Are you looking for adventurous Canadian activities? If yes, Canada is the ultimate country for adventure activities, the second biggest country in the world is covered by 42% forest with the longest coastline in the world and thousands of lakes, allowing for a myriad of landscapes for adventurers to enjoy. In summer explore the beautiful Rocky Mountains, the lush rainforests and amazing coastline while hiking and camping or swim and paddle the turquoise rivers and lakes. But wait a minute, there are plenty of fun things to do in Canada + outdoor Canadian activities in each season of the year!
In winter the country turns into a fantastic playground for snow sport enthusiasts with some of the worlds best skiing and snowboarding in the mountains and plenty of other adventure activities such as dog sledding, ice climbing and ice fishing to enjoy all over the country.
Surfing and scuba diving are not activities Canada is well known for, but there are some great dive and surf spots to enjoy along the beautiful coast all year round.
Summer Adventures in Canada
Hiking in Canada
Traversed by thousands of kilometers of trails extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific, all ten provinces of Canada can be explored hiking through forests, over mountains and for miles along the coast.
Hiking in Banff National Park, Alberta
The beautiful Banff National Park located in Alberta province in the Canadian Rockies is internationally renowned for its picture perfect turquoise glacial lakes, majestic mountains and endless outdoor adventures. Whether you want to go skiing, kayaking, hiking the options here are limitless.
You can take guided signature hikes with lunch.
With more than 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) of easy to follow trails exploring beautiful peaks and spectacular lakes, hiking in Banff National Park is excellent. The town Banff and the village Lake Louise are the most popular accommodation options in the park with trailheads for most trails located around these towns.
Lake Louise is a perfect turquoise, glacier-fed lake being overlooked by spectacular snow capped mountains, the lake is located 4km from the town with the same name. The towns are located 57 km apart taking 50 minutes by bus. Five public buses per day run between the two destinations in season.
RECOMMENDED: Top Things to do in Banff National Park
Hiking from Banff is amazing with plenty of easily accessible trails, ranging from easy strolls in the forest and next to the river, to more challenging hikes up alpine passes in the surrounding Rocky Mountains.
You can easily combine several trails to do spectacular hikes close to the town for days. Some nice trails to walk from the town are the Marsh Loop (2.8km), Sundance Canyon (9km) and Spray Loop (12km). For a more challenging hike walk up Tunnel Mountain (4.8km) or Sulphur Mountain (12km)
If you are looking for more difficult hikes at higher elevation, hiking from the trailheads at Lake Louise and Moraine Lake is the place to go.
Popular hiking routes from Lake Louise are; Lake Agnes and the Big Beehive (10.5 km, a 3 to 4 hour round trip), the Plain of six glaciers (10.6 km, 3 to 4 hour round trip) or do the Teahouse Challenge, a 20 km hike (6 to 7 hours) starting at Lake Louise and going to the Lake Agnes teahouse and the Plain of 6 glaciers teahouse to enjoy the amazing views of the Rockies and off course a cup of tea.
From Moraine Lake the spectacular Larch Valley trail, Eiffel trail and the challenging Sentinel Pass are very popular routes. Autumn is a beautiful time to hike the Larch Valley. Late autumn the larch tree needles turn from green to lime to a brilliant golden yellow color making for spectacular scenery.
In summer you can attempt to climb Mount Temple, the highest mountain in the region at an elevation of 3,544 m/ 11,627 ft.
The majority of the trails around Banff and Lake Louise are one day hiking trails, the Skoki Loop however is a challenging three day backpacking trek that can be done from Lake Louise. This 34 km trail is well marked and goes past some unreal beautiful blue lakes, through alpine forest and over rocky plains. The hike starts at the Fish Creek trailhead, next to the Lake Louise ski area.
The peak season for hiking in Banff National Park is from July through mid-September.
You always have a chance to encounter some of the iconic Canadian wildlife such as elk and grizzly bears in the park, so it is required to carry a bear spray and hike in groups of 4 or more in summer.
Hiking on Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island, home to mountains, glaciers and beautiful old growth forests, is the largest island off the west coast of North America. The island is filled with amazing wild hiking trails. Exploring the coast line and hiking through spectacular indigenous forest, prepare yourself to see bears, whales, killer whales, seals and more amazing animals.
