Top 10 Underrated Canadian Ecotourism Destinations

Canada is a country that often finds itself flying under the radar. It is the second largest country, and much of this area is unpopulated. This makes for great ecotourism. Canada has many different ecosystems and its two coasts offer great ocean views and activities. Travel here is most popular in the summer; yet a winter vacation in Canada offers thrills for skiers and all white landscapes. Here are some of the most underrated vacation spots you might want to check out for yourself:

Southern Ontario

Southern Ontario is best known for its cities but it also boasts fantastic nature. The Bruce Peninsula is great for people who love to hike or for those who like a relaxing beach vacation. Located here is point Pelee, which is the southern most part of Canada. Monarch Caterpillars live on milkweed and make their migration down to Mexico from around late August to late September. Point Pelee is also great for birth watchers as Warblers make their migration to and from here.  Niagara Falls is another natural wonder and pride of Southern Ontario.

Arctic Canada is known for is year round ice cover. This vast flat land of ice looks like nothing else, and is much more accessible than its southern sister Antarctica. The Arctic is made up of the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. There are three main National Parks to explore, Auyuittuq Natutional Park, Kulane National Park and Nahanni National Park. All these parks offers their own unique beauty, Auyuittuq specifically having the worlds highest vertical drop (BE CAREFUL!)

PEI is the only Province Island in Canada. This province has uniquely red beaches due to their high iron content. The Province is also home to Green Gables, made famous by Lucy Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gabels. PEI is also well known for its Dunes and fresh oysters and mussels.

The Bay of Fundy is located between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.  This area is most famous for its massive tides, in fact boasting the highest tidal range in the world. This along with the Hopewell Rocks helped the Bay of Fundy become a finalist for the new 7 wonders of the world. The Hopewell Rocks are a group of rocks on the ocean floor only visible when the bay is at its lowest tide.

This is the second province on the list, and really the whole province is worth visiting and is all beauty. There are too many National Parks, but the highlights are, Glacier National Park known for its flora and fauna like all the other parks but specifically Grizzly and Black Bears which are only found in B.C. Gwaii Haanas National Park is know for its fjords, which are thin, long inlets with cliffs on either side. Kootenay National Park is known for too many things but best known for its hot springs and colored cold springs. British Columbia is also known for the Rocky Mountains with world class skiing.

Banff National Park is located in Alberta and is Canada’s first National Park. The Rockies come through this national park giving it some great skiing as well with some fantastic views. Banff National Park is home to hundreds of trails and beautiful lakes. The most famous of these lakes is Lake Louise with beautiful glacial backdrops. Crowfoot Glacier is another favorite with glaciers hanging onto the mountain side.

Algonquin Park marks the divide between North and South Ontario. This couldn’t be included with Southern Ontario because a week here is just barely enough time. The best way to travel around this massive park is by canoe on all the small inter connected lakes, and rivers. Motor boats are not allowed in this park keeping it in pristine condition.

Churchill is located in Northern Manitoba. This is the premier place to spot Polar bears and is what it is best known for. It is also a great place to watch the aurora borealis or better known as the Northern Lights.

Cape Breton Island is located in Nova Scotia. Cape Breton Island is home to spectacular beauty. Its mountainous geography combined with regular fog makes for beautiful pictures. Top sights are The Bras D’or which has very unique ecology and Top of the Island, which is a spectacular location for whale watching.

Charlevoix is located in Quebec. This area is so unique because it was created by a meteorite that struck here about 350 million years ago. This has created flat then suddenly mountainous terrain. This makes for great skiing with awesome views overlooking the St. Laurent River from Le Massif. This is also very quaint flora and fauna. This area consists of small towns making it a great vacation spot. This area is also very famous for its cheeses.

Image courtesy of Creative Commons.

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