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Canadian Coasts

Canada, the second-largest country in the world, covers almost 10 million square kilometres with provinces and territories extending from the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans. The regions of Canada range from arctic to lowlands to plains to mountains to forests to beaches and bays, all with exceptional natural landscapes! My family and I took road trips to Eastern and Western Canada during two separate summers, and have yet to explore the Northwest Territories. This post is thus divided into two parts: East and West Coasts below, and seeks to inspire your next travel destination in Canada!


Fredericton, New Brunswick, CA.

NOTE: We spend a total of approximately 10-14 days for each (East and West) coast trip. Although we drove to the East and back, making several short stops for tourism purposes; during our trip to the West, we flew multi-city (YYZ to YVR (or Toronto to Vancouver) and YYC to YYZ (or Calgary to Toronto)), and drove between cities in B.C. and Alberta. This was primarily because there is near to nothing to see in Manitoba and Saskatchewan provinces, thus the lengthy drive is not encouraged.



EAST COAST


Ontario


We started our journey from Toronto (summer 2016) early morning on a weekday. Because we live in Toronto and make frequent road trips around the province, we did not make any stops until we reached Quebec. Top cities and sights to see in Ontario include Toronto, Blue Mountain, Niagara Falls, Hamilton, Ottawa, and Kingston.




Quebec


Quebec is known as the French-speaking province of Canada and is a popularly visited for its beautiful narrow-road boulevards and old stone buildings. During our trip, we made short stops to Quebec City and Riviere-du-Loup before continuing to New Brunswick.


  • Quebec City's Petit Champlain district has its distinctly European vibe circa 17th Century with cobblestone streets, bistros, and shops. During winter months between January and March, Quebec's iconic seasonal hotel made of ice and snow is open for both tourism and quests, called Hotel de Glace. The Quebec City photos below are from our trip during winter.



  • Riviere-du-Loup sits along the Saint Lawrence River and is known for its whale sightings.









New Brunswick


During our road trip to the East, New Brunswick was a highlight. The province is one of the four Atlantic territories along the Eastern coast of Canada and has extraordinary landscapes. The further East we drove, the landscapes changed from lowlands and plains to endless lush green forests, unique to New Brunswick.




  • Fredericton. We arrived in DownTown Fredericton around 3 pm during a summer festival, and were lucky to enjoy local parades and concerts.





We continued our trip to Saint Martins, Saint John, New Brunswick and decided to stay two days before driving to P.E.I.



The immeasurable mountainous road between New Brunswick's coniferous trees photographed above.



  • Saint John. After Fredericton, we drove to St. Martins, a village situated along the Bay of Fundy in Saint John (city). The city is popularly known and visited by both tourists and locals for the bay's natural phenomenon of colliding tides. As people come to watch the tides of Fundy deriving from the chaotic Atlantic, the peninsula also hosts a multitude of trails, volcanic rocks, and forests.



The cave photographed above (St. Martins) was created by the clashing tides. The tides rise above the cave walls occasionally today.







Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.)


The maritime island-province, P.E.I., was my absolute favourite part of our East Coast journey! The island is compact, surrounded by the Atlantic, and has rolling hills and a breathtaking sky during all periods of the day. P.E.I. is best-known for its red-sand beaches, lush farmlands, lighthouses, seafood, art, and literature. When visiting Canada, P.E.I. is a must-visit province.


  • Charlottetown. We stayed at a resort in Charlottetown for two or three days, and toured the island from there. There were multiple sights to see around P.E.I., however, more revolving around nature and literature unique to the maritime province.




During our first day in P.E.I., my parents and I explored the Prince Edward Island Preserve Co., Green Gables, and then spent the evening in Downtown Charlottetown. In regard to eateries, it's important to note that the further east, the more locals rely on seafood and ice cream! There is Fish 'n Chips around every corner.






My beautiful parents.

  • Green Gables is a notable literary Canadian landmark, located in the city of Cavendish in P.E.I. The farm's setting is popularly known for the 19th Century novel series, "Anne of Green Gables," written by Lucy Maud Montgomery. There have been continuing numerous theatricals and television adaptations of the novels across North America today!






On our second day in P.E.I., we visited Singing Sands Beach in Elmira city, and East Point Lighthouse (photos below).


  • Singing Sands Beach deems a regular beach onshore the Atlantic, but for some scientific reason, when feet rub against the red sand, the sand produces high-pitched noise almost as though singing horribly (hence the name of the beach).



  • East Point Lighthouse is another must-see attraction on the island. Underrated, East Point is the "start/end of the world" given Canada is placed on the right-side of a world map!




Nova Scotia


  • Halifax. We drove from Charlottetown to Halifax and spent two or three nights in the city. The capital is notable for its maritime history as a prime port of Canada on the Atlantic Ocean. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Nova Scotia due to the combination of historical background and natural land features!





  • The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is a must-visit museum. The building's tragic possessions derive from the War of 1812 to the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. When the Titanic sunk in the Atlantic, neighbouring states, except Canada, had failed to send ships to save passengers. Even then, Canada, at the time only having small fishing boats, took three days to reach the sunken cruise ship. Today, over 150 Titanic-victims are buried in Halifax.




  • Peggy's Cove Lighthouse is a top attraction in Nova Scotia located on the shore of St. Margarets Bay. The iconic landmark is known for its tides, surrounding village, and romantic tale behind the setting.







WEST COAST


British Columbia


My parents and I travelled from Toronto to British Columbia during the summer of 2018. Since our tour of Eastern Canada in 2016, I grew up and my photos had progressed significantly. We rented a car in Vancouver and drove to all the nearby tourist attractions and cities on our way to Calgary. Unlike the rigorous Atlantic, the western Pacific coastline is considerably peaceful with stunning mountain ranges. The West coast is also comparably more adventure and activity-oriented than the East.


