Travel - Canada

Canada is the world’s second largest country by total area. It also has the longest coastline in the world and its border with the United States is the world’s longest land border. Canada has over 2 million lakes, more than the rest of the world combined, containing 20% of the world’s fresh water. Average winter and summer high temperatures across Canada vary from region to region. Winters can be harsh in many parts of the country, where daily average temperatures are near −15°C, but can drop below −40°C with severe wind chills. For those unfamiliar with wind chills, if the temperature is -1°C wind chill can make it feel like -10°C depending on the speed and direction the wind is coming from. Coastal British Columbia has a temperate climate, with a mild and rainy winter. On the east and west coasts, average high temperatures are generally in the low 20s°C, while between the coasts, the average summer high temperature ranges from 25-30°C, with temperatures in some interior locations occasionally exceeding 40°C. Weather here can change quite rapidly, so if you plan to travel to Canada no matter what the season, we recommend you dress in layers. As the saying goes here in Alberta “if you don’t like the weather, don’t complain, just wait 5 minutes.”

National Parks

Banff National Park

Banff National Park is Canada’s oldest national park. It is located in the Rocky Mountains. It also has numerous large glaciers and icefields. Banff National Park is the most visited Alberta tourist destination.

Moraine Lake

Moraine Lake is a glacially fed lake in Banff National Park, 14 km outside the Village of Lake Louise. It is situated in the Valley of the Ten Peaks also known as the “Twenty Dollar View”, as Moraine Lake was featured on the reverse side of the 1969 and 1979 issues of the Canadian twenty dollar bill.

Lake Louise

Lake Louise is in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. It is known for its turquoise, glacier-fed lake ringed by high peaks. The Ice Magic Festival is being held here once a year where you can watch talented artists from around the world compete in an ice carving contest.

Peyto Lake

Peyto Lake is a glacier-fed lake in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. The lake itself is easily accessed from the Icefields Parkway and is best seen from Bow Summit.

Johnston Canyon

Johnston Canyon is one of the most popular day hikes in Banff National Park. It’s fairly easy, making it perfect for people of almost any fitness level and age. It’s also accessible year round.

Sulphur Mountain

Sulphur Mountain is a mountain in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rocky Mountains overlooking the town of Banff. A gondola goes to the summit ridge. For those of you budget traveling, you also have the option of hiking the mountain.

Banff

Banff is a resort town in the province of Alberta, located within Banff National Park. The peaks of Mt. Rundle and Mt. Cascade, part of the Rocky Mountains, dominate its skyline.

Jasper National Park

Extending over 11,000 square kilometres, it is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies and part of UNESCO's Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site.

Athabasca Glacier

You can visit the Athabasca Glacier in a giant Ice Explorer where you'll learn how glaciers are formed and see other incredible geological features.

Glacier Skywalk

Glacier Skywalk is a fully-accessible, cliff-edge walkway that leads to a glass-floored observation platform 280 metres above the Sunwapta Valley where you can see ice-capped mountain peaks and vast glacier-formed valleys.

Waterton Lakes National Park

Waterton Lakes National Park is located in the southwest corner of Alberta. It is part of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, designated as World Heritage Site.

Bear's Hump

The Bear's Hump is a short, strenuous but rewarding hike. At the end of this climb, you will see the spectacular views of Waterton Valley and Mount Cleveland, the tallest summit in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.

Cameron Lake

Cameron Lake is located 16 km from the townsite on Akamina Parkway. This crystal clear, spring-fed mountain lake has breathtaking scenery and is abundant with wildlife.

Cameron Falls

Cameron Falls is one of the park’s most photographed landmarks and is found right in town. It is crystal clear mountain water that rushes steadily over 1.5 billion year-old Cambrian rock.

Red Rock Canyon

Here the layers of red and green colored minerals offer a brilliant contrast to each other and the lush surroundings.

Crypt Lake

The Crypt Lake hike is one of the most unique hikes you'll ever encounter. It was actually rated as Canada's "Best Hike" in 1981. Also in 2014 National Geographic rated this hike as one of the World's 20 Most Thrilling Trails! The hike requires a 15 minute boat ride across Upper Waterton Lake to the trailhead at Crypt Landing. The trail passes close to 4 waterfalls namely Hell Roaring Falls, Twin Falls, Burnt Rock Falls and Crypt Falls. A highlight for many is the steel ladder and 60 foot tunnel through the mountain. After a short maneuver around a cliff with cable for added security, you will arrive at beautiful Crypt Lake.

Goat Lake

The first four kilometers of the hike to Goat Lake is easy, but that doesn’t last. At the 4 km mark the trail quickly turns vertical, gaining elevation at a rate that will test your determination, 1,750 ft over just 3 km. You’ll zigzag up the mountain on a series of switchbacks. But the views at the top and along the way are definitely worth the exertion required to get there.

Bertha Lake

It’s a moderate excursion to the base of Bertha Falls, at which point the trail steepens sharply, leading you upward and onward along a series of switchbacks up the slope of Mount Richards.

Forum Lake

Forum Lake is in the Akamina Provincial Park which is located in British Columbia however the trail head is on the Alberta side within Waterton National Park.

Crandell Lake

Crandell Lake is a short, scenic and easy hike. The trail reveals stunning views of Mount Dungarvan, Blackiston Creek, Mount Crandell, and of course Crandell Lake. Mountain water is very cold at the best of times so exercise caution while swimming.

