Recently, several colleagues of mine traveled to Canada for fun, learning and frolic. Travel advisors love to travel and live to travel!
Have you considered Canada as a vacation destination? Why not?
It has urban energy, rugged wilderness, polar adventure, solitude, gastronomy, multiple cultures, history, unlimited photographic opportunities, participant and spectator sports - all the things that invitee travelers. to trael
From coast to coast to coast, the country knows how to help travelers find their bliss.
As summer’s buzz slows, the Great White North’s landscape will take center stage: Fall in Canada is the ultimate destination for disconnecting and recharging in nature. And your fall vacation in Canada will be an unforgettable one.
Swap screen time for spying the northern lights as the ribbons play through the Yukon’s skies. Hike in the foliage-drenched Rockies. Be soothed by the waves splashing on Canada’s Atlantic coast.
Whether you are surfing off the coast of a temperate rainforest on Vancouver Island, exploring Toronto’s green spaces, or learning about Indigenous culture in the Prairies, fall’s calm reprieve offers visitors myriad ways to create experiences rooted in nature.
1. Go remote for hikes, history lessons, and northern lights.
Travelers looking for vast tracts of pristine forest and soaring mountain peaks will relish an adventure in less-traveled northwestern Canada. The Yukon is home to the country’s highest peak, 19,551-foot Mount Logan, and is threaded with alpine hiking trails, including the popular nine-mile Auriol Trail in Kluane National Park and Reserve.
On an eight-day tour through the territory, travelers combine trekking excursions with meaningful deep dives into the Yukon’s Indigenous history, including afternoons spent listening to stories from local First Nations peoples.
Just east of the Yukon, Canada’s Northwest Territories are known for rafting tours along the Nahanni River and fly-fishing trips on Blachford Lake – but it’s the northern lights that command the early-fall attention.
We can work with an on-site representative to customize your itinerary in the territory, including everything from northern lights viewing sessions in rooftop hot tubs to nature-packed overnights in Indigenous-owned lodges.
Meaningful cultural experiences include taking part in traditional land and fire feeding ceremonies with Indigenous elders and swapping stories over memorable meals.
2. Hit the road (and pull over for seafood) in Atlantic Canada.
Quiet highways, fall colors, savory pit stops, and a great playlist: Canada’s eastern Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island provide prime settings for memorable road trips.
In Nova Scotia, drive the 186-mile Cabot Trail, a scenic highway that weaves through Cape Breton Highlands National Park, along the Atlantic Ocean and forests painted in fall’s fiery hues.
Leave time for a hike on the five-mile Skyline Trail, with its sweeping views of the ocean and forested hillsides. Plan for New Brunswick in late September or early October, when drives across the province provide all of fall’s most serotonin-inducing diversions: leaf-peeping, apple-picking, and corn mazes.
Trade four wheels for two feet while hiking along a section of Prince Edward Island’s 435-mile-long Island Walk loop. The Island Walk is a fantastic opportunity for visitors to pick a section of the island to explore, and you can’t go more than a few minutes without seeing the ocean. Make sure you stop at Richard’s Fresh Seafood for buttery lobster rolls and cold beer.
3. Find the quiet sides of the country’s biggest cities.
Toronto and Montréal offer creative ways to decompress without sacrificing urban amenities. At the 112-room 1 Hotel Toronto, giant plant walls, soothing hues, and eco-friendly touches give guests a feeling of zen in the city.
From the hotel, it’s an easy walk or drive south to Trillium Park for a stroll along the waterfront on the mile-long William G. Davis Trail. Or head 25 minutes north to the Toronto Botanical Garden, which connects with the expansive Wilket Creek Ravine system – the perfect spot for leaf-peeping.
Montréal delivers wellness in many varieties: beautiful botanic gardens, produce-packed farmers’ markets, and classic spa days. At Bota Bota, a sleek, floating spa on Old Montréal’s waterfront, visitors come for the hydrotherapy circuit, but stay for the massages, facials, and post-treatment seafood lunches at La Traversée.
East of Montréal, the Eastern Townships, you'll find some of Canada’s best places to spot fall colors. The Eastern Townships’ wineries, cideries, and locally owned restaurants make for ideal afternoon forays.
4. Pause for meaningful cultural connections.
Across Canada, a prominent focus on Indigenous-led tourism experiences gives travelers opportunities to connect with the people who first called the country home.
Canada’s central Prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba – marked by grasslands, plains, and big skies – are home to several First Nations communities preserving their traditions.
Near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, for example, Wanuskewin Heritage Park cultural center and archeological site showcases Northern Plains Indigenous history. Galleries and interactive exhibits give visitors an intimate look at the region's Cree, Assiniboine, Saulteaux, Atsina, Dakota, and Blackfoot communities.
The province’s surrounding golden grasslands contain walking trails and numerous archaeological sites, including important petroglyph markings discovered in 2020 that have bolstered Wanuskewin’s bid for UNESCO-protected status.
Another monumental moment from 2020: the reintroduction of bison to the region. The animal, long considered deeply significant and spiritual to Northern Plains cultures, is a keystone species in the grasslands’ ecosystem.
5. Soak up the best of Canada’s west coast.
In the Canadian Rockies and along the country’s west coast, disconnecting can still be adrenaline fueled. Many of British Columbia’s best nature-centric lodges stay open through early fall, inviting guests to hike, climb, and ride the waves in some of the province’s most beautiful landscapes.
On Vancouver Island, epic coastal hiking trails – such as the 47-mile West Coast Trail and the 30-mile Juan de Fuca Marine Trail – beckon, as do the laid-back surf towns of Tofino and Ucluelet (don’t forget your wet suit).
Come September, Alberta’s larch trees turn their signature shade of deep gold. Though these autumn adventures are meant for disconnecting, we’ll totally understand if you pull out your phone to snap a photo.
So is your fall vacation in Canada this year?
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'til next week.
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