Back in my days of almost constant travel, when I could often pick any province from Ontario to BC to spend my weekends, I ended up in Vancouver a lot.

And pretty much anytime I was in Vancouver, I would find time to visit Granville Island, just to walk around and then visit the market, buy assorted foods based on salmon as a starting point, and eat outdoors if possible, or at te indoors tables if the weather was awful.

And I spent a lot of time in Calgary, almost always with a rental car and a trip to Banff, or at least part way to watch the sunset before turning around and coming back to Calgary and getting ready for work the next day.

BAK

without a doubt or hesitation my fav spot is lake louise

i will never forget walking back to the carpark and having this beautiful secret that i had just experienced one of the most special spots in the world and as i was passing folk who were coming down to the lake i was actually excited for them - just the prospect of what they would see in a few minutes

funny hey but thats how powerful that experience was for me


i loved whistler too but for different reasons...the candied apple store and the first taste of hot apple cider and the chairlift experience...hugging the 'geezus' bar and hoping the lift would take us safely over the craggy rocks and black bears below!
so many different 'firsts' on one day...!

i liked granville markets but having seen the pike markets in seattle on the same trip , i was not so impressed as i was by the latter

banff was cute and im looking forward to seeing it as a winterwonderland this february

Thank you both so much for your replies . I love what you have said .. I really have been to these places and agree they are favourites . I have to think of new places . Perhaps parts of Quebec , more of northern Ontario , more of Nova Scocia..... I haven't even driven the Cabot trail yet .

I've been to Newfoundland twice and absolutely loe it .

It is hard to argue with Vancouver, Lake Louise, Banff etc. Quebec City is unique in Canada IMO. Nice boardwalk, the Plains of Abraham, the city wall ...

My wife would say the coast just south of Halifax. Or Cavendish Beach in PEI. One of my fondest memories is driving across the Prairies at night. Seeing the lights of a city from 50 miles away. Priceless.

Cold, I like your memories. I think I've seen all the 'biggies', and now I'm looking for your favourite "priceless' places.

Not so much Quebec city, but the landscape north of there through the parks. Parts of Nova Scotia and NB.

Parts of BC like going up to Prince George. So many places to take a road trip.

The Basin Run from the Knob Traverse and into the Tranquilizer at Marmot Basin, Jasper, Alberta.

Hi, Kodi!

Happy New Year!!!

My favorite place is Ingonish Beach, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. To me, it is the most spectacularly beautiful place on Earth. And, the drive to get there is not bad either!(The Cabot Trail)

OB1

OB1 Happy New Year . I have heard that the Cabot Trail is a must . It's on my list for sure.

In no particular order (until I think of an order):


Kluane Lake, YK

Muncho Lake, BC

Grouse Mountain, Vancouver

The West Edmonton Mall (LOL)

Hoito Restaurant, Thunder Bay (OMG, the sun-streaked blondes)

The (small, local highway) drives along either shore of the St. Lawrence River between Trois-Rivieres, QC and Riviere-du-Loup, QC

Hopewell Cape, NB

The pleasant, shoreline drive along Hwy #2 from Parrsboro, NS to Truro, NS

Cape Split, NS

Burntcoat Head, NS

Halifax Harbour, NS




Contrast all that to my most hated thing/place in Canada: The old Port Mann Bridge. (there's a reason why it was replaced with the widest bridge on earth )

welcome back Brian K... the forum was missing your valuable insights...

Sooke, Vancouver Island.

Just a beautiful sleepy little place.

Incredible wildlife and good restaurants.

Perfect balance between nature and civilisation.

You've had some good suggestions.

For me, following the Cabot Trail southeast from Pleasant Bay is the most astonishing drive in eastern Canada.

Quebec City is not to be missed.

The length of the Niagara River from Niagara on the Lake, through the Falls and as far as Fort Erie

u

Just as a follow-up, a link to one of my favourite outlooks on the Cabot Trail

http://bit.ly/RxcAov

u

kodi, if you can plan your Cabot Trail trip during Cape Breton's Celtic Colours Festival, you may be in for a lifetime of memories. Wow, that is one FUN party with amazing music! As the name suggests, you'll catch the fall colours too

Lots of great suggestions so far. Too many for me to add all my faves but I'll add a couple to some existing themes: While in Vancouver, take time to check out spectacular hikes and trails of North Vancouver. Take the Seabus over from Vancouver and catch a bus up to the Lynn Valley suspension bridge and surrounding parkland - just follow the meandering waterways and feel the magic; cycle/blade thru the Seymour Demonstration forest.

I'll add one NS highlights: Cape D'or. We'd sit up there under a shelf of rocks and people wouldn't even know we were there. Watch the rip tides from the spectacular Bay of Fundy as the tides go in and out from the NS side. Yes, we'd be there for hours and hours! At low tide, one can walk on the beach waaay below the cliffs. Be aware tho of when the tides will return as there are no services here. Dress very warmly and be sure to have a windbreaker. There's a very small lodge there with a surprisingly good restaurant. Been to this spot quite a few times and we stayed at the lodge once - the front rooms have the strobe of the lighthouse cycle thru its windows. This was a few years ago now so don't know how the restaurant/lodge is now but the view will be the same!

One of my faves not yet mentioned I believe is Churchill, MB and the Tundra Buggy Lodge for its polar bears.

Wow, what a great thread - one could go on and on!

Enjoy-la!

