeing a Humpback Whale diving in the Broughton Archipelago - photo by Bex Dawkes
The Pacific Ocean surrounding Vancouver Island is rich in life - in fact 25% of all the marine mammals in the world can be seen in these waters. Some of the main hotspots for marine wildlife viewing are near Pacific Rim National Park on the West coast, and off the East coast - near Telegraph Cove and around the Discovery Islands.
Humpbacks are migratory, visiting BC waters during the summer months to feed and spending their winters in Hawaii or Mexico to mate and calve. Clayoquat Sound near Tofino, and the waters around Telegraph Cove tend to see the largest numbers of Humpbacks every year, although there have been increased sightings around Victoria too.
Gray Whales have the longest known migration of any mammal. Every year they travel from Mexico to Alaska and back again. In the spring (Feb-late April), they swim past the Western shore of Vancouver Island, with many choosing to stop and feed in the sheltered bays near Tofino. Some stay for the summer, but the majority will continue their journey northwards. Tofino hosts the Pacific Rim Whale Festival every March to coincide with the Gray Whale migration. This week long event is a fantastic opportunity to see these magnificent creatures and learn all about them and other cetaceans.
Northern Resident Orca playing in Blackfish Sound near Vancouver Island - photo by Bex Dawkes
The Northern Resident Orca pods are often seen swimming through Johnstone Strait, Blackfish Sound and rubbing their bellies at Robson Bight during the summer. The best chance to see them is by jumping on a whale watching tour boat from nearby Telegraph Cove, or exploring the area on a kayaking expedition. Biggs Orcas have also been spotted in many places around Vancouver Island, but much less is known about these larger Orcas. In fact, they used to be known as ‘Transients’ because we thought they didn’t roam a specific territory. Turns out that’s incorrect, but we are yet to pinpoint some reliable spots that have a higher chance of seeing them.
Pacific White-Sided Dolphins and Dall Porpoises are often seen jumping around in Johnstone Strait. Sometimes if you join a whale watching tour, you get more than you paid for! Harbour Porpoises are also seen around harbour areas all over the island, with regular sightings in Tofino.
Sea otters are one of the rarest marine mammals in Canada. They were hunted to extinction in the 1700s, but reintroduced to the area around Vancouver Island in 1972. Nootka Sound on the West coast of the island harbours some rich kelp forests, which is where these cute pups can normally be found - sometimes rafted together, having a nap in the afternoon sun.
A huge colony of California sea lions congregate in Fanny Bay near Denman Island during the winter. They travel there to wait for the Herring spawn in February. Often, hundreds will haul themselves out of the water to sunbathe on the docks. Steller sea lions like to hang out on isolated rocks, further away from civilization. So if you want to see one of these giant sea bears, your best bet is to get out on the water, on a wildlife watching tour.
Harbour seal relaxing on a rock in Desolation Sound, Vancouver Island - photo by Bex Dawkes
Harbour seals can be swimming in shallow coastal waters, all around Vancouver Island - particularly where there are calm waters and rocky surfaces to prop themselves up on. Many are often seen playing near the harbour in Victoria. Race Rocks is an established ecological reserve on an isolated rocky outcrop at the very Southern tip of Vancouver Island. It is home to the northernmost breeding colony of Elephant seals in the world. These massive pinnipeds come ashore between June-August to mate, pup and molt, spending the rest of their lives at sea. The waters around Race Rocks are very dangerous, so the safest way to view these animals is by jumping on an ecotour boat from Victoria.
Marine life doesn’t have to be all about the big charismatic megafauna. If you’re more interested in the weird and colourful creatures that can be found within the intertidal zone, travel to some of the beaches on the SW corner of the Island, such as Botanical Beach in Juan de Fuca Provincial Park. During low tide, you might stumble across sea urchins, sea stars and sea cucumbers to name but a few! Just remember that although these creatures don’t move quickly, they are very much alive. Do not pick them up or disturb them, leave them in peace.
With such a diverse landscape, spanning everything from open coastline to fertile grasslands to rugged mountaintops, it’s no wonder that Vancouver Island’s wilderness is home to many different types of wild animals.
Intertidal zones are where to see black bears on Vancouver Island.