Booking.comThe West Coast Trail, Vancouver Island
The West Coast Trail is a challenging 75 km backpacking trail over beach and forest terrain on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The route takes 5 to 7 days to complete on Southern Vancouver Island between the towns of Port Renfrew and Bamfield
The majority of this amazing trail follows extensive white sandy beaches for miles and you can camp on the beach every night. When not walking right next to the ocean you follow the trail through beautiful indigenous forest, here it can get very muddy when it rains. The fauna and flora are amazing, expect to see orcas, whales and dolphins walking on the beach and black bears and deer walking in the forest.
This is a challenging trail with mud, ladders, bridges and cable cars that you have to use to pull yourself across rivers. Walking with all your food, tent and gear for a week is a demanding experience. The trail is limited to 30 people starting per day, so booking early is important.
Suggested reading: The Best Hiking Trips in The USA
The Juan de Fuca Trail, Vancouver Island
The Juan de Fuca marine trail is another awesome trail to hike on Vancouver Island. This is a good alternative to the West Coast Trail since it is cheaper and no booking is necessary. Both trails start close to the town Port Renfrew on Vancouver island, but go in opposite directions.
The Juan de Fuca trail is shorter at 49 km and takes four days backpacking to complete. Similar fauna and flora can be seen on the two trails, we did however see significantly more animals on the West Coast trail compared to the Juan de Fuca trail. Trailheads for the Juan de Fuca trail at Parkinson Creek, Sombrio Beach or China Beach are easy to reach from the road and have car parking, hiking only a part of the trail is possible.
Transport to the West Coast Trail and Juan de Fuca Trail is available with the West Coast Trail Express.
Whitewater rafting in Banff
The beautiful rivers in Banff National Park serve up a mix of rapids suitable for all experience levels from families to real adrenaline junkies. If you are looking for an awesome ride, guaranteed to get you wet, paddle the class 3 and 4 rapids of the Bowriver through Horseshoe Canyon.
For a more relaxing ride enjoy nature and a couple of milder rapids on the Kananaskis River. The starting point is about 45 minutes drive from Banff town, your operator can pick you up in town.
Winter Activities in Canada
Canadians love the outdoors, with cold winters and a lot of snow there is an amazing variety of exciting adventures to experience on the beautiful winter landscapes all around the country.
Skiing and Snowboarding
With spectacular snow-clad mountains Canada is blessed with some of the best skiing and snowboarding locations in the world. For the best skiing experience in Canada, Alberta and British Columbia, on the west coast is the area to go.
With thick powder and thousands of acres of terrain everybody, from beginners to experts will have a great time. For some of the most popular slopes in the country go to; Whistler and Blackcomb mountains with the largest ski area in North America, Lake Louise and Banff for beautiful resorts and world class skiing, the Marmot Basin at Jasper for powdery snow and uncrowded runs and the Grouse Mountain right inside Vancouver.
Grouse Mountain has one of the best runs in the world and 6 terrain parks located only 15 minutes by public transport from downtown Vancouver.
If you are a beginner – there are great resorts and lodges at all the popular mountains for skiing. I would recommend you rent the correct gear and get an instructor at the slopes, learning the correct techniques will make it less frustrating at the start.
Ski instructors will also take you to choose the most appropriate slopes and help you have a really fun experience.
Canyon Ice Walks
In winter water in the canyons, caves and crevasses freezes creating frozen rivers with glistening ice walls and spectacular ice waterfalls. There are some awesome ice walks around Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper in Alberta.
The ice walk in the Maligne Canyon, in Jasper National Park takes you on a 4-km ice walk at the bottom of the frozen canyon surrounded by vertical limestone walls and 30-metre-high frozen waterfalls.
Johnston Canyon is a popular ice walk in Banff National Park in winter with frozen waterfalls, a snow-covered forest, and frozen canyon walls. The Johnston Canyon trail is a combination of steel walking platforms and forest paths mostly covered in snow and ice. The trails are well marked and take walkers to both Lower and Upper Falls.
The ice is very slippery and it is almost impossible to move without falling when you are on a frozen path going downhill. Buy or rent ice cleats (micro spikes) to wear over your shoes for improved grip on the ice.
