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Any suggestions? I'm sure someone will say Vancouver of Banff or somewhere, but I know about those places. I'd like to go somewhere more out of the way but still interesting. Natural wonders and scenery rather than cities.
PS I am not going any time soon.
West Coast of vancouver Island is worth a shout.
I would definitely NOT say Vancouver or Banff. I would say Québec, and specifically Tadoussac at the mouth of the Saguenay.
I would also strongly suggest the Easern Townships, focused on Lac Memphramagog.
Both are exquisite locations, but the Saguenay region would blow your mind. The forests... the cliffs... the river flowing into the St Lawrence Seaway... the whales.... It’s all incredible, and very much NOT the kind of place that draws anyone but those who already know about it.
Plus, when you finally do want a city fix, you can always head back to Quebec City, the centre of which is a UNESCO world heritage site.
When on Honeymoon way back 14 years ago we had a small tour company put together our itinerary, small B&Bs not hotels, advice on where to go and we said we wanted a wilderness experience. They found us 3 days canoeing and camping in Wells Gray park just the west side of the Rockies. Brilliant! Guide was great, there was the two of us and 3 others. Stayed at a ranch night before and after then off on the rest of the trip.
A work colleague of mine owns this place http://www.cedargrovecampskylake.com/
I've not been, but another mate of mine has and tells me it's beautiful & unspoiled.
Bulkley and skeena valleys.
Kitwanga(bottom of the road to Alaska) , smithers , vanderhoof
McBride and dunster (at the right time of year for the festival)
Look at a map of Canada, highlight major centres of civilisation, go somewhere else; there’s an awful lot of that north of the US border!
The Yukon is amazing,and very much 'off the beaten track'.
Problem is, it's not easy or cheap to get to!
Worth it though, I've never seen better scenery.
Knight Inlet Lodge - only accessible by boat or seaplane
Things to do in Québec:
whale watch
Camp and canoe, well, anywhere...
Hiking around the Fjords
Kayaking
Mountain biking and climbing
Convinced yet? Skip the West. Be original, and go East!
go somewhere else;
There's a reason Canadian cities are where they are. An awful lot* of it is very very dull
* I'm aware that the Si unit of large spaces is Wales, Bits of Canada are dull on a scale not measurable by no. of Wales'
Fly to Vancouver, hire some wheels, drive east to Calgary, fly home. Can recommend Nelson, bit like Glastonbury in the Kootenays.
"Fly to Vancouver, hire some wheels, drive east to Calgary, fly home. Can recommend Nelson, bit like Glastonbury in the Kootenays"
Between that and driving down the Rockies isn't that the standard Brit goes to Canada holiday ?
Yes but depends on where you stop and what you do?
What do you actually want to do whilst there? With or without children?
The place surprised me in many ways. Not least the wilderness. It is not like the Alps in any way shape or form. You are either by a road with tourists and civilisation or in true wilderness with no access to rescue / healthcare etc etc. In fact what surprised me even more is that a lot of areas just are not accessible but it is nature. No paths exist.
I could see that going with a group of friends all in to mountaineering/walking/trekking you could have an amazing wilderness adventure, but not as part of a family etc.
Having said that we went to the far North West of Vancouver island. No roads, no paths, no access (apart from by boat) we spent 4 days fishing / wildlife spotting / kayaking / doing nothing. Hiking was out of the question due to the thick rain forest, bears, cougars. We saw no end of Golden Eagles, bears, killer whales, humpback whales, otters, seals, seal lions etc etc.
We then did the Vancouver to Calgary thing. Some parts the touristy way, some times the not tourist route (driving for 5 hrs without seeing another car)
You need to decide what you want from your time and then come back.
Oh and Mrs FD has spent time in remote parts of Alaska. Again she said you cant do very much unless you are very clued up and be prepared to hike for miles with out support if it goes wrong.
The place surprised me in many ways. Not least the wilderness. It is not like the Alps in any way shape or form. You are either by a road with tourists and civilisation or in true wilderness with no access to rescue / healthcare etc etc. In fact what surprised me even more is that a lot of areas just are not accessible but it is nature. No paths exist.
This is what’s so hard to explain to Europeans. Heck, even Americans don’t quite know what it’s like. In Canada, exploration really is a matter of knowing how to survive. Not just through scouts or cadets, but even through the schools we learnt basic bushcraft: how to sleep outside in the snow; how to fell a tree and build a fire; I remember even being shown a film on how to trap and prepare small mammals for food. That was in year eight.
As for whomever it was, above, that said much of Canada is boring, I really think you have to do what so many people don’t do when they travel: understand that you are a guest in someone else’s home, and that there are many intricacies you won’t understand. So, for example, what looks ‘boring’ to you, may be ancient hunting lands to the Ojibway, or whatever. Indeed, especially when it comes to Canada, you can’t really understand the place without accounting for the Native presence.
in any case, I really don’t believe that ANY place is actually boring.
