Canada's mountains, lakes,
rivers and forests offer the
opportunity to indulge in a
vast range of outdoor
pursuits. We've concentrated
on hiking, skiing and canoeing
- three of Canada's most
popular activities - and on
the national parks, which have
been established to preserve
and make accessible the best
of the Canadian landscape.
Other popular activities
such as whale-watching, horse
riding, fishing and rafting
are covered in some detail in
the main text, but whatever
activity interests you, be
certain to send off to the
provincial tourist offices for
information before you go.
Once in Canada you can rely on
finding outfitters, equipment
rental, charters, tours and
guides to help you in most
areas; tourist offices
invariably carry full details
or contact numbers. Also make
a point of visiting Canadian
bookshops - most have a
separate outdoor pursuits
section with a wide variety of
specialist guides.
Canada has just about every
natural habitat going, from
ice-bound polar islands in the
far north to sun-drilled
pockets of desert along the
United States border. Between
these extremes the country's
mountains, forests and
grasslands support an
incredible variety and
profusion of wildlife - any
brief account can only scratch
the surface of what it's
possible to see.
National and provincial
parks offer the best starting
places, and we've listed some
of the outstanding sites for
spotting particular species.
However, don't expect to see
the big attractions like bears
and wolves easily - despite
the enthusiasm of guides and
tourist offices, these are
encountered only rarely.
