Outdoor sights in Canada
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Piper's Lagoon Park
In a city filled with parks, waterfront treat Piper's Lagoon Park is a winner. It's a great spot for an afternoon picnic; you can check out the birds hanging around the lagoon, take a short hike through the gnarly Garry oak forest, sit on a beached log and watch the cruise ships slip by or give the climbing wall your best shot. Then head to Shack Island. It houses a straggle of storied old fishermen's sheds that are kept as unserviced cottages for those traveling with their own sleeping bags.
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Banff & Jasper National Parks
It all seems almost too surreal to be true, so picture perfect you'll think you're dreaming. Mountains scrape the sky - a jumble of colours and shapes. Cerulean blue meets snowcapped majesty. The sparkling lakes are emerald-green or milky-turquoise - you may have to blink a few times before your eyes can absorb their gloriously intense colours.
The glaciers cling to rugged precipices, intense ice blue merges with slate gray. Rivers rush by, fed on melted snow and spring rains. Lush forests and high alpine meadows explode in a kaleidoscope of colours when the wildflowers bloom. A grizzly bear ambles past, swinging his head from side to side, searching for food. A moose pau…
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Parc Nature du Cap-St-Jacques
Arguably the most diverse of Montréal’s nature parks, Cap-St-Jacques has a huge beach, 27km of trails for hiking and skiing, a farm and even a summer camp. The maple and mixed deciduous forest in the interior is a great patch for a ramble, and in spring a horse-drawn carriage brings visitors to a sugar shack to watch the maple sap boil. On the north shore there’s the Eco-Farm, a working farm with two barns and horses, pigs and chickens, as well as a large greenhouse for viewing. Picnic tables abound and a restaurant serves the farm’s produce. The beach is a comfortably wide stretch of fine white sand, and the shallow water is wonderful for splashing with kids, but …
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Cave & Basin National Historic Site
The Cave and Basin National Historic Site is the birthplace of Banff. The discovery of hot sulfur springs in a cave here led to the area being set aside from development in 1885. Like condo developments of today, the idea spread rapidly and soon Banff National Park and Canada's national park system were created. The complex has been rebuilt to its 1914 appearance. Visitors can look at (and smell) the cave and sulfurous waters, but there's no bathing allowed.
The Middle Springs further down the hill are closed to visitors, to protect the delicate balance of waters. You can stroll around the attractive grounds, where you'll see both natural and artificially made pools, for …
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Parc du Mont Royal
Montréalers are proud of their 'mountain,' Mount Royal Park, the work of New York Central Park designer Frederick Law Olmsted. It's a sprawling, leafy playground that's perfect for cycling, jogging, horseback riding, picnicking and, in winter, cross-country skiing and tobogganing.
In fine weather, enjoy panoramic views from the Kondiaronk lookout near Chalet du Mont Royal, a grand old white villa that hosts big-band concerts in summer; or from the Observatoire de l'Est, a favourite rendezvous spot for lovebirds. It takes about 30 minutes to walk between the two. En route you'll spot the landmark 40m-high Cross of Montréal, which is illuminated at night. It's there to com…
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Carré St-Louis
This lovely green space with a three-tiered fountain is flanked by beautiful rows of Second Empire homes. In the 19th century a reservoir here was filled, and a neighborhood emerged for well-to-do French families. Artists and poets gathered in the area back then, and creative types like filmmakers and fashion designers now occupy houses in the streets nearby. The café, which opens in the summer, is a good spot for a pick-me-up, with occasional musicians creating the soundtrack for the square. Nearby students and local residents take in precious rays, while others linger puffing on strange smokes. Carré St-Louis feeds west into Rue Prince-Arthur, a former slice of 1960s …
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Vanier Park
Winding around Kitsilano Point and eventually connecting with Kits Beach, waterfront Vanier Park is more a host site than a destination. Home to three museums, it’s also the evocative venue for the tents of the annual Vancouver International Children’s Festival and the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare extravaganza. If you want to avoid the sweaty crush in English Bay during the Celebration of Light fireworks, bring your blanket and spread out here; you’ll have great views of the aerial shenanigans among a convivial and family-friendly crowd. The park is also a good picnic spot – bring some takeout from Granville Island (a 15-minute stroll away via the seawall) and watch …
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Brockton Point
Stanley Park’s eastern peninsula, this picturesque kneecap of land contains Brockton Oval cricket pitch (both Don Bradman and Freddie Trueman have played here), the squat Brockton Point Lighthouse (where Arnold Schwarzenegger handed the Olympic torch to Sebastian Coe before the 2010 Winter Olympics) and the electrically fired Nine O’Clock Gun. But the highlight is the clutch of eight colorful totem poles. A favorite tour-bus lure, these are actually photogenic replicas of the originals that were moved here from Alert Bay. In 2008 they were joined by three n-shaped carved ‘gateways’ created to welcome visitors by the First Nations who originally called the park home.…
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Lighthouse Park
Some of the region’s oldest and most spectacular trees live within this accessible 75-hectare park, including a rare stand of original coastal forest and plenty of those gnarly, copper-trunked arbutus trees. It’s ideal for a romantic picnic, and you’ll find plenty of doe-eyed couples hogging the grass here. About 13km of hiking trails crisscross the area, including a recommended trek that leads to the rocky perch of the Point Atkinson Lighthouse, where you’ll come across some shimmering, camera-worthy views over Burrard Inlet and the nearby tree-covered islands. If you’re driving from downtown, turn left on Marine Dr after crossing the Lions Gate Bridge to reach the…
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Wapusk National Park
Established primarily to protect polar bear breeding grounds (wapusk is Cree for 'white bear'), the remote and young Wapusk National Park extends along Hudson Bay's shores 45km east of Churchill. Its location between boreal forests and arctic tundra gives it importance for monitoring the effects of global warming. Changes in sea-level, temperature, vegetation, and polar bear and other animal patterns happen here first.