  • Downtown Vancouver. We stayed in Burnaby, near Vancouver, for approximately seven days. Vancouver is a thriving capital of B.C., popular for scenic views, famous filming locations, art, food, and more. During our first day in the city, we took a tour of the city centre and then hopped on a ferry to Granville Island.




On our third day in Vancouver, my parents and I took a hop-on-hop-off tour of the city. To be fair, the tour was not really worth the time, and it would have been more convenient to just pop by important locations such as Stanley Park and Gastown. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the day and each other's company tremendously!






  • Shannon Falls Provincial Park, located in Squamish, is en route to the iconic Sea to Sky Gondola and is definitely worth the stop! It's a nice 5 minute hike (flat walk) from the parking to the waterfall.




  • Sea to Sky Gondola, Squamish, is a major highlight of a Western Canada trip! The must-see attraction is located en route Highway 99, an endless road alongside a mountain. The dramatic gondola offers round trip cable car passes, a suspension bridge with breathtaking views, and trails.







  • Whistler. From our visit to Shannon Falls and the Sea to Sky Gondola, my parents and I drove slight north to Whistler. The resort-municipality is stunning for a day trip and well-known for its activities (canoeing, water rafting, winter sports, etc.). If you you're familiar with Blue Mountain resort, Whistler is very similar. The resort area is also popularly known as the 2010 venue for the Winter Olympics!



  • Victoria. On our second day in B.C., my parents and I hopped onboard a BC Ferry to Victoria Island. This was another exceptional highlight of our trip. The island straddles on the Pacific coast extending from B.C. to the Northwest Territories. Much of the island resembles Kingston, Ontario, however, it consists of unique views of waterfronts.




Onboard, the ferry was extremely cold, even during summer months. I would highly recommend taking layers. We took the 6 am ferry to Victoria, and returned to Vancouver City in the evening. The ferry was a great experience, although took approximately 1-2 hours each way. The boats have souvenir shops, several decks to explore, and a restaurant, so time tends to move rather swiftly.




Because the ferry reached Victoria docks quite early, my parents and I drove around the quiet city for a while. Victoria can really be explored in the span of a few hours. We toured a small museum, drove through the Botanical Gardens, and took a Seaplane ride before returning to Vancouver!




Victoria Harbour Seaplane was an exceptional tour of the city. The flight was about 20 minutes, and had a remarkable panoramic view.









  • Capilano Suspension Bridge, Vancouver. During our fourth day in Vancouver city, we drove a little north to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. Unlike other suspension bridges, Capilano is a simple bridge (circa 1889), 140 metres long and over 70 metres above the Capilano River. The bridge is terrifying for some people as it sways quite dramatically. We absolutely loved the park. There are short tours complementary with the entrance ticket on both sides of the bridge. The entrance side is more of a historical tour, whereas the crossing side has more to do with nature! Both tours are exceptional to learn more about the Canadian soil.


Spot me?






  • Kamloops. On our fifth day, we continued our journey from B.C. to Alberta. On our way to our destination in Jasper, we met some friends living in Kamloops. Kamloops is a smaller town in B.C. but with beautiful mountainous views. I would recommend stopping for lunch or a snack in the town.



Alberta



  • Jasper. When visiting Western Canada, Alberta is popular for its National Parks and Canadian Rockies. The town of Jasper is the commercial hub amidst the Canadian-Swiss alpine. My parents and I drove from Kamloops, through Banff and stayed in Jasper. If you're travelling during the summer, best book your hotels in advance due to the peak tourism period. We stayed in Jasper for about three days and drove into Banff for a day trip. There is an additional cost to drive into Banff National Park and varies by duration of stay. Thus, I would recommend staying outside of Banff. Some must-visit tourist attractions in Jasper include: Jasper National Park, Medicine Lake, Miette Hotsprings, and Jasper Town.




Jasper National Park consists of many lakes, forests, and glacier mountain terrains. One of the most unique spots was Medicine Lake. The lake is surrounded by forests still unrecovered from a calamitous forest fire that occurred over 50 years ago. You can see the smoke still pervading the surrounding air, blurring the mountainous background, captured via my DSLR lens.



Miette Hotsprings was also one of my favourite locations in Jasper! We visited the springs after our short tour of Medicine Lake, before heading back to Jasper Town for dinner. We ran into some 'deer' friends (pun intended) on the way back!



  • Banff is absolutely stunning during all seasons and will be a major highlight of your Canada trip! The National Park is adjacent to Jasper National Park and consists of resorts, remarkable teal-coloured lakes, and glacier mountains. The resort-town inside the park is lined with shops, hotels, and restaurants.





  • Calgary is a major cosmopolitan city in Alberta consisting of urban skyscrapers to growing industries. We stayed in Calgary for about three to four days before flying back to Toronto. I would not recommend staying in Calgary for over four days unless making day trips to the outskirts. For instance, on our way to Calgary from Jasper, my parents and I visited Columbia Icefield.



Columbia Icefield is a must-see attraction in Alberta. The attraction has been naturally preserved circa the Ice Age phenomenon thousands of years ago. We ran into some family members who were having a separate Western Canada tour and enjoyed the attraction with them. The Icefield consists of two parts: the actual tour of the glacier, and the skywalk. Combination tickets (recommended) may be purchased at the location. During the summer of 2018, the combination ticket was approximately $140 CAD per person (a worth while tour). Prices may vary now. An issue you may encounter is space available on the day of purchase. Alternatively, you can purchase only the skywalk ticket (approximately $35 CAD per person) and drive to the Icefield. However, cars are not permitted to go all the way. Make sure to take a jacket!







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