Ice Fishing
Ice Fishing is a popular activity in winter in Canada, to fish you find a spot on a frozen lake, drill a hole in the ice through which you fish with a hook line and sinker. Fish that are commonly caught this way include trout, walleye, northern pike, perch and lot more.
Many people go to fishing spots on the lake with snowmobiles, combining these two fun activities. For longer expeditions shelters which you can fish from are used, some common names for these are ice shanty, ice shack, fish house or ice hut.
The shelter is dragged or towed onto the lake using a vehicle such as a snowmobile or ATV. Holes can be drilled manually with an ice saw, but a powered ice auger makes life easier to drill multiple holes.
Lakes in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec are all popular for ice fishing.
Dog Sledding
Dog sledding used to be an important method of transportation in Canada, but today it is mostly a recreational activity. It is a fun and adventurous way to experience Canada’s stunning landscapes.
Dog-sledding tours are available in many provinces and territories all over Canada and can run from a couple of hours to a few days. Dogs seem to be well treated and bred for this purpose, so they are ‘born to run’, but do some research before picking an operator.
Ocean Activities in Canada
With a massive part of this beautiful country surrounded by ocean, Canada offers some awesome marine adventures. Surfing and diving can be done anytime of the year, but conditions in Canada are better in winter.
The bigger winter swell is better for surfing. For scuba diving winter is also better since the water temperature does not change much at depth, but visibility is much better in winter.
Surfing at Tofino
Not many people know that you can surf in Canada, but there are a couple of nice surf spots around Vancouver island. Tofino is a district on the west coast of Vancouver Island, with several surf beaches. It is the most popular surf destination in Canada with waves to surf for all skill levels.
Cox beach is considered the best surf spot in the area, Long Beach is a popular beach break with good conditions in summer and Chesterman beach is the most popular beginner spot where lessons take place. The water in Tofino is cold, but not freezing usually above 10C, so surfing in a suitable wetsuit you can stay in the water for two or three hours.
Tofino has a great surf culture with many surf shops for such a small town. Go to one of the surf shops for lessons, they will start you off on the beach and provide you with all gear needed. Tofino is visited by many nature lovers, bird watchers, campers, whale watchers and fisherman.
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Surfing at Sombrio Beach
Sombrio beach, located between Victoria and Port Renfrew is a nice surf spot in the south of Vancouver island. The beach is on the Juan de Fuca trail and is a popular camping spot with a beautiful waterfall.
The surf is not as good as in Tofino, a bit more inconsistent, but has nice waves when it works and a great place to spend a weekend. There is parking at the Sombrio beach trailhead about 45 minutes drive past the town Sooke.
Scuba Diving from Vancouver
When you think of snorkeling or scuba diving, most people think about tropical islands, but cold water diving can be fantastic and Canada has some of the best cold water diving in the world. Ontario and Newfounland are known for great wreck diving, but Vancouver is the highlight of Canadian diving, it’s even being recognized for its unreal marine life by renowned French ocean explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau.
With water temperature hovering between 5 and 10C diving around Vancouver is done in drysuits. The marine life here is unlike anywhere else with species like the wolf eel, giant Pacific octopus, an amazing diversity in soft coral and plenty of interesting small things like kelp crabs, shrimps, a selection of rockfish and nudibranches.
One of the highlights of diving from Vancouver and Vancouver Island is diving with the seals and sea lions, being surrounded by plenty of these curious marine mammals is an amazing experience. If you are not a qualified diver, you can also go snorkeling with the seals, getting very close to them. There are some great dive operators you can contact in Vancouver or on Vancouver Island.
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Adventure Awaits
Canada is a paradise for adventure lovers, no matter the season of the year. There are plenty of amazing fun things to do in Canada. If you are planning a trip to Canada, you simply won’t regret it!
This is a post by guest contributors Campbell and Alya from the blog Stingy Nomads.
Author’s Bio: Campbell from South Africa and Alya from Russia have been traveling the world together searching for the best hikes and dives on the planet since the day they met in the Philippines in 2014. A lot has happened on the way, starting their successful travel blog Stingy Nomads, getting married and they are still traveling.
