Lake Louise is one of Canada’s most visited natural wonders and while a stroll along the lake itself is definitely a must, many visitors also look for something more substantial when they stop by those turquoise waters. Lake Louise is the starting point for a few easy-to-moderate day hikes, including the trek to the charming Lake Agnes Teahouse, a short uphill hike that offers a lot of bang for your buck. During the summer months, hikers can buy a refreshment at the top.
The walk up to the teahouse is an uphill mountain hike, but by Banff standards it’s a fairly breezy one that doesn’t require extraordinary athletic ability and is suitable for families with children. At 2.1 miles (3.4km) each way it takes about three hours to get to the teahouse, longer if you want to take some time to refuel. It’s also worthwhile to drink in the views along the way, with lakes, waterfalls and mountain peaks to gaze upon.
Ottawa is a fantastic city to walk through – as Canada’s capital, the downtown area is steeped in history and there are plenty of interesting things to see. The pathway that runs alongside the city’s central waterway, the Rideau Canal, takes pedestrians through seven sites, including the Ottawa Locks, Pretoria Bridge, Dows Lake and Central Experimental Farm. The path starts at the locks, which are at the base of Parliament Hill, right by the luxurious Château Laurier Hotel.
After exploring the area around the locks, visitors can head south along the promenade towards the Glebe and Carleton University, finishing off at the Hartwells Lockstation. Interpretive signage and outdoor exhibits have been installed at each of the seven sites on the promenade. In all, the pathway is about 4.8 miles (7.8km) one way and should take an average walker about three hours round trip, not including the stops at each of the attractions.
This trail on the northernmost tip of Prince Edward Island is in a uniquely undeveloped part of Canada’s smallest province. This walk features all the things that draw tourists to PEI every summer: a lighthouse, cliffs, the gentle swell of the ocean, a quaint restaurant and gift shop and, if you hit it at low tide, a beach. The trail is also a boon for birdwatchers and plant lovers, with many interesting species in the vicinity.
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The trail itself is about three miles (5.1km) but it’s not too difficult to take on since the more challenging bits are made manageable with the addition of a wooden boardwalk. The path also veers into the cape’s Black Marsh, a bog that is often dotted with colorful flowers, making for a very pretty vista. Visitors also get a less natural but still spectacular view of PEI’s wind energy industry, with a wind farm along the route.
The beautiful city of Montreal is named after a mountain – Mount Royal – that looms above the skyscrapers as well as its adjacent namesake park. Mount Royal is more of a big hill than a rugged alpine mountain, so it’s not a very strenuous climb. The view of the city is spectacular, but visitors should also take some extra time to explore Mount Royal Park, which includes a lake, two belvederes, an interpretive center and lots of opportunities for watching the vibrant people of Montreal.
There are several trails in the area around the mountain and a couple of options for getting up to the top. The most direct route is via a staircase, which makes for about an hour round trip (it’s much quicker getting down), not including time spent exploring the views from the top. The Olmstead Trail is a wide path used by pedestrians and cyclists that leads up to the Mount Royal Chalet. That four-mile (6.6km) road takes about two hours to walk each way.
Considered an “easy-to-moderate” hike, the Shoreline Heritage Trail is a five-mile (8km) loop that takes explorers along beaches, sheer cliffs and brilliant green terrain. One of the highlights is Madrock, an outcrop that sees the full fury of the Atlantic Ocean. You can pack a picnic to enjoy at the Three Sisters pebble beach to extend the duration of your walk, which takes about two hours without stops.
The city of Halifax sits on a peninsula that juts into the Atlantic Ocean and the tip of it is home to Point Pleasant Park, a lush wooded area that offers a true refuge from the city. The 180-acre (73 hectare) park was once the site of a chapel in the 17th century and, later on, seven fortifications over the course of Halifax’s history, with ruins of some of them still standing. These days, it’s a great place to drink in the beauty of nature and the majesty of the ocean.
There are multiple options for a day-long walk at Point Pleasant Park, with 24 miles (39km) of pathways snaking through the site, many of which are wheelchair accessible. The park is dog-friendly with large off-leash areas and cycling is limited on the weekends to make more room for pedestrians. Walkers who want to delve into the park’s history can download a guided audio tour or interactive map.
Anyone who travels all the way up to the Yukon is likely going to want to see some of the natural splendor of the north. Kluane National Park is one of the gems of the Yukon Territory, and this trail leads hikers through the raw wonder of Canada’s boreal forest and sub-alpine areas towards the Auriol mountain range. Serious climbers can continue on to the mountains, but the trail itself offers enough to see for more casual hikers.
While there are options for an overnight stay at a campground along the trail, should visitors want to sleep under the Yukon sky, the nine-mile (15k) walk can easily be completed in four to six hours. There are two sides to the loop – the left is less steep and makes for an easier walk but the right side has more viewpoints, so it’s recommended to start on the left and come back down along the right. Either way, there are lovely meadows, creeks and wetlands to see along the way.
Located in southern Saskatchewan near the US border, Grasslands National Park offers a pristine view of pure Canadian prairie. The area is filled with natural wildlife and lucky explorers may be able to glimpse bison, prairie dogs, burrowing owls as well as natural prairie grasses as far as the eye can see. The park is divided into two blocks, with the West Block offering the most trails for casual walkers.
