National Parks Canada

Jasper National Park

Photograph by Kevin McElheran

Summertime camping is a popular activity in Alberta’s Jasper National Park, the largest park in the Canadian Rockies. Open year-round, the park’s rugged, backcountry landscape also attracts wildlife viewers and hikers, and, in winter, skiers and snowboarders.

Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve

Photograph by Prisma Bildagentur, AG/Alamy

Unique in the Parks Canada system, Gwaii Haanas consists of the park reserve, the Haida Heritage Site, and the marine conservation area. World renowned for its cultural heritage and natural splendor, it boasts unparalleled biological richness, including more than 600 archaeological sites.

Ukkusiksalik National Park

Photograph by Flip Nicklin, Minden Pictures/ Getty Images

A polar bear swims in Wager Bay, an inland sea at Ukkusiksalik National Park in Nanavut. The only unglaciated park in the province, Ukkusiksalik has extraordinarily rich concentrations of marine wildlife.

Glacier National Park

Photograph by Ryan Creary, Photolibrary

A skier descends a mountain at Glacier National Park in British Columbia. The park is best known for its deep valleys, thick coniferous forests, and spectacular mountain scenery, all seen by millions annually as they travel Trans-Canada 1 through Rogers Pass.

Yoho National Park

Photograph by Reiner Harscher, laif/Redux

A waterfall empties into Lake Oesa in Yoho National Park in British Columbia. A Cree exclamation of awe, “Yoho” applies perfectly to the park’s big peaks, expansive glaciers, and impressive waterfalls.

Georgian Bay Islands National Park

Photograph by Willy Waterton, Parks Canada

Windswept white pine, rock faces scraped bare, and wide, wild waters number among the most prominent features of Georgian Bay Islands National Park in Ontario. The park’s vistas and accessibility make it a popular destination for paddling and camping in summer, and fall brings stunning displays of foliage.

Kouchibouguac National Park

Photograph by Michael S. Lewis, National Geographic

A child runs through the water at Kelly's Beach in Kouchibouguac National Park. Located on the eastern shore of New Brunswick, the ecologically diverse park is also a designated Dark Sky Preserve: Lighting is minimized at night, and special programs encourage public awareness of the cultural heritage of the night sky.

St. Lawrence Islands National Park

Photograph by Christoph Fischer

Ontario’s St. Lawrence Islands National Park is composed of 24 islands, 129 islets, and 8 mainland tracts inhabited by a rich diversity of plant and animal life. The park’s extensive Jones Creek Trail System consists of nearly ten miles of looping paths and gorgeous views.

Prince Albert National Park

Photograph by Jason Doucette, Alamy

Backpackers hike the Grey Owl Trail in Prince Albert National Park in Saskatchewan. Named for the late conservationist writer Grey Owl, the popular trail leads to his cabin on Ajawaan Lake.

Wood Buffalo National Park

Photograph by Klaus Nigge, National Geographic

Wood Buffalo, Canada’s largest national park, sprawls across northeastern Alberta and juts into the southern part of the Northwest Territories. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, it is home to one of the last remaining free-roaming wood bison herds in the world, the nesting habitat for endangered whooping cranes, and the world’s largest beaver dam.

Vuntut National Park

Photograph by Wayne Lynch, Alamy

One of the most remote and least visited national parks in Canada, Vuntut in northern Yukon is the cultural homeland of the Vuntut Gwich’in people, whose language gives the park its name, meaning “among the lakes.” The park is also the domain of the Porcupine caribou herd and half a million migratory birds.

Tuktut Nogait National Park

Photograph by Jean Marc, Perigaud/Alamy

An inuksuk—a type of stone monument that originated with the Inuit—stands sentry over the landscape at Tuktut Nogait National Park in the Northwest Territories. The park’s remote location make extended backpacking or paddling trips the preferred methods for taking in its Arctic wilderness.

Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park

Photograph by Michael S. Lewis, National Geographic

Located in Quebec’s Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park, Pointe-Noire (pictured here) sits at the confluence of the Saguenay Fjord and St. Lawrence Estuary. Created to protect and showcase marine life, the park is a popular destination for whale-watching and kayaking.

Torngat Mountains National Park

Photograph by Egmont Strigl, Photolibrary

Tourists relax on a beach at Saglek Fjord in Torngat Mountains National Park. Covering a range of land between northern Quebec and the Labrador Sea, the park is home to the highest peaks in mainland Canada east of the Rockies, as well as massive, glacier-carved fjords along the coast.

