Top 5 National Parks in Canada for Hiking

Hester Walker

Canada is famous for its breathtaking picturesque landscapes which are at the same time available and accessible for outdoor activities, sports, and fun. In other words, you can not only look, but also touch this beauty and enjoy it actively.

Hiking is one of the simplest outdoor activities that suits almost anyone – people of a wide range of ages and health conditions, and no special experience or extraordinary physical fitness is needed. Hiking also does not require much costly equipment, and it is very easy to manage the level of exercise stress. Also, most parks have hiking trails of different lengths, and of different levels of complexity. This is why hiking is highly recommended.

Check out the health benefits of hiking, and look through the list of Canadian national parks that are best for this activity!

The Benefits of Hiking 

Hiking is a very popular physical activity, and the best thing about it is that it can be pursued as sport, or it can be pursued as entertainment. People are able to customize their hiking experience to meet their time limits, physical strength, health condition, and the level of preparedness.

Hiking has many advantages for health:

  • it is easy to regulate the exercise stress, so trauma is rare
  • it provides a stable and regulated exercise for the heart
  • it supports stable breath and improves the level of oxygen in bloodstream
  • it improves blood pressure and stabilizes it
  • it improves blood sugar level
  • it strengthens the core muscles
  • the movements during hiking are very natural and physiological, so trauma is rare
  • it builds strength is legs and spine
  • it improves balance
  • it has a positive impact on mood
  • it helps control weight
  • hiking is actually entertaining, can become part of a social activity, and allows to visit new places

Now you know the benefits of hiking. Let’s discuss where you can go to enjoy it!

Gros Morne, Newfoundland & Labrador

This park is Canada’s second largest if we look at the Atlantic coast. Gros Morne is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, because it is literally filled with various natural wonders. The park has it all – beaches, coasts, waterfalls, forests, fjords, and lovely villages. Gros Morne is also famous for its geological features, showing plate tectonics and all the accompanying phenomena. The views are truly impressive, so hiking and wildlife spotting are highly recommended.

Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia

Cape Breton Island has this park situation in the northern portion, and the park is surrounded by the waters of the Atlantic, and the Gulf of St Lawrence. Cape Breton Highlands National Park is a unique natural combination of different habitats, such as Boreal and Taiga. There is no such other place in Canada to be found, meaning natural conditions. The elevated plateau of the park is crossed with river canyons, and descends slowly to the seashore. The wildlife is abundant there, from birds to whales. All this unique ecosystem of the park can be enjoyed on numerous hiking trails.

Yoho National Park, British Columbia

This park is situated on the western slopes of the Canadian Rockies. It is especially good for hiking, because it combines some unique wildlife, picturesque landscapes, and some exciting routes to walk. The vertical rocks, ice and waterfalls, numerous lakes and creeks are created by fascinating geology of the place. This is definitely a beautiful place to visit, and walk around. One of the most famous hiking trails in Yoho National Park is the Iceline Trail 20 kilometers long.

Banff National Park, Alberta

The very first national park created in the country, Banff is also one of the most popular parks. It can be found in the middle of the Rockies, and the mountains around the park make some of its biggest beauties to see. There are over 1,600 kilometers of hiking trails, which is impressive, but you can also have a guided tour on horseback. The park is famous for its unbelievable blue freezingly cold lakes, and for its hot springs! Camping is very popular in this park, as well as wildlife sightseeing.

Fundy National Park, New Brunswick

Fundy National Park has a truly unique feature – the water levels rise up to 12 meters high in a matter of hours during the tide, and then go away so that the visitors could explore the ocean floor. The world’s highest tides happen here, as well as other unique natural phenomena.

The inland of the park has numerous spectacular waterfalls, surrounded by a network of hiking trails. The majority of the trails are to be walked within a day, but the biggest one is a 48-kilometer long trail around the park. For sure there’s a lot to see and enjoy!

Best Destinations

All our routes are well known to us, and instructors who work on them, either laid the track themselves, or are constantly improving it, adding something new and interesting. We try to compose a route so that the trip would be as accessible as possible to all lovers of active recreation in the mountains, regardless of their physical fitness or income. Geography offered by us hiking, trekking, expeditions, climbs and active tours is very wide and constantly growing. Now our club organizes active recreation in 40 countries on five continents.