Vancouver Island is home to the highest density of black bears in North America. These omnivorous mammals are most often spotted while picking berries, munching on sweetgrass or fishing for salmon during the spawn. There are lots of Black Bears seen in the Pacific Rim National Park between Tofino and Ucluelet, Juan de Fuca Provincial Park along the SW coast and in the remote regions at the North end of the island, near Port Hardy and Port McNeill. Another hot spot is Knight Inlet - accessed via float plane from Campbell River.
Grizzly Bears are not native to the Island. In fact, there are only a handful of Grizzlies there, and they’ve arrived very recently by swimming over from the mainland. If you want to increase your chances of spotting one of BC’s most feared predators, your best bet is to join a bear watching tour out of Telegraph Cove. The tour boats head up some of the inlets only accessible from the Island’s North East coast.
It is estimated that around 350 Vancouver Island grey wolves live on the Island. Some of these have adapted to become ‘coastal’ wolves and incorporate fish, river otters and seal pups into their diet. The inland wolves have a more traditional diet of deer, caribou and moose. The majority of the wolf population lives at the North end of the island, where human population density is much lower. The coastal wolves are mostly seen on the West coast, north of Ucluelet. Although wolves are territorial, their ranges are large, meaning that it is very hard to predict where they might be seen. If you’re lucky, Pacific Rim National Park might be the best place to go.
Bird nerds beware - once you’ve arrived on Vancouver Island, you’re not going to want to leave. There are hundreds of bird species that call this magnificent island home, and even more pop in for a visit during migration season.
Bald Eagles can be seen soaring all over Vancouver Island, but most typically, you’ll see them hunting near large bodies of water, or nesting in Old Growth forests. Salmon is a favourite snack, so they tend to hang around spawning zones during the fall. You’re likely to see a Bald Eagle on your visit to Vancouver Island, if you keep your eyes on the sky and spend most of your time away from densely populated areas.
A shorebird at Esquimalt Lagoon, Victoria - photo by Bex Dawkes
Millions of birds fly over Vancouver Island during their annual migration from winter to summer feeding grounds. Many of them choose to stop for a rest, meaning that hundreds of types of migratory birds can be spotted on the Island during the spring. The Tofino mudflats and many beaches along the west coast, are excellent locations to see shorebirds in April & May. There’s even an annual Tofino Shorebird Festival you can attend. Esquimalt Lagoon and Shoal Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary, both near Victoria, are also good locations for bird watching.
A keystone species, Pacific Salmon are an incredibly important part of the BC ecosystem and the annual salmon spawn is a sight to behold. All 5 species of Pacific Salmon spawn on Vancouver Island between late September - early December. The best spots to see them on their journey upstream are at Goldstream Provincial Park in Victoria, Stamp River Provincial Park near Port Alberni, and in multiple streams around Campbell River.
Looking for more wildlife? Check out our Canadian Rockies Wildlife Viewing Guide for info on seeing animals in Banff and surrounding national parks.
Looking to explore Vancouver Island? Check out our West Coast guided trip from Victoria!
Bex may not have grown up in the mountains but if you saw her gallivanting around the Kootenays you’d think she was a local as grizzled as any! Among hucking herself off pillows and paddling through remote ocean passages, she manages to find time to keep the adventure travel world informed and capture jaw dropping beauty on her camera. She’s easiest to track down at a local brewery and, if you’re lucky enough, you may just be able to explore with her on some of our tours too!
Hiking in the Canadian Rockies is very popular for hikers from all over the country and world. The scenery is otherworldly, the weather pleasant but the abundant wildlife may be another reason why it is so popular.
Banff and Jasper National Parks are teeming with wildlife and if you are lucky you could spot several types of animals on your hike in the Canadian Rockies. Here are a few of the more common types of wildlife to spot while hiking in the Rockies, as well as some tips on where are when to find them.
Wildlife viewing in the Canadian Rockies is very popular and can be very rewarding. It is important that we behave in a way that will promote sustainability and protect the future of the animals that we love to see. Here are some tips on making sure they are safe:
Don’t feed the wildlife. Please though. Everyone knows this, and yet most people still want to give the squirrels and birds just a little chunk of their granola bar. Well, that totally counts as feeding the wildlife and everyone does it, so please try not to. You can still get the photos of the squirrel.. just pretend to give it food if you have to. When you feed wildlife it disrupts the natural processes that are so important in the Rockies. There are birds that eat seeds, and if they get used to eating cashews and stop eating pine seeds, the pine trees will die off. They are already endangered. That might not sound so bad, but that pine tree is a keystone species, meaning that when it fails, the whole system comes crashing down. Just don’t feed the animals.
