Canada

Description

West Coast Trail

Canada: the world's fourth largest country, after Russia, China, United States. When the water area is included, Canada is the second largest. A vast land area between 41 and 84 degrees. The southernmost tip is on the same latitude as Rome. The northernmost tip is near the North Pole. The USA are only slightly larger, but count 10 times as many inhabitants.

From east to west, the country displays a great geographical diversity. The Appalachian Mountains run through to Newfoundland on Canada's east coast. Going west, we encounter the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Lowlands. Further west lie the vast Canadian Interior Plains, hot summers, cold winters. Further west still, we hit the mountains of the Continental Divide, including the Canadian Rockies. The western coastline finally is green and sparsely populated. Most of Canada's land mass is virtually uninhabited: the Arctic part of Canada.

The hiking trails in Canada are as varied as the landscape. You have a wide choice of trails:

  1. Multi-use Trailways (eg Newfoundland T'railway). Many old railways have been turned into use as recreation trail, which is a very good thing of course. On these paths, cycling is probably more popular than walking, depending on the quality of the surface. Trailways typically are open to hiking, horse riding, cycling, cross country skiing and sometimes snowmobiling in winter;
  2. Wilderness hikes (for example the West Coast Trail, Canol Heritage Trail). These are rough trails, far from civilization, meant for experienced hikers who are prepared to dragging everything with them for an extended period;
  3. Long trails (eg the National Hiking Trail of Canada, Trans Canada Trail). These are semi-permanent projects to create a trail bigger than big. The Trans Canada Trail is a multiuse trail from the east coast to the west coast. Efforts to create a second trail, which is intended solely for walkers, presumably are not very succesful yet: the National Hiking Trail of Canada;
  4. Recreation Trails (For example the Niagara River Recreation Trail, visiting the Niagara Falls). These are easier paths, often multi-use, through nature, forest, fields and farmlands. Often they also have some historical significance. Along the way, options for sleeping often include hotels and B&B's beside campgrounds;
  5. The national and provincial parks offer a choice of shorter and longer walks. These trails are not allways known by a name. An advantage of this type of hiking are the often good camping facilities amidst beautiful scenery. The downside are the large crowds.

As mentioned before, trails are frequently multi-use. On the one hand there is a Canadian lobby to allow the widest possible public access to these public funded trails, including snowmobiling. On the other hand there is a counter lobby to exclusively designate these trails to the serious nature lover who is walking or skiing at most. To make things worse, we have to count on many ATV enthusiasts, who, with their noisy quads destroy the trails and squander nature. In short: war.

To conclude our brief introduction, let's spend some words to the famous Canadian bug. This is not one particular species of small animals, it is rather a collective noun for any annoying insect that you might encounter in nature, often in large numbers, such as black flies, mosquitoes, midges and deer flies. These hateful little creature often bite. They can be a plague, especially during the summer months, depending on weather conditions, humidity, and habitat. In spring they are not so numerous which makes for a more relaxed time on trail. But then there are obviously other pests, such as mud and snow.

From the small bite to the big bite: Canada has healthy populations of black bears, grizzly bears, polar bears and secretive but potentially dangerous cougars (puma's). Nature is wild and beautiful, especialy in Canada.