Blakiston Falls

This is a short hike that leads to waterfall viewpoints.

Waterton

The town site offers lots of fun activities, great accommodations and dining experiences.

British Columbia

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city in Canada, located in British Columbia. It is the most populous city in the province. The Greater Vancouver is the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada. Vancouver has the highest population density in Canada which makes it the fourth-most densely populated city in North America. It is also one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada with 52% of its residents have a first language other than English. Vancouver is one of Canada's warmest cities in the winter. Its climate is temperate by Canadian standards. Vancouver also has the coolest summer average high of all major Canadian metropolitan areas. It also has the most rainfall compared to other Canadian cities.

Stanley Park

Stanley Park is a 405-hectare public park that borders the downtown of Vancouver and is almost entirely surrounded by waters of Vancouver Harbour and English Bay. The forest gives the park a more natural character than most other urban parks. Stanley Park was actually designated a National Historic Site of Canada by the federal government in 1988. It was also named the best park in the world in 2013, according to TripAdvisor's first ever Traveler's Choice Awards.

Capilano Suspension Bridge

The Capilano Suspension Bridge is a simple suspension bridge crossing the Capilano River. The current bridge is 140 metres long and 70 metres above the river. The park also features rain forest ecotours, gardens, nature trails and exhibits highlighting the park's history.

Fernie

Fernie is the only city-class municipality in Canada that is fully encircled by the Rocky Mountains. A substantial seasonal population swells the city during the winter months.

Radium Hot Springs

Radium Hot Springs is a natural hot spring which is a great place to relax and you can also enjoy the dramatic mountain scenery around you.

Alberta

Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of Alberta and is the second-largest city in the province. It is also Canada's fifth-largest municipality. Edmonton is actually North America's northernmost city that has a metropolitan population over one million. It is also home to North America's largest mall, West Edmonton Mall (the world's largest mall from 1981 until 2004).

Muttart Conservatory

This botanical garden defines Edmonton’s skyline with striking glass pyramids rising from the river valley. Inside the pyramids, three biomes are in the Conservatory’s year-round displays. A fourth pyramid houses creative feature displays, changing up to eight times a year.

Calgary

Calgary is Alberta's largest city and Canada's third-largest municipality. It hosts the Calgary Stampede, an annual rodeo, exhibition and festival held every July which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth."

Calgary Tower

The Calgary Tower is a 190.8-meter free standing observation tower in Downtown Calgary. On the Observation Deck you'll experience a 360° view of the city, the Rocky Mountains, the foothills, and the prairies. Stand on the glass floor for a birds-eye view of the city streets below.

Lethbridge

Our home town, Lethbridge, is largest city in southern Alberta. It is Alberta's fourth largest city by population and the third largest by land area. The nearby Canadian Rockies contribute to the city's warm summers, mild winters, and windy climate.

Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden

Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden is a 4-acre garden in Lethbridge.

Indian Battle Park

Indian Battle Park is a park in the Oldman River valley urban park system of Lethbridge. It is where Fort Whoop-Up, Helen Schuler Coulee Centre and the High Level Bridge, the longest and highest steel trestle bridge in North America, are located.

Henderson Park

Henderson Park is a 47 hectare park in Lethbridge. It has many amenities and attractions, including a 24 hectare man-made lake, the largest lake in the city.

Galt Museum

Galt Museum & Archives is the primary museum in Lethbridge. It has collection of artifacts and documents and photographs that record the history of Lethbridge and southern Alberta.

Crowsnest Pass

Crowsnest Pass is located in the Rocky Mountains in southwest Alberta. It includes Bellevue, Blairmore, Coleman, Frank and Hillcrest.

Lynx Creek

Lynx Creek is in Castle Provincial Park near Pincher Creek.

Lundbreck Falls

Lundbreck Falls is a waterfall of the Crowsnest River located in southwestern Alberta near the hamlet of Lundbreck.

Bellevue Underground Mine

The tour provides you with an opportunity to go a short distance underground into a historic coal mine. There are a lot of on-site artifacts both in the mine and near the entrance.

Canmore

Canmore is a town in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains, west of Calgary. It is known for rugged summits like the Three Sisters and Ha Ling Peak.

Rat's Nest Cave

This is an undeveloped cave under Grotto Mountain near Canmore. This subterranean site contains more than four kilometres of tunnels and a variety of geological and paleontological features that includes stalactites, stalagmites, and deposits of animal remains. Pretty neat place! If you have never experienced spelunking, we would definitely recommend giving it a try, unless of course you are someone who suffers from nyctophobia (fear of the dark) and/or claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces).

Royal Tyrrell Museum

The Royal Tyrrell Museum is a centre of palaeontological research known for its collection of more than 130,000 fossils. It holds numerous specimens from the Alberta badlands, Dinosaur Provincial Park and the Devil's Coulee Dinosaur Egg Site. The museum is located northwest of Drumheller.

Discovery Wildlife Park

Discovery Wildlife Park provides permanent homes for wild animals coming from unfortunate situations. The park educates its visitors about conservation through presentations and experience with animals. Many animals here are the ones you see in movies. In the picture below buddy the bear is doing his "scary bear" pose.

Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park

Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park is located about 100 kilometres southeast of Lethbridge. It serves as a nature preserve and protection for a large number of aboriginal rock carvings and paintings.

Dinosaur Provincial Park

Dinosaur Provincial Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located about 2.5 hours drive east of Calgary. It is well known for being one of the richest dinosaur fossil locales in the world.

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