Maintain your distance from the animals. We see it all the time… tourists getting out of their cars and way too close to bears on the side of the road. ARE YOU CRAZY?! I saw someone almost get charged by a grizzly, because the sound of our tires on the gravel upset the bear. If the tourist was in their car they would have been safe. Just remember, these are wild animals. Mating elks are very dangerous, and bears- well you should already know they can do some damage. If they get used to humans, their behaviours change and eventually a park warden has to kill them. Let’s just stay a bit further back.
That’s it! Enjoy your trip to the Rockies and I hope you have some successful wildlife viewing!
There are many places to see wildlife in the Canadian Rockies, including the national parks and the areas just outside them. Spotting bears in Banff National Park is very common, and there are many places to find grizzlies in Jasper National Park as well. Hiking and walking tours in the Canadian Rockies are a great opportunity to spot wildlife too! Below is an overview on finding wildlife in each national park.
Spotting wildlife in Banff national park is easy if you look in the right places. You can even see elk in Banff fairly often, as they hang around the gold course and along the side of the river. You can find black bears and grizzlies in Banff national park as well, plus a variety of ungulates like moose, elk, deer and caribou. Hoary marmots can be found in the alpine during hikes in Banff National Park- just listen for their distinctive whistle!
Here are a few key places to see wildlife in Banff National Park:
Norquay Road: At the big bend in the road you can park and enjoy the view. There are often big horn sheep in the grassy field right below you. Occasionally there are coyotes around here too. I also had a close encounter with a cougar right at the far end of this field, so keep your eyes open!
Minnewanka Loop: keep your eyes peeled for big horn sheep near the road by the lake and for elk in the open grassy areas and along the side of the road.
Lake Louise and Moraine Lake: Watch for black bears on the drive up to Moraine Lake. There are often grizzlies in Larch Valley during the fall, when they come out to eat berries. You will need to be in groups of four to access these trails in the fall.
Icefields Parkway: There are numerous areas to see wildlife on the Icefields Parkway. Big horn sheep are often see around “Big Bend” area, just south of the Athabasca Glacier viewpoint. It is not uncommon to see elk around Saskatchewan Crossing, and bears along the side of the road the entire way up. The Parker Ridge Hike is a great place to see big horn sheep on a sunny day!
Vermillion Lakes: This is where to see moose near Banff, as they are often in the marshy areas on the far side of the lake near dawn. Elk, deer and other animals are often in this area as well.
Jasper National Park is teeming with wildlife and if you are lucky, you may be able to see bears, big horn sheep and lots of elk around Jasper. For a decent chance to see elk in Jasper, head just south of town, near Wapiti Campground and look between the highway and the river. They often travel up and down the banks of the Athabasca River early in the mornings, especially in early summer when they have their young. Seeing black bears in Jasper National Park is common as well, especially during the drive to Maligne Lake. Keep your eyes peeled in the ditch. If you see something really black, it’s probably a black bear.
Here are a few key places to see wildlife in Jasper National Park:
Maligne Lake Road: watch for black bears in the ditch, and even grizzly bears along the side of the road. At the beginning of the road there are often elk along the open grassy areas.
Miette Hot Springs Road: the road to Miette Hot Springs can be a great place to see bears crossing the road. Watch your speed!
Pyramid Lake Road: keep your eyes peeled to see elk near Jasper. They are often along the side of the road, among the Aspen trees. There are often black bears and grizzly bears near Jasper along this road as well.
Wapiti Campground: Wapiti is a word for Elk, which is evident if you stay in this campground. Watch for elk travelling up and down the river banks in the early mornings of June and July.
Finding wildlife in Yoho National Park is easy most of the time. There are often elk walking along the braided gravel islands of the Kicking Horse River, especially in the spring and early summer as they raise their young calves. There are lots of black bears and grizzlies in Yoho National Park as well. They can be found in bushy areas with berries growing, like sun facing avalanche paths.
Here are a few ideas of where to see wildlife in Yoho National Park:
Kicking Horse River: Watch for mother elk with their calves along the river banks and islands during the spring.
