12 exciting experiences in every corner of Canada

08.05.2024 - 21:57 / lonelyplanet.com / Lake Louise

The mind boggles at the sheer scope of Canada.

The continent-spanning country’s vast territory encompasses frigid, treeless Baffin Island and the dense forests and mountains of Banff. Balmy Victoria, British Columbia and blustery St Johns, Newfoundland, six time zones away. Dinosaur bones at Drumheller and the ultra-modern skyscrapers of Toronto.

To come up with a dozen sights that capture the essence of this gargantuan country is like trying to nominate your 12 favorite stars in the Milky Way. Here’s our humble attempt to list all the best things to do in Canada.

You could fill several summers hiking the countless trails in Banff National Park. But if you had to choose just two routes that combine wild mountain scenery with refreshing comforts, look no further than the Lake Louise teahouses. Originally built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in the early 20th century, these two historic backcountry cabins are only accessible by foot or on horseback, and during the balmy days of summer serve a welcome menu of hot beverages and appetizing snacks. The Lake Agnes Teahouse is nestled in a mountain cirque (valley) 3.5km (2.2 miles) above Lake Louise. The Plain of the Six Glaciers Teahouse occupies a glade 5.6km (3.5 miles) southwest of the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and within sight of the Victoria glacier. Energetic types can visit both in the same (ambitious) walk.  

One of Western Canada’s best-preserved and most evocative national historic sites, Dawson City pays homage to the 1896–98 Klondike Gold Rush, an event sometimes described as America’s “last grand adventure” – and one that left a lasting mark on Canadian culture and the folklore of the Yukon. A lasting legacy of this era is the tight grid of wooden buildings that have changed little since the settlement’s 20th-century heyday. In 2023, UNESCO made Tr’ondëk-Klondike a World Heritage site, to highlight the often-forgotten impact of the gold rush on the region’s Indigenous people. Lest we forget, two of the original prospectors, Skookum Jim and Tagish Charlie, were from the Tagish First Nation.   

Planning tip: Parks Canada docents dressed in period clothing lead excellent summer walking tours of the town’s important monuments. Meet them at the visitor center.

Head north to Alert Bay on tiny Cormorant Island, just off Vancouver Island, to see one of the best manifestations of Canada’s rich Indigenous culture: the U’mista Cultural Centre, a unique museum modeled on a wooden Indigenous longhouse. On display is a vast collection of Kwakwaka’wakw artifacts – including masks, carvings and totems – reclaimed after being confiscated by Canadian authorities in the early 20th century when “potlatch” gift-giving ceremonies were (shamefully) prohibited.

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