While there are some more difficult trails and climbs for hardcore hikers, the West Block also has several shorter trails and day visitors may want to conquer a few of the one to two-mile (2-3km) routes in a single day. Paths like the Eagle Butte Trail and Top Dogtown Trail may offer glimpses of spectacular wildflowers and rare black-tailed prairie dogs, respectively. The more difficult 70 Mile Butte Trail is a popular hike but does involve a more intense elevation gain. Don't worry, though, it's three miles (5km) not 70.
One of the great pleasures of walking about a small maritime island is that you’re bound to come across a lighthouse or two. Grand Manan is a charming island on the Bay of Fundy that is very close to the US state of Maine. Rich with heritage trails, the island is easily accessed from the mainland by ferry. This walk takes visitors from a picture-perfect lighthouse to a rocky beach, with some dramatic sights at points in between.
There is a 24.8-mile (40km) route called the Lighthouse Trail that hits several of Grand Manan’s lighthouses and other sites. But for something more leisurely, the stretch from the striking Swallowtail Lighthouse to Whale Cove features 2.4 miles (3.9km) of fantastic views, including a look at the island’s famous Hole-in-the-Wall rock formation. The path can be a bit rugged at times and will take about three hours to navigate each way.
The Greater Toronto area isn’t really known for its large swaths of untouched wilderness, making Rouge National Urban Park, which sits in the suburb of Scarborough and spreads into a few other communities, a real breath of fresh air. The park includes a rare urban working farm, the only campground within Toronto, a beach, a diversity of plant life and plenty of opportunities for a nice relaxing walk in the woods.
Built on a 200-year-old former logging route, the Mast Trail is one of the most popular trails in Rouge National Urban Park. The trail will offer some challenges to inexperienced hikers but shouldn’t be a problem for most people able to tackle a few significant hills. Rare ovenbirds might be spotted on the walk and the trail gets its name from the white pine trees that were harvested to create ship masts in the 1800s.
Winnipeg is full of beautiful architecture, both old and new, and one of the best ways to get a feel for the city is to walk the length of its lively Riverwalk. The hub of the river pathway is at the Forks, a historic site at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, which is now home to a bustling market and hosts a slate of indoor and outdoor events. In the winter the rivers freeze over to become the Nestaweya River Trail, a lengthy public skating route.
There are walkways along both the Red and the Assiniboine rivers, hitting some of Winnipeg’s most recognizable landmarks like the Esplanade Riel Bridge, the French community of Saint-Boniface, the Manitoba Legislature building and the Canadian Museum For Human Rights, which stands proudly over the river. It’s an easy walk suitable for most people, with benches positioned along the way to help visitors to stop and take in the personality of the city.
Part of MacMillan Provincial Park, Vancouver Island’s Cathedral Grove is an amazingly collection of giant Douglas Fir trees that are accessible just off a main road. The trees are truly a phenomenal sight: some are well over 800 years old and can be more than 29.5 feet (9m) in circumference. The majestic trees create a shaded wonderland of moss and rainforest growth that seems instantly otherworldly.
You don’t need to break a sweat to make the most out of Cathedral Grove. The most well-trodden trail featuring the park’s biggest tree is only 0.3 miles (0.5km) long, but there’s no need to rush through – it’s easy to spend a couple of hours on this trail reading the interpretive signs and bathing in the glory of the forest. There are a few other trails in the area but be warned that accessing them all involves crossing the main highway.
The Cabot Trail on Nova Scotia’s much-beloved Cape Breton Island is one of Canada’s most visually spectacular roads to drive on, and those looking to get their legs moving can get an even deeper experience by walking along the Skyline Trail. Visitors get to walk along a headland cliff on the top of French Mountain, looking down at the Gulf of St. Lawrence with the possibility of spotting whales splashing in the water. Back up on the land, it’s not uncommon to see moose wandering around.
Despite the height of the route (up to 1,330-foot/405m) and the ruggedness of the landscape, the Skyline Trail is a fairly easy walk since there’s a boardwalk with steps at the headland. The route is four miles (6.5km) return or 5.1 miles (8.2km) for the loop and should take most average walkers about two to three hours to complete. Since it’s in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, a park pass is required for the journey.
Alberta is home to alien-looking rock formations called hoodoos and one of the best places to see them is at Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, right at the southern end of the province. This UNESCO World Heritage Site isn’t just special because it’s beautiful, but it’s also sacred to the Blackfoot people, whose ancestors left rock carvings and paintings on the hoodoos, having had inhabited the land for over 10,000 years.
The hoodoos can be viewed by wandering along the Matapiiksi (Hoodoo) Trail, a 1.5-mile (2.5km) path that weaves throughout the formations, with the carvings visible as visitors walk by. There are some steep sections and the natural terrain can be a bit uneven, making it inaccessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs, but the walk isn’t overly difficult. Hikers also get a view of the sediment-laden Milk River, the only river in Canada that drains south into the Mississippi drainage system.
Vancouver is famous worldwide because of the sheer amount of natural beauty visitors can experience without even leaving the city. The Seawall route, which runs around the circumference of the massive inner city Stanley Park, is one of the best urban strolls in all of Canada. Visitors can soak up views of the city, the ocean and the lush forestry that has a particular importance to the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples who lived on this unceded land for thousands of years.
The best part about the Seawall walk is that the route is very flat, meaning it's accessible for most people and those in wheelchairs. The full loop is about 6.2 miles (10km) and there are plenty of beaches, monuments, totem poles and other fun sights to see along the way. It takes about two or three hours to circle the entire Seawall, but the walk can take a full day if visitors want to stop and explore the park.