Field: there are often black bears in the avalanche slides around the town of Field. They like the avalanche slides for the berry bushes that grow here, so keep a look out in berry season!
Emerald Lake: There are often black bears around the lake and can often be big horn sheep up high on the sunny slopes of the mountains surrounding the lake.
Kootenay National Park isn’t as popular among visitors to the area, but it seems a very popular place for wildlife! I think a lot of this is because the railroad doesn’t travel through this corridor, which means that settlers didn’t fight forest fires in this region as much. Forest fires are really good at building habitat for the animals we like to see in the Rockies, like elk and bears. Grizzlies love to eat the Buffalo Berries that grow in the sunny patches on south facing slopes, and elk like to snack on the small Aspen Trees that grow low down in the sunny valley bottoms.
Some key places where to see animals in Kootenay National Park:
Burn patches: forest fires are scary and make the news, but they do wonders to create animal habitat in the Rocky Mountains. Look in the old fire sections to see elk and grizzly bears eating the new plants that pop up in the sun!
Along the side of the highway, particularly halfway from Banff to Radium. There are often deer and elk along the sides of the road.
Grizzly bears and black bears can often be seen from the road as they travel through the park.
Grizzly bears are a much revered and exciting animal to see in the Canadian Rockies. They can reach up to eight feet in height and can weigh to to 270 kg. They hibernate for roughly 6 months in the Rockies, so they need to work hard the rest of the year. Did you know that male grizzlies sometimes kill baby grizzly cubs?! Here are some tips on seeing grizzlies in Canada.
Look where their food is…. and they eat a lot of things, so good luck! Notable items on a grizzly’s menu are: goat and sheep that died during the winter, roots, ants and other insects, berries (lots of them, especially buffalo berries) and fattened up ground squirrels.
Grizzlies are most predictably found in open, sun facing slopes during the early fall, eating mass amounts of buffalo berries.
Grizzly bears can be brown, blond, and even near black! You can identify a grizzly by the hump on its shoulders, which comes from digging.
Black bears are fairly common to see in the Rockies, and it’s great to know that their population is actually on the rise, so good job bears! They usually weigh around 200 kg, and stand up to seven feet tall. Black bears in the Canadian Rockies also hibernate for just over 6 months. They usually give birth every 2 years, and raise their young for roughly 18 months. Here are some tips on seeing black bears in the Rockies:
Look where their food is… Black bears are omnivores, and rarely hunt live game. Their diet consists of berries, insects, roots, grasses, animal carcasses, and fish.
Black bears are generally seen closer to human centres than grizzlies are.
You can recognize them by the lack of a hump between their shoulders and the straight line from their forehead to the tip of their nose. Their colours range from white to brown to black and even black-blue.
Black bears seem to like disturbed areas, where many edible shrubs grow, like burned patches, roadside and avalanche paths.
Elk are one of the more common types of wildlife to spot in the Rockies, though they are still very special. They can run over forty miles per hour and can jump over eight feet high! They mate in the fall, during rutting season, which is when their antlers are the largest. During this time, and all other times, elk should be considered dangerous and can be very territorial. Here are some tips on where to see elk near Banff and in the Canadian Rockies.
Elk eat grasses, small bushes and saplings. Like grizzly bears, they don’t seem to mind the bitter buffalo berry bushes either.
Elk are often see travelling along river banks in the early morning.
Mother elk usually travel in large herds in the spring and early summer when they are raising their calves.
Female elk usually live in harems of roughly twenty females with one bull elk who protects them.
Moose are the largest animals found in North America and are generally up to 7 feet tall, weighing up to 1500 pounds. It is estimated that there are roughly 1.5 million moose in the world, spread across wild, open spaces in the northern hemisphere. Moose are hard to find in the Canadian Rockies, but that’s not for a lack of them. A moose and I nearly had a head on collision once during a run!
Moose are most active and easy to spot during dawn and dusk.
They eat twigs, willows, aspen and other brush, especially marshland brush.
The best palces to see moose are often in wet areas, often waist deep in water, munching away.
Moose can run up to 50 km, and can swim almost 20 km per hour!
Moose in the Canadian Rockies eat up to 70 pounds of food per day!