Riding Mountain National Park

Photograph by Raymond Gehman, National Geographic

Bison graze on a prairie in Manitoba’s Riding Mountain National Park. Rich with aspen parkland and grasslands, marshes and small lakes, and spanning deciduous and boreal forests, Riding Mounting is a top wildlife-viewing locale.

Elk Island National Park

Photograph by Michael S. Lewis, National Geographic

Terns fly along a shoreline at Elk Island National Park in Alberta. Established in 1913 as an elk sanctuary and the only fully fenced park in Canada, Elk Island is a popular destination for birding and viewing the park’s free-roaming bison and elk.

Pukaskwa National Park

Photograph by Layne Kennedy, Corbis

Kayaks sit on the shore near Cascade Falls in Ontario’s Pukaskwa National Park. The park is home to the Coastal Hiking Trail, one of Canada’s most renowned and scenic hiking routes.

Prince Edward Island National Park

Photograph by Thomas Kitchin & Victoria Hurst, First Light/Alamy

Visitors walk along the beach near the Covehead Lighthouse at Prince Edward Island National Park. Although one of the smallest parks in Canada, it’s a popular destination, with famous beaches and outstanding coastal landscapes. The park also draws fans of Anne of Green Gables, a popular novel set on the island.

Point Pelee National Park

Photograph by Michael S. Lewis, National Geographic

Tourists walk on the Marsh Boardwalk Trail in Point Pelee National Park in Ontario. Located on Lake Erie at the southernmost tip of mainland Canada, the park offers bike paths, hiking trails, and canoe routes, and its beaches are popular for swimming.

La Mauricie National Park

Photograph by Ron Watts, Getty Images

Kayakers paddle on Lac Bouchard in La Mauricie National Park. Nestled in the heart of Quebec, the park is a sprawling network of valleys, lakes, streams, and falls.

Kluane National Park and Reserve

Photograph by John Sylvester, Alamy

A hiker takes in the view from the trail to King’s Throne in Yukon’s Kluane National Park and Reserve. The park is home to Mount Logan, Canada’s highest peak, and is a popular outdoor and adventure destination.

Gulf Islands National Park Reserve

Photograph by Christian J. Stewart, Parks Canada

Nurtured by a unique Mediterranean climate, Gulf Islands National Park Reserve supports a stunning diversity of rare bird, plant, and marine life spread across 15 islands and innumerable islets and reefs in the northern reaches of the inland Salish Sea.

Gros Morne National Park

Photograph by Raymond Gehman, National Geographic

The second largest national park in Atlantic Canada, Gros Morne in Newfoundland and Labrador is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is home to Newfoundland’s second highest peak and to the highest waterfall in eastern North America.

Fundy National Park

Photograph by Nancy Lindsay, My Shot

One of Canada’s smallest national parks, New Brunswick’s Fundy is home to the most dramatic tides in the world, making its Bay of Fundy a finalist for one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Inland, forests festooned with dangling “old man’s beard” lichen attract hikers and campers.

Bruce Peninsula National Park

Photograph by Henry Georgi, Getty Images

A 62-mile finger of land between Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula is known for its spectacular shoreline and Niagara Escarpment rock formations. It is also home to the northern terminus of the famous Bruce Trail, the oldest and longest hiking trail in Canada.

Nahanni National Park Reserve

Photograph by Paul Nicklen, National Geographic

Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Northwest Territories has more than 11,500 square miles of wilderness that includes ice fields, mountains, alpine tundra, and boreal forest. Multiday canoeing, kayaking, and rafting trips are the park’s main attractions.

Aulavik Canada National Park

Photograph by Wayne Lynch, Alamy

Spectacular, wildlife-rich lowland tundra characterizes remote Aulavik National Park in the Northwest Territories. The park—a challenging destination that sees an average of 15 visitors annually—protects over 280 archaeological sites and is home to what is billed as the world’s most northerly navigable waterway.

Kejimkujik National Park

Photograph by Rolf Hicker Photography/Photolibrary

Referred to by staff and locals as “Keji,” Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site teems with wildlife and is home to ancient petroglyphs. Among the park’s popular activities are bird-watching, full-service and wilderness camping, and hikes to sites like Mills Falls, shown here.

Terra Nova National Park

Photograph by Barrett & MacKay, Alamy

The oldest national park in Newfoundland and Labrador, Terra Nova protects a diverse collection of habitats and is popular for its year-round camping and hiking.

Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area

Photograph by Carr Clifton, Minden Pictures/Getty Images

The Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area offers unparalleled waters for trout, whitefish, lake herring, and walleye. The waters surrounding the many islands near Rossport and Terrace Bay offer unique routes for kayakers.

Cape Breton Highlands National Park

Photograph by Reiner Harscher, laif/Redux

Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton was the first national park designated in Atlantic Canada. The Cabot Trail, a world-famous scenic highway, runs along parts of the coastal borders on both sides of the park and crosses the highlands.

Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve

Photograph by Kelly Funk, Photolibrary

An orca surfaces for air in Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve in British Columbia. Along with Haida Heritage Site, the reserve is the first protected area to extend from the seafloor to the mountaintops.

Mount Revelstoke National Park

Photograph by Henry Georgi, Photolibrary

British Columbia’s Mount Revelstoke National Park is best known for the scenic parkway that links the town of Revelstoke to the summit of Mount Revelstoke, a gentle parkland of tree-line woods and flowery meadows. Carpets of wildflowers are one of the park’s great attractions.

Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve

Photograph by Michael Melford, National Geographic

Le Chateau (the Castle) rock formation juts out of the shoreline on Grand Island in Quebec’s Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve. Encompassing more than a thousand islands and islets, the park is famous for having the largest concentration of erosion monoliths in Canada.

Banff National Park

Photograph by David Ballantyne, My Shot

An ice wall challenges a climber in Alberta’s Banff National Park. The first national park established in Canada, Banff spans a region of unparalleled mountain scenery and is open year-round for wildlife viewing, sightseeing, and other outdoor activities.

Ivvavik National Park

Photograph by Jon Cornforth, Aurora

Located high in the northwest corner of Yukon, Ivvavik National Park is difficult to access, but its pristine beauty makes the trip well worth the challenge. Nearly all of the park’s visitors go to raft the Firth, Canada’s oldest flowing river.

Auyuittuq National Park

Photograph by Jean-Baptiste Strobel, Photolibrary

Auyuittuq is the most geologically dynamic of the national parks in Nunavut. Sculpted by glaciers, the park is 85 percent rock and ice and has the highest peaks in the Canadian Shield. Mount Asgard, pictured here, and Thor Peak are dream destinations for rock climbers.

Sirmilik National Park

Photograph by Paul Nicklen, National Geographic

One of Canada’s most accessible high Arctic parks, Sirmilik is home to a variety of marine and avian wildlife. The park’s Boyt Island offers stunning sights, and visitors may also catch sight of some of the hundreds of narwhals (such as these pictured here) and seals that inhabit the park.

Waterton Lakes National Park

Photograph by Karl-Heinz Raach, laif/Redux

The Prince of Wales Hotel overlooks Waterton Lake in Alberta’s Waterton Lakes National Park. Outstanding scenery, sunny weather, and small crowds characterize this isolated park, the Canadian portion of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.

Forillon National Park

Photograph by Michael Melford, National Geographic

Quebec’s Forillon National Park protects a range of varied ecosystems, including natural prairies, seaside cliffs, lakes, and marshes. The park has remarkable hiking trails and boasts a cluster of traditional Gaspé fishing villages.

Wapusk National Park

Photograph by Daniel Cox, Photolibrary

The aurora borealis brightens the sky over Manitoba’s Wapusk National Park, one of Canada’s most accessible northern national parks. The park is home to polar bears and other wildlife, including wolves, moose, and many rare bird species.

Wapusk National Park

Photograph by Daniel Cox, Photolibrary

The aurora borealis brightens the sky over Manitoba’s Wapusk National Park, one of Canada’s most accessible northern national parks. The park is home to polar bears and other wildlife, including wolves, moose, and many rare bird species.

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Photograph by Aaron Huey, National Geographic

Purple and coral-hued sea stars cling to a rock in Schooner Cove on Vancouver Island, part of British Columbia’s Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Long Beach, the park’s ten-mile stretch of uninhabited coastline, is one of Canada’s most visited tourist attractions.

Kootenay National Park

Photograph by Yves Marcoux, Getty Images

British Columbia’s Kootenay National Park features a fully developed hot spring and other popular geological attractions. The narrow park is bisected by Hwy. 93, and much of its spectacular scenery can be viewed from the road.

Fathom Five National Marine Park

Photograph by Aurora Photos/Alamy

A sea kayaker navigates the rocks around Flowerpot Island in Ontario’s Fathom Five National Marine Park. Located on Lake Huron, Fathom Five is a marine conservation area popular with divers and paddlers and for its island boat cruises.