In Canada, nature shows off its incredible beauty: vast forests, emerald green lakes and imposing mountains provide habitat for a wide range of flora and fauna. It is no wonder that the country protects its natural beauty in the form of 47 national parks as well as countless regional parks. Natural parks are one of the most popular destinations for locals and tourists alike.
Diversity and beauty of an unusual kind
Beautiful natural experiences are relatively evenly distributed throughout almost all parts of the country. The contrasts between Canada’s national parks could not be greater: from magical ice worlds to virgin forests with long sandy beaches, the country offers unparalleled diversity.
Canada’s oldest and largest national park is in Alberta. It was founded in 1885, and covers more than 6,600 square kilometres. It is home to grizzly bears and moose, as well as breathtaking landscapes of rivers, lakes and glaciers.
On the west coast, the Pacific Rim National Park in British Columbia impresses visitors with kilometres of beaches and incomparable forests containing giant trees up to 600 years old. In the summer, its beautiful bays are visited by orcas and grey whales. In the south of the park lies one of the country’s most popular yet toughest hiking trails: the West Coast Trail.
The Kluane National Park in the Yukon near the Alaskan border was founded in 1979 and is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. Approximately 82% of the land is covered by the Kluane Icefield, an almost unreal-seeming glacier massif, which also contains the Elijah Mountains and Mount Logan, Canada’s highest mountain at 5959 metres.
Natural parks in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia also offers incomparable natural landscapes and abundant wildlife in protected national parks, not far from real estate surrounded by nature. Named after the plateau of the same name, the Cape Breton Highlands National Park was founded in 1936, and was the first national park in the Atlantic provinces. Boreal forests and rocky coasts provide an impressive habitat for moose and black bears, as well as bald eagles.
The Kejimkujik National Park covering 403 km² was founded in 1979. Its name refers to the country’s indigenous people, the Mi’kmaqs. White sandy beaches along the Atlantic coast, countless river valleys, and wetlands offer home to endangered animal species such as the piping plover, as well as the white-tailed deer and the New World porcupine.
The Sable Island National Park is particularly special. Although it can look back on a long history, it was only officially established as a national park in 2013. Human settlements have been located here since the 16th century, and some of the buildings belonging to the rescue centre founded in 1801 are now used by the park’s management. You can search for trees on the island in vain. Instead the vegetation is characterised by beach grass, which provides a comfortable habitat for Arctic terns, common seals and grey seals, as well as the Sable Island ponies. The island can only be visited with the permission of the Canadian coastguard service.