Hoary marmot are the largest of the ground squirrels in the Canadian Rockies. They weigh up to 7 kg and are just over two feet long. How to identify a hoary marmot? The term hoary refers to the silver, grey fur on their back, and they have a little white patch around their nose. Did you know that hoary marmots are the kings of hibernation? They sleep between 7-8 months of the year.
Hoary marmots in the Canadian Rockies live in small colonies of up to 35 individuals.
Marmot live in cold, barren alpine areas, usually with lots of grass and sedges.
Hoary Marmot are often heard before being seen. Listen for a shrill whistle, made by the lookout of the colony. When you hear this, look for a marmot perched on a rock and keeping an eye out on you.
Did you know that big horn sheep in the Canadian Rockies are relatives of domestic farmed sheep? You can tell the difference between males and females by the curled horns on males’ (rams’) heads and the short, spiked horns on females (ewes). Big horn sheep weigh up to 120 kg and can live up to 15 years. Here are some tips on seeing bighorn sheep near Banff, Lake Louise and the Rockies.
Big horn sheep graze on grasses and small shrubs that grow in the Canadian Rockies.
Big horn sheep live in steep, rocky terrain in the alpine.
Big horn sheep have very keen eyesight to help them spot and avoid predators, like bears, wolves and cougars.
They are very nimble and can run up nearly sheer cliffs. They can stand on a ledge the size of a mail envelope!
It is easy to spot wildlife while hiking in Canada, especially in the Canadian Rockies. Just remember, no matter when you visit the Rockies there are ample opportunities to see wildlife. That being said, I always recommend keeping in mind that there is so much more than wildlife to enjoy during your trip. Wildlife is, well…. wild, so we can’t control it. Sometimes you hit the mother load, sometimes you strike out, but that’s what makes seeing wild animals so special! Below are a few of our tours in the Rockies where we often enjoy some amazing wildlife sightings. By camping in the Rockies, you more than double your chance of seeing wildlife!
Another incredible wildlife viewing destination is Yukon Territory.
You can check out our Vancouver Island Wildlife Viewing Guide here too!
Let’s just say Alex didn’t want to work a real job when he grew up. He had his heart set on avoiding any kind of accounting, human resources, compliance, marketing and business administration, in order to be free for his dream job as a ski guide. Now he guides people on skis, but mostly does accounting, human resources, compliance, marketing and business administration work!
With so many amazing places in Canada for hiking the real challenge can be picking where to go hiking in Canada! With so much wilderness and beautiful landscape, this country is a paradise for hikers.
Not only that but the varying seasons in Canada can make for some amazing scenery on your hiking trip in Canada. Imagine the fall colours in Southern Ontario in autumn, or the wildflowers in the alpine meadows of the Rockies in spring. Nothing beats a multiday backcountry hike in the Rockies with in glowing Autumn colors!
In no particular order below are a few of our favourite areas to go hiking in Canada.
If you are looking for somewhere to go hiking in Canada, look no further than Cape Breton in the autumn. Rolling hills meet black beaches and rugged, rocky shoreline, with rich red and yellow forest reaching down to the sea. There are many amazing places to hike on Cape Breton, including Black Sands Beach, Meat Cove and the Bras D’or Lakes. Take your pick, or hit them all on your hiking trip!
The Bruce Trail stretches from Niagra to the tip of the Bruce Peninsula, In fact, the Bruce Trail is 885 km long, so there are many options for you to pick from. One thing that makes this trail special is its proximity to the Niagra Escarpment, which is an ancient seabed, consisting of limestone layers that have been pushed to the surface. Many of the trail sections along the Bruce Trail feature high cliffs and lookouts, as well as caves and karst formations. One thing I love about hiking along the Bruce Trail is the canopy of foliage that forms a ceiling overhead. You feel like you are hiking in your own little world, with much of the sun being blocked and a cool shade underneath the leaves. This gigantic trail makes for much of the best hiking in Canada.
While not as visually impressive as the Rockies, hiking in the grasslands of Saskatchewan offer some breathtaking vistas with wide open skies and shimmering grass plains, blowing rhythmically in the breeze. Best of all, you are almost guaranteed sunny weather, which makes this a great area to hike in Canada.
Larger than life meets more beautiful than life in the Yukon. Kluane Lake is an impressive sight on its own, and the breathtaking icefield spilling out of the Wrangell St Elias Mountains to the West are just a cherry on top. There are several options for hiking in Kluane National Park, some high and some low. Whatever you go with, you are sure to be impressed. This is actually a stop in a future tour that we are planning! Kluane National Park is surely one of the best hiking areas in Canada.
