1

August is a popular time. It's warm, humid in the Toronto area, but no issues I'm sure for you. Central Canada...the prairieas and Rockies, the air is more dry. You may have a few days in the 30"s. More likely in the okanagan where it says in the 30"s for weeks.

What's ur budget? 4 weeks is tight to go across Canada. Is flying an option?

Not much hockey in August, this is in the dead middle of our summer.

Let me just say again....heat will not be an issue for you for the most part.

2

August is a good time to visit.

I'd say July is the hottest and most humid month -- August should be fine. There could be highs in the low 30s (degrees C.), but the weather can be very variable -- 30 one day, 22 the next day. You'll find that many Canadians start to complain about the heat when it hits about 28. To compare it to Australia, August in Canada might be like December or March in Oz; not like Jan or Feb.

The beginning of August tends to be the hottest. Towards the end of August, the days will still be warm and you'll notice the nights starting to get cooler.

3

You won't find hockey that time of year. Lots of hockey schools on in summer though. Where they teach kids and teenagers skills. You may be able to see a game that way. It won't be anything approaching professional though. They will be in all the major cities and lots of smaller ones.

4

Actually I just googled it. :) Apparently there are a lot of summer hockey leagues here in Ontario and probably in the rest of the country as well. It will just be kids or teenagers but if all you want is to see a game it would fit the bill. Hope that helps.

5

I've found it hard to have Australian type heat anywhere in Canada, and I haven't had flies like King's Canyon has anywhere in Canada. August is already a cooler time of year & if you wait till September you get fewer tourists in National Parks. I assume (because this is what Australians do) that you are aiming for Vancouver, the Rockies, Toronto, Niagara Falls & maybe down to NYC. Toronto will be your warmest destination - the Rockies might have gotten a skiff of snow... (depends).
There will be hockey on the prairies on artificial ice. For any Canadian this year there is only non-proffessional hockey as the NHL has a lock out due to contract negotiations. Ask around when you get here & you'll find a place to see the game played.
Enjoy your trip

6

A time frame of four weeks is not much time to travel across the entire country. You might find it more manageable to pick two or three Provinces and focus on those with such a short time. What type of sights are you interested in seeing?

How are you planning to get between locations? Given the size of the country, most Canadians cover longer distances via one of our two main airlines, WestJet and Air Canada. There are Via Rail trains from Vancouver to Toronto and then Toronto to the Maritimes, but those tend to be somewhat expensive. The cheapest option is likely Greyhound Coach, although they've been cutting some routes lately to remain profitable.

August is usually one of the best months for good weather, however there are never any guarantees. Temperatures around Vancouver and Victoria are moderated by the Pacific, so it doesn't usually get extremely hot (but rain is more common there). You will find hotter temperatures in the interior of B.C. including the Thompson / Okanagan / Similkameen regions, which can approach 42 C on occasion (which is one reason there are Rattlesnakes in those areas, as well as many Wineries). Have a look at weather websites to find historical temperatures for Kelowna, Lytton or Osoyoos for some examples of temperatures. As someone else mentioned, towards the latter part of the month the evenings will start to become a bit cool. The heat in the interior tends to be a "dry heat" so it's easier to tolerate. In contrast, Toronto gets high humidity and high heat which can be somewhat oppressive.

7

If you are interested in outdoorsy type activities i would recommend western canada. That way you can hit the rockies and the west coast. Whitewater rafting is a blast and there are plenty of spots in the rockies (banff, jasper, golden etc.). Hiking will be amazing in all of the parks. I am partial to jasper but that is mostly out of convenience. On the west coast you can go deep sea fishing (which is a blast) and fantastic hiking/biking/ etc. You could even get in a little surfing (if thats your thing and you are willing to brave the icy cold water). Vancouver is an interesting stop but i wouldnt spend any extended time there are it tends to be very similar to most large cities. Edmonton (my home) is decent but again, not for an extended stay. Southern alberta can be pretty cool in the badlands, especially drumheller if you like dinosaurs (Albertasaurus anyone??). After that you can pretty much skip over the entire interior of canada. I am a canadian, and i love canada, but i am fully aware that central canada can be dead boring if there isn't something specific pulling you in. Eastern Canada is also pretty awesome. Montreal and Quebec city are two of my favourite places but if i had to settle for just one i would probably pick Montreal. Old city always has something going on and it has a very european feel to it. Street performers, buskers, and vendors make for a pretty good evening stroll. If you are interested in a slightly different canadian experience head even further east to Prince Edward island or Newfoundland. The views are stunning and the people are fantastic.