I'd tend to agree with SaxonRider about learning to understand a place. That's why I always read history of a place whenever I go.
Off the beaten track is normally where the bears and other large biting mammals occur!
Seeing as SR is (probably) the only Canadian on here then his advice is probably as sound as anyone's.
A Canadian hockey player I know from years ago often used to mention https://www.lonelyplanet.com/canada/ontario/georgian-bay-and-lakelands
Although Iv'e not looked into it myself.
This is exactly why you go to Canada/Alaska for the wilderness experience, as a regular tourist you can observe the country from the confines of a car the side of a road, but you really need to get into the backcountry to really live it, untamed, reading Jack London as a kid gives you are vision of what it is like and it really doesn't disapoint, Call of the wild it certainly is, it really feels like this.
I would say pick a fairly remote mountain and go and climb it, walk in through the timberline, then Alpine meadows with incredible flora and fauna before hitting the glaciers and these are immense, the scale is breathtaking, it may be a cliche but reaching a remote summit really is rewarding, not because you have summited (this is a bonus)but for the whole experience.
PS. I'm not suggesting you do an Into the Wild! you would need some knowledge, this is what i have done, Guides are available.
Off the beaten track is normally where the bears and other large biting mammals occur!
We saw bears very close to towns and roads.
Take a look at Canada on Google Earth, an awful lot of it is water, as well as real wilderness. It might be worth checking out floatplane trips.
Off the beaten track is normally where the bears and other large biting mammals occur!
South of the border, it’s smaller bitey animals that would worry me - brown recluse spiders, black widow spiders, rattlesnakes, fer de lance; then there’s poison oak, poison ivy...
My first time ever posting on a 'chat' forum, but a buddy sent me the page.....
I've been visiting Fernie BC for over 12 years now - best snow in the world (if you take your snow powdery), some of the most diverse mountain biking on your doorstep (the Trans Rockies is due to finish there again in 2019), the Tour Divide goes through main street, the single track is unspoilt and you have to earn every descent. The bears come into the town so you don't have to go hunting for them and we are still civilised enough to support two sushi restaurants and a McDonalds and everything inbetween (Chinese, two curry places, South American etc).
Not bad for a population of 5000 to have over 300km of singletrack!
You want wild? Ride into the Flathead and be at one with the largest concentration of grizly bears in north America, you want rafting, golf, hiking, flyfishing etc just step out of your door.
I'm going back in two weeks time to cut firewood and prepare the hot tub for winter.
The road to Bella Coola is nice.
So, what's the access situation in Canada? There are quite a few national/provincial parks etc on the map, but what about outside those? Much of it's wilderness, but can you go out into it?
Much of it’s wilderness, but can you go out into it?
Certainly in British Columbia, over 90% is 'Crown Land' and can therefore be considered 'Public' with associated rights of access and use (with various restrictions applied - mainly about commercial use).
This is probably why B.C. has such a progressive mountain bike culture.
Whilst they can't avoid all trail user conflicts (there have been a number of issues recently in the [relatively] more densely populated areas around Vancouver), the Canadians seem to frequently implement 'Tail Alliance' Groups so that Mountain Bikers/Hikers/Snowshoers/Noridic Skiers/Fat Bikers etc are all represented.
Certainly in British Columbia, over 90% is ‘Crown Land’ and can therefore be considered ‘Public’ with associated rights of access and use (with various restrictions applied – mainly about commercial use).
This is pretty much the case across the country.
Related to that, but as an aside, I had a friend in Northern Saskatchewan who would pack his stuff up, drive to the Yukon, and hike into the woods for a week and then out. Alone. He was entirely self-sufficient, bringing food with him as well as the means to catch additional food; but most remarkable of all would carry a short-barrelled shotgun for use in case of a bear encounter.
Incredible guy.
Much of it’s wilderness, but can you go out into it?
I would still argue why would you want to? Much of it is rainforest (jungle) and to walk 1 mile can take forever.
There are still some paths. Also, you can canoe to get around in much of it.
Don't underestimate the bush wacking even on "paths" once you are away from the main trails. Vancouver Island hiking guides include a "bush grade" from B0 to B5. I once did a B2 which was already barely discernible path so shudder at what B5 is.
Still not quite sure what you are looking to do? There's lots of wilderness and you are allowed to go there (mostly because it's likely no one will even notice you are there) but even in wilderness it's nice to be doing something unless just surviving is the objective.
I spent a lot of time in BC about 15-20years ago and I loved it there. A number of people would suggest the Lakes in Saskatchewan, north of Saskatoon. Off the beaten track then and probably still are.