OK, so all the national parks in the Canadian Rockies are amazing for hikers, but Banff National Park just might take the cake with such a massive variety of hiking trails and opportunities to see wildlife. Jump on a hike around Lake Louise for glacier views and impressive panoramas over the lakes, or head a bit further North to hike along the Icefields Parkway. Hiking on the Icefields Parkway is full of surprises, like climbing over Parker Ridge to see the epic views of the Saskatchewan Glacier stretching out below. Banff National Park is rich with single day hikes and multiday backpacking routes as well. Ambitious hikers could spends years hiking in Banff and not even scratch the surface. A few trails we recommend are Plain of Six Glaciers, Parker Ridge and Cory Pass, to name a few. Join one of our hiking tours in Banff National Park and we will show you a whole lot more!
The coast mountains surrounding Squamish and Whistler are a hiker’s haven, which is why we planned a new guided hiking tour there, beginning in summer 2021. Rolling alpine meadows stretch to rocky mountain fortresses, accessed by lush old growth forests. It’s very easy to fall in love with this place, and it definitely is home to many of the best hiking trails in Canada. Try hiking up to Garibaldi Lake, Elfin Lakes, or taking a walk at the top of the Sea to Sky Gondola. Better yet, try out our tour and experience all the best hikes in one epic week!
While most people don’t really think of hiking in Tofino, we beg to differ. There are hikes that get you up high and there are hikes that keep you down low, under the forest canopy, hiking through the lush rainforest on the west coast. Some of our favourites are Lone Cone, Rainforest Loop, and the Nuu Chuh Nulth Trail. Check out the visitor centre at the same time for some history! Tofino is definitely one of the best places to hike in Canada!
Here is a guide to spotting wildlife on Vancouver Island.
So now the rest is up to you. Where are you going hiking in Canada next summer? Let us know your favourite hikes in the comments below, and hopefully we will see you out on a guided hiking tour soon! Happy trails!
Planning a hiking vacation in Banff? Lucky you! Time to start researching the best hikes around Banff and well… doing squats. With tons of options for all levels of hikers, it can be hard to pick out the hikes that you would like to do so hopefully this article will help you find the best hikes around Banff and Lake Louise.
Naturally it can be hard to pick out a hike for a variety of different hikers. Some like a big slog, some like a relaxing walk etc, so in this article we are assuming that you are a fairly avid hiker and would like to hike for 3-6 hours, getting up fairly high and enjoying some amazing views. The hikes below are what we believe are some of the best hikes near Banff for you.
The Canadian Rockies were pioneered by the railway almost 150 years ago, shortly before the formation of Banff National Park. During the early beginnings of Banff and Lake Louise the Canadian Pacific was looking for ways to convince visitors to come and see the Rockies from all around the Commonwealth. They hired Swiss Mountaineers to explore the peaks around Lake Louise, making mountaineering popular in Canada. Tourism grew, and with all the fudge shops it’s hard to remember that the Rockies are first and foremost famous for the stunning mountains that surround them.
This is easy to remember on the amazing day hike in Lake Louise. You hike roughly 5 km past the shores of Lake Louise, and up roughly 500 meters to the Plain of Six Glaciers tea house. This is a historic stop, dating back to the turn of the last century, and with epic views of Victoria Glacier and into Abbot Pass. After a victory tea at the tea house and on the way back down you can head on the connector trail to get up high on Big Beehive with incredible views of Lake Louise and beyond to get to Lake Agnes and the other tea house on the shores of the alpine lake.
With stunning views of Lake Louise, glaciers, dramatic mountains and plenty of photo stops this is surely one of the best hikes near Banff.
One of the most amazing sights from downtown Banff is the peak of Cascade Mountain towering above the town. This is such an amazing sight that the streets are actually oriented so Cascade Mountain can be seen from anywhere on Banff Avenue.
Without question, one of the best hikes near Banff is the trail to the summit of Cascade Mountain. This Banff day hike is not for the faint of heart though, so be warned. The return length is roughly 18 km with an elevation gain of 1450 meters.
