Outdoor Recreation

Outdoor Recreation in Canada

With hundreds of national, provincial and municipal parks, Canada is famous for outdoor recreation.

In Banff National Park alone, you will find more than 1,000 km of hiking, biking, and cross-country trails. The park also features world-class ski hills, golf courses, and fishing rivers and lakes.

Most provinces offer outdoor activities all year long, from canoeing to winter camping. And you do not have to travel far from cities. Many Canadian communities are close to lakes and forests with trails for hiking and cycling. In fact, a trail is being built from the Atlantic Coast to the Pacific Coast.

Canada’s two million lakes make water sports a popular outdoor activity. Many beaches are safe for swimming. But look for posted signs; sometimes beaches are closed due to high bacteria levels in the water.

The five Great Lakes – Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario – are also popular for boating and fishing. Over the last 30 years, pollution levels in Great Lakes fish have dropped. But according to Environment Canada, some fish should be eaten in limited amounts or not at all.

Thanks to environmental protection, bird watchers can once again see bald eagles flying over Great Lakes shores. But outdoor enthusiasts should beware of some wildlife. Both black and grizzly bears inhabit the Canadian Rockies, as well as other wilderness areas.

And watch out for the weather. Be prepared for snow during September and October.

This section is about enjoying Canada’s great outdoors.