Friday, January 2, 2015
My Updated Bucket List for Canada
Added by Hike Bike Travelon October 16, 2014
Saved under Canada, Other Canada
Tags: bucket list, Canada
Although I’m still a few days away from putting my book to bed (Discover Canada: 100 Inspiring Outdoor Adventures), it doesn’t mean that I’ve stopped thinking and dreaming about where else in Canada I’d like to visit. The list never gets shorter.
Here’s my updated bucket list for Canada. Backpack the Juan de Fuca Trail on the west coast of Vancouver Island. I’m a sucker for remote beaches and wild landscapes so the North Coast Trail at the tip of Vancouver Island is also on the list.
Sunset on the North Coast Trail – Photo credit
Although I’ve kayaked on many occasions through the southern Gulf Islands , I’d still like to do a kayaking trip to the islands I’ve missed…for a week. I’d love to do a giant ski tour of BC , covering all the small resorts like Whitewater and Red Mountain but I’d include larger resorts I’ve never skied like Silver Star, Kicking Horse and Revelstoke. I’d like to spend a few days backcountry skiing out of offers a Via Ferrata experience in summer that I’d like to try, especially after the fun I had ata few weeks ago. And a few days of heli-skiing would be out of this world too.The CMH Via Ferrata (Photo credit: Gery Unterasinger)
A few nights at one of the lodges on the west coast – like the– that offer grizzly bear viewing tours sounds like a lot of fun. Thestill calls me. I’d like to do another two or three day section somewhere in the Okanagan area but self-supported. The Milk River in southern Alberta may not be the most exciting river to canoe, but it would be a good way of experiencing the prairie landscape. Backpack Gibbon, Whistling and Healy Passes in Banff National Park. Ski the Wapta Traverse in spring with a guide. Hike to Caldron Lake in Banff National Park. (plus any other scenic hikes I’ve never done.) Visit Spend two weeks canoeing a circuit on the Reindeer Lakes in northern Saskatchewan. Canoe the Fond du Lac River. Visit theduring migration season. Hike the Athabasca Sand Dunes in the northwest corner of the province. Visit the Narcisse snake dens in spring. As much as I hate snakes, I still think this would be an amazing sight. Take Via Rail from Winnipeg to Churchill. Swim with Beluga whales, look for polar bears, take in the sights. Canoe the Seal River. Canoe the Bloodvein River. Kayak around Phillip Edward Island in the Georgian Bay over five days. Spend a week in the fall when the colours are at their peak canoeing in Algonquin Park. Hike the Coastal Trail through Lake Superior Provincial Park. Kayak the Slate Islands in Lake Superior – home to lots of caribou. Cross-country ski out of thenear Sault Ste. Marie. There are over 135 kilometers of trails. Take the train to Moosonee – just because I’ve heard about the place for years.The train to Moosonee – Photo credit
Canoe or raft the Magpie River. Kayak the Mingan Archipelago – for at least three days. And drive to the end of Highway 138 since I’d be up there anyway. Ski atand stay at the Hôtel la Ferme. Spend more time in the Laurentians cross-country skiing. A few days last winter wasn’t nearly enough. Ski in the Chic-Chocs. Visit Anticosti Island.The Maritimes
I have spent a lot of time in the Maritimes and have done almost everything I’ve wanted to do except for:
Visit Sable Island and photograph the wild horses. Explore the Yarmouth area of Nova Scotia as I have been told by numerous locals in my post –that I shouldn’t have ignored this area. Check out Miscou Island in New Brunswick. Backpack inon the Labrador Peninsula.The Torngat Mountains – Photo credit
Canada’s North
Drive the entire length of the Dempster Highway. Visit Herschel Island. Raft the Firth River. Backpack to the Kaskawulsh Glacier Lookout in Kluane National Park. Canoe the Nahanni River. Hike to the Cirque of the Unclimables in the Northwest Territories. Hike or kayak on Ellesmere Island. Catch a Northern Lights display on a dogsledding trip in the north.Herschel Island – Photo credit
Even though I’ve visited all provinces and territories, and despite the fact that I’ve done 100 outdoor adventures that make the book plus countless others that didn’t, even I am surprised at how many more things I’d like to do in Canada.
What on this bucket list appeals most to you?
Leigh McAdam
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About Hike Bike Travel
Avid world traveler. Craves adventure – & the odd wildly epic day. Gardener. Reader. Wine lover. Next big project – a book on 100 Canadian outdoor adventures.
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