The trail winds through subalpine forest before breaking onto the ridge and into the open alpine. The alpine section is absolutely epic, climbing over loose rocks and around ledges and ridges until you reach the peak. Once you are there you are rewarded with views like you’ve never seen before. This is definitely one of the best hikes in the Rockies.
Back to Lake Louise area for another one of the best hikes near Banff. This time though, you head up to Moraine Lake and start your hike from there. Eiffel Lake is an incredible hike in the Lake Louise area, with stunning alpine views, wildflowers and one of the most beautiful alpine lakes in the Rockies.
The trail is roughly 14 km return with 400 meters of elevation gain. You climb through a switchbacking section of spruce forest and then break through the trees into the open, where the views start.
From here hike straight up the valley until you reach Eiffel Lake, enjoying incredible views of the Ten Peaks to your left. The lake viewpoint is the perfect place to have a picnic with a few sneaky marmots prowling around nearby. Come and see for yourself why this is one of the best hikes in Banff National Park!
If wildlife viewing is your thing, you can read up on where to find wildlife in the Rockies here!
You can join one of our Rockies guided hiking tours and do all three of these plus several more hikes that are too secret to include in this post. Our torus are the perfect way to experience the best of the Rockies without having to do all the research yourself, and you get to hang out with 11 other amazing guests from around the world.
We love adventure and nothing screams adventure more than throwing yourself off a towering platform and hurtling through the fresh mountain air. British Columbia is an amazing place and is blessed with so many ziplines that it can be hard to make sure you find the best one for your vacation. That is why we compiled this list of what we believe are the best ziplines in British Columbia, listed in no particular order.
Photo: Kokanee Mountain Ziplines.
We love this Zipline in British Columbia for several reasons. Sure, there are the six ziplines weaving their way through ancient forest groves, but Kokanee Mountain Zipline also just has that wow factor- fresh air, big trees, and mountains all around. Enjoy the view on the longest zipline which is over 700 meters in length. Local tip: come on out in the summer and pair this with a visit to Ainsworth Hot Springs!
The perfect addition to your Okanagan vacation, come on out to Treetop Flyers, which is one of our favourite ziplines in British Columbia. They rock because of their canyon ziplines and a giant “jump swing” that is sure to get your heart pounding. You can really feel the passion coming through from the owners here. Add it to your trip and see for yourself!
Just like everything on Vancouver Island, this zipline adventure is an incredible experience. Wind your way across a dramatic canyon and look down into the crystal clear water far below. The guys at WC Wild have created a truly amazing course and you can pair your time here with a scenic floatplane ride or a river paddle. Local tip: come in September and you might see salmon spawning in the river below!
Nestled just down the road from Revelstoke and conveniently beside the Enchanted Forest, this is a really amazing adventure park that is very family friendly. With climbs, drops, swing and zips, you can really do it all here. Add this stop on your way to Revelstoke!
100 acres of coastal rainforest are the setting for your zipline adventure as you get up close and personal with the ancient forest canopy. This place really packs it in with 8 ziplines, a Unimog ride and 2 suspension bridges as part of the package. Add this to your visit to Victoria, since they can pick you up from downtown (not in the Unimog, that would be way too cool).
Explore Whistler’s backcountry like never before. Soar through the alpine up to 200 meters above the ground, approaching speeds of 100 km per hour. (Take that eagles). You can also soar side by side with their dual lines. Oh and some of their zip lines are up to 1.3 km long. Definitely one of the best ziplines in British Columbia. Check it out!
Super fun ziplines in the Okanagan Valley. Check out Oyama Ziplines and cruise through their seven station course. This zipline is right outside both Kelowna and Vernon, and boast incredible views of Kalmalka Lake (one of the most beautiful lakes in the world according to National Geographic). Local tip: Pair this with a wine tasting (or five) with all the nearby wineries.
Planning a visit to Fairmont Hot Springs? Well make sure you don’t miss out on the thrilling ride offered by Mineral Mountain Ziplines. The 6 ziplines are sure to treat you to a good time, and to top it off, the mountains around Fairmont Hot Springs are some of the most beautiful around. (And to top all that off, you can pair this with a soak in their thermal pools). Enjoy!
Well, those are the ziplines in British Columbia that we think you should check out. Let us know if you are planning a trip out here and we can point you in the right direction. Don’t forget to tag #freshadventurescanada with your favourite photos from your adventure. Bon voyage!
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