Map

Hiking Map Canada NW Hiking Map Canada NE

Hiking Map Canada SW Hiking Map Canada SE

Trails

Regions

States

Books

Stanfords
United Kingdom
  • DK Eyewitness Travel Guide Las Vegas
  • Explore this hedonistic city, from the casinos and attractions of the Las Vegas strip hotels - gondola rides at The Venetian and relaxing at Wynn Las Vegas - to the Fremont Street Experience and downtown. Seven itineraries, two guided walks and one scenic drive cover all the key areas. The DK Eyewitness Travel Guide Las Vegas showcases the... Read more
Stanfords
United Kingdom
2020
  • DK Eyewitness Pacific Northwest: Oregon, Washington and British Columbia
  • Follow the call of the wild to the pristine Pacific NorthwestWhether you want to hike through the spellbinding landscape of the Rockies, unwind with homebrewed beer in Portland or venture to Vancouver for immersive galleries and innovative dining, your DK Eyewitness travel guide makes sure you experience all that the Pacific Northwest has to... Read more
The Book Depository
United Kingdom
The Book Depository
United Kingdom
Bol.com
Netherlands
  • Lonely Planet Canada
  • Mosey past moose on the Cabot Trail through to the vast Cape Breton Highlands National ParkQuench your thirst for high-mountain adventure amidst the jaw-dropping scenery of the wild RockiesGo easy on the maple syrup while sampling the nouvelle cuisine of Montreal and Canada's other foodie havensSpot caribou and arctic wolves while hiking... Read more
  • Also available from:
  • Bol.com, Belgium
» Click to open
Bol.com
Belgium
  • Lonely Planet Canada
  • Mosey past moose on the Cabot Trail through to the vast Cape Breton Highlands National ParkQuench your thirst for high-mountain adventure amidst the jaw-dropping scenery of the wild RockiesGo easy on the maple syrup while sampling the nouvelle cuisine of Montreal and Canada's other foodie havensSpot caribou and arctic wolves while hiking... Read more
» Click to close
Bol.com
Netherlands
  • Selling Your Writing to the Boating Magazines (and Other Niche Mags)
  • Do you like to write? Have you long thought about seeing your words and pictures published in your favorite niche-market magazine? Can you imagine an editor sending you a check for your story? You can make this happen. It takes effort, but it's not magic and it's not beyond you. In this book Michael Robertson shares his knowledge and lessons... Read more
  • Also available from:
  • Bol.com, Belgium
» Click to open
Bol.com
Belgium
  • Selling Your Writing to the Boating Magazines (and Other Niche Mags)
  • Do you like to write? Have you long thought about seeing your words and pictures published in your favorite niche-market magazine? Can you imagine an editor sending you a check for your story? You can make this happen. It takes effort, but it's not magic and it's not beyond you. In this book Michael Robertson shares his knowledge and lessons... Read more
» Click to close
Bol.com
Netherlands
  • Road Trip
  • Whether embarking on a solo journey, enjoying a romantic mini-break, or recreating the camping trips of your childhood, a road trip is a special kind of getaway. These nostalgic knits are inspired by our trips across Canada: expansive mountain views, coffee in quaint towns, and bonfires on remote beaches. With cables, colourwork and lace, this... Read more
  • Also available from:
  • Bol.com, Belgium
» Click to open
Bol.com
Belgium
  • Road Trip
  • Whether embarking on a solo journey, enjoying a romantic mini-break, or recreating the camping trips of your childhood, a road trip is a special kind of getaway. These nostalgic knits are inspired by our trips across Canada: expansive mountain views, coffee in quaint towns, and bonfires on remote beaches. With cables, colourwork and lace, this... Read more
» Click to close
Bol.com
Netherlands
  • The Cambridge Gazetteer of the USA and Canada
  • Originally published in 1995, The Cambridge Gazetteer of the United States and Canada contains more than 12,000 entries of places of all kinds. It is a detailed, alphabetically arranged enyclopedic dictionary of places. It includes coverage of all cities and towns having populations of over 25,000. But the Cambridge Gazetteer is far more than a... Read more
  • Also available from:
  • Bol.com, Belgium
» Click to open
Bol.com
Belgium
  • The Cambridge Gazetteer of the USA and Canada
  • Originally published in 1995, The Cambridge Gazetteer of the United States and Canada contains more than 12,000 entries of places of all kinds. It is a detailed, alphabetically arranged enyclopedic dictionary of places. It includes coverage of all cities and towns having populations of over 25,000. But the Cambridge Gazetteer is far more than a... Read more
» Click to close
Bol.com
Netherlands
  • Canada West
  • • Waterproof • Tear-Resistant • Travel MapNational Geographic's Canada West AdventureMap is designed to meet the needs of adventure travelers with its durability and detailed, accurate information. The map includes the locations of cities and towns with a user-friendly index, a clearly marked road network complete with distances and... Read more
  • Also available from:
  • Bol.com, Belgium
  • De Zwerver, Netherlands
» Click to open
Bol.com
Belgium
  • Canada West
  • • Waterproof • Tear-Resistant • Travel MapNational Geographic's Canada West AdventureMap is designed to meet the needs of adventure travelers with its durability and detailed, accurate information. The map includes the locations of cities and towns with a user-friendly index, a clearly marked road network complete with distances and... Read more
De Zwerver
Netherlands
  • Wegenkaart - landkaart 3113 Adventure Map Canada West | National Geographic
  • • Waterproof • Tear-Resistant • Travel MapNational Geographic's Canada West AdventureMap is designed to meet the needs of adventure travelers with its durability and detailed, accurate information. The map includes the locations of cities and towns with a user-friendly index, a clearly marked road network complete with distances and... Read more
» Click to close
Bol.com
Netherlands
2017
  • Lonely Planet Canada
  • Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher Lonely Planet Canada is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Hike the Rockies, marvel at the Northern Lights, or indulge in cultural delights from Montreal's cafe culture to the island villages of Haida... Read more
  • Also available from:
  • Bol.com, Belgium
» Click to open
Bol.com
Belgium
2017
  • Lonely Planet Canada
  • Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher Lonely Planet Canada is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Hike the Rockies, marvel at the Northern Lights, or indulge in cultural delights from Montreal's cafe culture to the island villages of Haida... Read more
» Click to close
Bol.com
Netherlands
  • Switzerland, Niagara Falls, Toronto
  • On the 1st of May 2016 I took off on my trip to Switzerland. Nature is beautiful and green in May and it is possible to enjoy the flowers. Every time I went on excursions I got lucky with the weather! First I took the train with my daughter and her friends to Lucerne. From there we took the boat to Viznau and then took the funicular train up to... Read more
  • Also available from:
  • Bol.com, Belgium
» Click to open
Bol.com
Belgium
  • Switzerland, Niagara Falls, Toronto
  • On the 1st of May 2016 I took off on my trip to Switzerland. Nature is beautiful and green in May and it is possible to enjoy the flowers. Every time I went on excursions I got lucky with the weather! First I took the train with my daughter and her friends to Lucerne. From there we took the boat to Viznau and then took the funicular train up to... Read more
» Click to close
More books…

