8 of Canada’s Top Camping and Hiking Parks

Canada is filled with excellent national parks where you can explore the nation’s diverse wilderness. These are some of the best where you’ll be able to enjoy camping, hiking, canoeing, and wildlife watching. They’re also easily accessible by road.

1. Yoho National Park, British Columbia

Yoho National Park(photo by julielepage)

There are 28 mountains in this park that reach at least 9,842 feet in height. In addition, you’ll find the huge Waputik and Wapta ice fields along the Continental Divide. Another great sight is the Takakkaw Falls, which are 833 feet high, making them the third-tallest waterfalls in the country.

Hikers will be glad to know the park features about 250 miles of magnificent hiking trails. You’ll also see spiral railroad tunnels inside Mount Ogden and Cathedral Mountain.

2. Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park, Alberta

Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park(photo by akurjata)

This amazing site is home to one the biggest collections of rock art in the continent. The park is home to a wide variety of interesting wildlife including antelope, deer, partridge, and pheasant and the Milk River is a wonderful spot to visit and relax. It’s an excellent location for camping and you can also take a guided tour of the carved rock art, which pictures dancers, warriors, and hunters.

3. Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan

Grasslands National Park(photo by snarlen)

You’ll find that this park is home to deer, antelope, and buffalo. It’s one of the country’s newer national parks and shows how people lived off the land prior to the influx of European settlers. It’s also a magnificent place for stargazing since it’s so dark at night due to its location and clouds are actually quite rare here.

4. The , British Columbia

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve(photo by stephen_rees)

There are three sections in this west-coast park which lies on Vancouver Island. You can test the Pacific Ocean for surfing waves at Long Beach. There are also rainforest boardwalks and hot springs to enjoy. For hikers, you’ll find the 50-mile long West Coast Trail to explore. The trail was built originally to help out shipwrecked sailors.

5. Kluane National Park and Reserve, Yukon

Kluane National Park(photo by juiceybrucey)

About 80% of this beautiful national park is actually covered by glaciers and mountains. It’s approximately 8,500 square miles in size and can be accessed by the Haines and Alaska highways.

There are plenty of mixed forests where you’ll come across an assortment of grizzly bears, eagles, and wolves. Also, Mount Logan can be found here, which is 19,551 feet high, making it the highest peak in Canada.

6. Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland

Gros Morne National Park(photo by dugspr)

This park shows just how diverse Canada’s natural beauty really is. It’s filled with magnificent mountains, lakes, waterfalls, rocky desert, alpine meadows, and lush forest. The landscapes are beautiful, which make hiking and camping a wonderful adventure. You can also get a good look at the park by taking a small boat cruise.

7. Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia

Cape Breton Highlands National Park(photo by cm195902)

About 60 miles of the famous Cabot Trail runs through the park and from here you’ll get some spectacular views of the mighty Atlantic Ocean. The park features meadows, rugged highlands, waterfalls, and wildflowers. It’s Canada’s original national park and is home to black bears, moose, bald eagles, and coyotes.

You may also see some harbor seals and pilot whales splashing around in the ocean waters, especially when hiking along the Skyline Trail.

8. Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba

Riding Mountain National Park(photo by jordoncooper)

This wonderful flat prairie park is filled with moose. It sits on the Manitoba Escarpment and attracts many paddlers, cross-country skiers, and hikers to the valleys, hills, deep gorges and lakes. You’ll also come across black bears, wolves, bison, and hundreds of types of bird species. As well as hiking and camping, there are tennis courts, a skateboard park and an ideal area for scuba diving at Clear Lake.