5 of the best Canadian National Parks

Moraine lake in Banff National park, Canada (Shutterstock)

Canada’s first national park (created 1885) lies deep in the Rockies. Its jagged peaks, glaciers and forests are picture-perfect but much-visited, but ditch the crowds by walking in the backcountry.

Green Gardens Trail in Gros Morne National Park (Shutterstock)

Boating glacial fjord Western Brook Pond is unmissable. Plus, along the park’s craggy coast are lookouts over sandy beaches and fine bays where minke whales can be spotted off-shore during the summer.

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Vancouver Island, British Columbia (Shutterstock)

Vancouver Island’s showpiece park is best known for Long Beach, a 30km stretch of wild coast backed by dense rainforest. Further south, the Broken Group Islands offer fine canoeing and diving, while the tough West Coast Trail begs to be explored.

Northwest Territories, Canada (Shutterstock)

The whitewater of the South Nahanni River powers through 4,700 sq km of wilderness park in the Northwest Territories. There’s no road or marked trails so sightseeing is done only from the air or by rafting a series of stunning canyons.

Aerial View of Glaciers, Mountains and Fjords of Auyuittuq National Park, Baffin Island (Shutterstock)

On Baffin Island lies the remote Auyuittuq (pronounced “ow-you-we-took”). The park boasts indomitable granite peaks and glaciers, and is home to native Arctic hares and foxes, snow geese, and polar bears.

Main Image: Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada (Shutterstock)