On a side note, have you ever considered couch surfing? It might be a nice way to get to see canada and meet canadians. I have been using couch surfing for a few years and its a pretty awesome way to meet people and really see a city.

8

so callled heat and humidityt least of your concerns however what you do have to do. is make sure you carry insect repellent espc. if travelling in the bush in ontario. otherwise the mossies and blackflies will eat you alive, bugs did not seem so bad in bc or alberta. but your time frame kinda not enougfh for much eastern province travel since its 3 days continuous driving toronto to bc, but heck bc and alberta well worth the time.

9

the Rockies might have gotten a skiff of snow
There will be hockey on the prairies on artificial ice

I've been going to the Rockies in august for too many years to remember. Have never seen snow (other than at the top of the mountains).

And I grew up in the prairies - please tell me where I can go see a hockey game on artificial ice in August. I would love to catch a game.

10

I was also going to say...NEVER have I seen "new" snow in Aug...was just too lazy at the time lol.

There are hockey camps everywhere in August...not true hockey games, more like scrimmages...especially in the prairies. I used to participate in camps in Saskatoon and Gull Lake.

11

^oops I wasn't thinking of indoor rinks - I was thinking of that silly plastic that can be used to skate on. Yes there are indoor rinks open.

12

Wow! Thanks everyone!
I was looking at the wrong page on this forum thinking no-one had responded to my question & I finally figured it out today & am so appreciative of all the information you've all given me! I've always heard how lovely Canadians are & you've all reinforced this wonderful stereotype - one of the reasons I've decided to go to Canada!)

In answer to some of the questions you've asked I am really hoping to spend time really experiencing Canada & it's wilderness - I'm hoping to spend time doing some things really Canadian! - I'm much more nature-oriented than building or architecture-oriented. I'd really love to hike around some of your national parks. (I'm not very coordinated so probably not skiing or extreme mountain biking or hard-core iceskating.

I think I'll have to get public transport/trains/buses around most of my trip as I'm not too keen to hire a car as 1 of our countries drives on the wrong side of the road :)

(I'd hoped to see some aurora boreal is & perhaps go ice-fishing but I've been told this is off the cards!)

I'd really love to go to some festivals around Canada - any must-sees?

Does anyone have recommendations of things authentically Canadian I should try or do? I don't want my trip to be something similar to what I'd do I I was in Australia.

I'd really love to go Salmon fishing but I can't fly fish... Does anyone have any recommendations for this?

I thought of traveling to Newfoundland as I hear it's very beautiful but I'm not 100% sure the best way to get there?

I haven't really decided on any places I must see - to be honest I thought 1 month might be enough... But that was probably not long enough like you've pointed out. I had hoped to go from Western Canada to Eastern Canada & see the different terrains. Then fly from the east coast to west coast at the end of my trip!

I am very relieved to hear that August is a good time to travel!

Thanks to everyone for their comments! I'd love to hear more recommendations!

13

Do you think there may be any moose around in August?

Edited by: devers01

14

First of all, scrap anything to do with winter!...no ice fishing, no "hardcore" skating, not even northern lights really as they are best seen in the winter when the nights are long and clear. August is almost the dead of summer (well, beginning to enter the tail end).

Second, your interests and ideas of what would be fun in Canada basically puts you in all 4 corners of our country. 4 weeks makes this pretty much impossible. For example, salmon fishing is world renownd in northern BC. You do NOT need to know how to fly fish for this, there are several ways to catch them. This can get very expensive, including getting there, and having someone show you. Newfoundland (on the other side of the country) is an island. Even for me here in Alberta, it literally costs me over $800 to fly there. Its not cheap getting there by any means.
Last, our bus/train system kind of blows compared to other countries. Ive been to Australia before...didnt take long for me to get used to your roads, it all depends on how you feel on your ability. A rental just makes things a bit more flexible. Its best though if your over the age of 25 and are dropping it off at the same location.

If Im right, I think the rockies and west coast is where you should focus your time as there are TONS of hikes and beautiful landscapes. 4 weeks is a very short time, so the least time spend on traveling the better. Research Vancouver, Banff, Jasper, Okanagan, Whistler, Vancouver Island, Tofino. All these locations are hot spots.

In summary, decide if west coast or east coast would suite you better and just do one!

ps...Moose are found coast to coast, but Newfoundland is where you have the greatest odds in seeing them.