The park's ecological sensitivity has required a lot of proactive thinking and red tape. It's possible to visit, but only through licensed tour operators.
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Point Pleasant Park
Rented to Canada by the British - for the bargain price of 10 cents a year - this wooded sanctuary at the far southern end of town is fittingly named. Make sure your boots are made for walking, though - no cars are allowed. You'll find 39km (24mi) of walking trails, picnic spots and a beach (of sorts).
There's also a restaurant and the Prince of Wales Martello Tower, a round 18th-century defensive structure. Great views can be had all the way around the park's perimeter. Walk out to the lighthouse to take in the busy shipping activity at the nearby Port of Halifax.
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Lynn Canyon Park
Set amid a dense bristling of ancient trees, the main feature of this provincial park is its swinging suspension bridge. It provokes a jelly-legged reaction as you sway over the river 50m below – and it’s also far less crowded and commercialized. There are hiking trails, swimming areas and picnic spots around the park to keep you busy once you’ve done the bridge. The Ecology Centre houses interesting displays on the area’s rich biodiversity, including dioramas and video presentations.
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Halifax Public Gardens
The Halifax Public Gardens are considered the finest Victorian city gardens in North America. Oldies bands perform off-key concerts in the gazebo on Sunday afternoons in summer, tai chi practitioners go through their paces, and anyone who brings checkers can play on outside tables. The seventeen acres make a great detour when walking across the city on foot - you feel as if you've left metropolis for a quirky, bustling countryside.
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Whytecliff Park
Just west of Horseshoe Bay, this is an exceptional little park right on the water. Trails lead to vistas and a gazebo, from where you can watch the boat traffic in Burrard Inlet. The rocky beach is a great place to play, go for a swim or scamper over the large rocks protruding from the beach. The park is also popular with scuba fans and is regarded as one of the best dive spots in the Lower Mainland.
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Mt Maxwell Provincial Park
Mt Maxwell Provincial Park offers accessible and quite captivating vistas. The dirt road is steep, so a 4WD is recommended if you're driving. The 588m Baynes Peak climbs far above sea level here, making the Strait of Georgia seem like a bathtub dotted with tiny, green islands. It's a great spot to watch a panoramic sunset.
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Petroglyph Provincial Park
Petroglyph Provincial Park is seldom visited, despite some neat old First Nations sandstone carvings that depict everything from mystical wolf-like creatures to fish and human figures. Sadly, the petroglyphs are fading fast and most are barely visible, but kids like making rubbings from the re-created castings.
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Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park
Offering picnicking, cycling, hiking and beaches, Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park is one of Nanaimo's favorite parks. Walks or hikes range from 1km strolls to the 7.5km perimeter trek. A serviced campground (www.newcastleisland.ca) is available.
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CA Pippy Park
The feature-filled, 1343-hectare CA Pippy Park coats downtown's northwestern edge. Recreational facilities include walking trails, picnic areas, playgrounds and a campground. Memorial University, the province's only university, is here too.
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World Heritage Park
World Heritage Park houses displays about Unesco. It is also a good place to pause for air while negotiating Banff's main drag: Banff Ave. There are plenty of cafes nearby if the mountain air makes you hungry.
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Central Park
Toward the south end of Banff Ave is Central Park where you can stroll along the mellow Bow River. From here you can follow the signed nature path north along the river.
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Parks Canada
This office has info on Tuktut Nogait, Ivvavik and Aulavik National Parks, as well as the Pingo Canadian Landmark. Park visitors must register and de-register here.
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Bear Creek Provincial Park
Bear Creek Provincial Park offers opportunities for hiking as well as windsurfing, fishing, swimming and wilderness camping.
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