I'm so glad you are enjoying this thread. I sure am !
thanks you so much for all the additional great ideas.

U Tour I live not too far from Niagara, and agree, the length of the Niagara River on the Niagara Parkway is beautiful.

I'll tell you wonderful people where I'm going this year. It has been my dream to experience the Midnight Sun on my birthday, which is the longest day, June 21. I'm not going to make it to the Arctic, but I am going to be further north than I've ever been. I'll spend my birthday in Fort McMurray , Alberta. It will be a unique holiday and it will be very close to experiencing the Midnight Sun.

And then so many other places to visit in the coming years.

One of my favourite places is Newfoundland . I love Grosse Morne and I love the East Coast Trail.

And, of course, I love the Icefields Parkway . The drive from Banff to Jasper is so breathtaking.

Thank you all for your suggestions.

Someone mentioned driving on the prairies at night.

Not bad at all. I used to time trips so I'd arrive in Regina at sunset, and then just drive west for half an hour into the sunset, enjoy the sky, then turn around and head back to the hotel.

Theere's certainly a lot to see and enjoy in Canada. But it certainly is spread out.

kodi - my birthday is June 19! We are almost twins. Sortof.

I don't have much constructive advice to offer so have been lurking. It is wonderful to get these specific destination recommendations; thank you so much for getting this started.

For myself, I love love love British Columbia - over to include the Canadian Rockies (cheating, I know - but then it hits prairie - another completely different thing). Have been to the obvious choices but planning on Wells Gray Provincial Park (Clearwater - between Jasper and Kelowna) later this year. It's such an enormous area, I suspect so much goes completely unremarked by those outside the area...

Reading with interest the Canada east coast ideas. Would of course like to view fall foliage, visit Quebec City, maybe a "white Christmas" experience...

BAK , driving across the prairies is something I have not done . I'll make sure I head west at sunset .

Sludick, hey twin!! You need to see the midnight sun too .
After Fort McMurray we will visit Jasper area for a few days .. I've only been there a couple of times , and will be sure to see a new area this time .

I would love to tour the area of Tadoussac in Quebec and up the river to Alma area . I'd like to whale watch in this area .. And tour Charlevoix area .

I've seen a small part of Nova Scocia thanks to fodorite LJ! But would love to see more .

I hope everyone continues to share their favourite spots in Canada .

This is such a cool thread for someone who is not Canadian, and makes me want to return - even though I haven't been yet!! Thank you for starting it, kodi. We will definitely have to start saving for a return visit. There are so many unusual sounding places that I have not heard of, and quite a few that I have which are already on my "bucket list" for the future. Perhaps next time we'll come for a month or two, which would give us the opportunity to visit these incredible places! Looking forward immensely to our trip and catching up with you, kodi. I'll resurrect the thread once we have returned home.

Dotty I think it's a great idea to plan a return trip !! There are so many places I haven't been to as well .

We'll see what we get through on your upcoming visit !!

@ dottyp ... unusual sounding places (in Canada)



Try these:


"Ecum Secum"
"Pugwash"
"85 Mile House"
"Kugluktuk"
"Oqsuqtooq"
"Pangnirtung"
"Whycocomagh"
"Donkin"
"Mira Gut"
"Bella Coola"
"Lillooet"
"Osoyoos"
"Medicine Hat"
"Quispamsis"

... and don't even get me started on Quebec.

Have heard of Medicine Hat, but the others . . .? Will look them up too.

I vacation in Canada about every other year. It is full of gorgeous and interesting places so picking a favorite is a bit of a challenge...but for me it is Lake O'Hara. Really nothing quite like it in my experience.
Some day I will go back.

cmcfong, I have heard you , and Bob Brown and others talk about it. I really need to go there!

Northwestmale, I've only been to two of these places, but have also been to 100 Mile House. Does that count?

I'll give you credit for "100 Mile House". What frosts me is that the online mapping programs tell of it being only 24.4 miles between 70 Mile House and 100 Mile House.

Who took them off of the gold standard??


When I went to 100 Mile House the lunch bell had just sounded at 100 Mile High, so kids flooded the streets.

Not only that, but something about the town's water supply had been recently rendered unsafe, so when I went to A & W Root Beer, I could only get canned root beer, and some of the appeal was lost.

Did they at least give you a frosty glass so you could pour the contents of your can into it? I hope so .

Kodi: you already know my answer and you are welcome as the flowers in May (or whichever month you choose). But we did stir our sticks beyond our own nest last summer and Cape Breton is AMAZING. It was our second trip and we still didn't see all we wanted.

Hi LJ . One of these days ! I would really love to visit and would love to see you . . You do live in a fabulous place ! I need to see more and to make time for the Cabot Trail .

Im going to add my two bits. Yes Lake Ohara is number 1-I dont think you can beat it.

But a few spots that I loved and are not mentioned here are Isles de Madeleine (Magdalene Islands and the Charlevoix area of Quebec.
Isles de Madeleine is a very unique archipelago off the coast of Prince Edward Island accessible by plane or ferry from Montreal or from PEI. It offers amazing sandy dunes which attach 6 islands and stretches for about 65 km. It is very unique and the french sure do know how to prepare food as well! Great biking, kitesurfing and kayaking on the inland water areas. Stunning beaches but a real undertow. It has a very untouched feel to many areas.

Charlevoix is kind of a cross between PEI and Cape Breton in the summer time-pretty meadows and farms and lovely coastline.