Exploring the Cabot Trail (Nova Scotia): This wildly scenic driving loop around Cape Breton Highlands National Park delivers a surplus of dramatic coastal scenery. Take a few days to explore the area. You can hike along blustery headlands, search for whales on a tour boat, and dabble around a cove or two in a sea kayak.
Hiking Gros Morne National Park (Newfoundland): When the earth's land masses broke apart and shifted 500 million years ago, a piece of the mantle, the very shell of the planet, was thrust upward to form tableland mountains of rock here. Spend a week or more trekking along the coastal trails, venturing to scenic waterfalls, and strolling alongside landlocked fjords.
Watching the World Go by at a Québec City Cafe (Québec): On a sunny summer Saturday, sit outside at Le Marie-Clarisse restaurant in the Quartier Petit-Champlain at the foot of the Breakneck Stairs. From there you can watch the goings-on in one of the oldest European communities in the New World while enjoying some of the best seafood in town. A folksinger may do a half-hour set, and then be followed by a classical guitarist.
Seeing the Polar Bears in Churchill (Manitoba): In October or November, travel by train or plane to Churchill and the shores of Hudson Bay to view hundreds of magnificent polar bears, who migrate to the bay's icy shores and even lope into Churchill itself. In the evening, you can glimpse the famous aurora borealis (northern lights). Either take VIA Rail's Hudson Bay train (tel. 888/VIA-RAIL in Canada, or 800/561-3949 in the U.S.), a 2-night/1-day trip from Winnipeg, or fly in on Air Canada (tel. 888/247-2262).
Horseback Riding in the Rockies (Alberta): Rent a cabin on a rural guest ranch and get back in the saddle again. Spend a day fishing, then return to the lodge for a country dance or barbecue. Ride a horse to a backcountry chalet in the rugged mountain wilderness. Forget the crowded park highways and commercialized resort towns and just relax. Brewster's Kananaskis Guest Ranch (tel. 800/691-5085 or 403/673-3737) in Kananaskis Village, near Banff, offers a variety of guided horseback trips, including food, lodging, and the horse you ride in on.
Sailing the Great Bear Rain Forest (British Columbia): About halfway up B.C.'s west coast is an isolated region of mountains, fjords, bays, rivers, and inlets. It's one of the last places where grizzly bear are still found in large numbers, plus salmon, killer whales, otters, and porpoises. Maple Leaf Adventures (tel. 888/599-5323) runs a number of trips to this magic part of the world on a schooner.
