Canada

Discover Canada’s National Parks This Summer

Stay active this summer with your Discovery Pass and explore the country from coast to coast

By Danielle Leroux /

Stay active this summer with your Discovery Pass and explore the country from coast to coast

In celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary, Parks Canada is offering free admission to all national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas across the country in 2017. All you need is a Discovery Pass and a little motivation to get active! Order your free 2017 Discovery Pass online or visit the Parks Canada website for more information. 

Here are four national parks you don’t want to miss…

 

1. Prince Edward Island National Park

“Prince Edward Island National Park is a giant playground for kids and adults of all ages,” says Parks Canada travel media officer Eric Magnan. It boasts seven sandy beaches and over 50 kilometres of hiking and cycling trails alongside red cliffs and wind-sculpted dunes. Visitors can hike woodlands and overlook ponds while keeping watch for wildlife, enjoy a picnic by a lighthouse, build a sandcastle and roast marshmallows over a campfire at sunset.

 

2. Thousand Islands National Park

Located between Kingston and Brockville, Ontario, Thousand Islands National Park consists of 21 islands and two mainland properties. “Explore the park’s secluded bays by kayak, discover rare species of turtles and birdlife alongside undulating hiking trails or spend a night riverside in the oTENTik—a cross between a tent and a rustic cabin—accommodations,” suggests Magnan.

 

3. Pukaskwa National Park

Looking for an alternative to Vancouver Island’s West Coast Trail? Magnan recommends the Coastal Hiking Trail, a challenging 60-kilometre trail in Ontario’s Pukaskwa National Park. The park also offers shorter day hikes, beaches and geocaching adventures.

 

4. Glacier National Park

Steeped in history, Magnan says British Columbia’s Glacier National Park is a year-round outdoor enthusiast’s paradise. Adventure-seekers can “scale jagged mountain peaks, camp next to roaring glacier-fed rivers or mountain bike ride beneath old-growth trees of the world’s only inland cedar rainforest.”