Maps

Stanfords
United Kingdom
  • Garibaldi Provincial Park ITMB
  • Garibaldi Provincial Park at 1:50,000 in a series of topographic survey maps of selected areas of British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies from ITMB with cartography from Canada’s national survey organization. Most sheets are printed on light, waterproof and tear- resistant plastic paper.Whilst the Canadian Department of Natural Resources... Read more
Stanfords
United Kingdom
  • Canada IGN Map 85101
  • Colourful IGN map of Canada at 1:4,000,000 scale with topography shown by countours, elevation colouring, and spot heights. Road network includes seasonal roads and tracks, indicating petrol stations and intermediate distances on major roads. The map also shows places of interest, forest reserves, post offices, medical facilities, selected... Read more
Stanfords
United Kingdom
  • Canada del Gallego CNIG Topo 976-3
  • Topographic coverage of mainland Spain at 1:25,000 published by the Centro Nacional de Información Geograficá, the country’s civilian survey organization. The maps have contours at 10m intervals and colouring and/or graphics to show different types of vegetation or land use. Boundaries of national parks and other protected areas are marked. In... Read more
Stanfords
United Kingdom
  • World & Flags Hema Political Pacific-Centred
  • The world at 1:40,850,000 presented with Pacific Ocean in the centre on a double-sided folded map from the Australian publishers Hema; political version on one side and a physical map on the reverse. Each side shows the land masses against the background of light blue oceans with bathymetric tints to reflect the depth of the ocean floor. Polar... Read more
Stanfords
United Kingdom
  • Cañada de Jara CNIG Topographic Map 1077-II
  • Topographic coverage of mainland Spain at 1:25,000 published by the Centro Nacional de Información Geograficá, the country’s civilian survey organization. The maps have contours at 10m intervals and colouring and/or graphics to show different types of vegetation or land use. Boundaries of national parks and other protected areas are marked. In... Read more
Stanfords
United Kingdom
  • Lower Mainland - Richmond & New Westminster ITMB
  • Lower Mainland - Richmond and New Westminster at 1:250,000 and 1:50,000 in a series of topographic survey maps of selected areas of British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies from ITMB with cartography from Canada’s national survey organization. Most sheets are printed on light, waterproof and tear- resistant plastic paper.Whilst the Canadian... Read more
  • Also available from:
  • De Zwerver, Netherlands
» Click to open
De Zwerver
Netherlands
» Click to close
Stanfords
United Kingdom
  • Glacier - Waterton Lakes National Park MT
  • Map No. 215, Glacier/Waterton Lakes National Park, MT, in an extensive series of GPS compatible, contoured hiking maps of USA’s national and state parks or forests and other popular recreational areas. Cartography based on the national topographic survey, with additional tourist information.The maps, with most titles now printed on light,... Read more
  • Also available from:
  • Bol.com, Netherlands
  • Bol.com, Belgium
  • De Zwerver, Netherlands
» Click to open
Bol.com
Netherlands
  • Glacier/waterton Lakes National Parks
  • Waterproof Tear-Resistant Topographic MapNational Geographic's Trails Illustrated map of Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks offers unparalleled detail for outdoor enthusiasts exploring the pristine landscape of forests, mountains, lakes, and meadows within these two spectacular parks. Created in partnership with local land... Read more
Bol.com
Belgium
  • Glacier/waterton Lakes National Parks
  • Waterproof Tear-Resistant Topographic MapNational Geographic's Trails Illustrated map of Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks offers unparalleled detail for outdoor enthusiasts exploring the pristine landscape of forests, mountains, lakes, and meadows within these two spectacular parks. Created in partnership with local land... Read more
De Zwerver
Netherlands
» Click to close
De Zwerver
Netherlands
2008
  • Wegenkaart - landkaart Canada | Hallwag
  • Kanada Strassenkarte ab 11.95 EURO Karte mit Distoguide, Reiseinformationen mit Piktogrammen, Sehenswürdigkeiten, Nationalparks und Monumenten, States BeeTagg und Index. 1:4 Mio. Road Map Hallwag Straßenkarte. 4. Auflage, Laufzeit bis 2017 Read more
Stanfords
United Kingdom
  • Algonquin Park ITMB
  • Waterproof and tear-resistant topographic survey map of Algonquin Park at 1:250,000 from ITMB, with an 1:50,000 enlargement of the Haliburton County and Nipissing District on the reverse. Both maps show highways with differentiation of the number of lanes indicated, loose surface roads, cart tracks, and trails are marked. Points of interest are... Read more
  • Also available from:
  • De Zwerver, Netherlands
» Click to open
De Zwerver
Netherlands
» Click to close
De Zwerver
Netherlands
More maps…

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