Best 5 of the Most Beautiful Places in Canada

Canada is the second-largest country in the world with a vast array of natural wonders, so any attempt to make a list of places in a country known for its sheer beauty will always be a tall order. Everyone will have their own ideas but here are my best and most beautiful places to visit in Canada…

1. Yellowknife/Northwest Territories – for a truly stunning wilderness experience in Canada

When you’re done with walking around the oldest city in North America and ticked the polar bears off your wildlife list, head properly up north in search of the Aurora Borealis, aka the Northern Lights. As a natural phenomenon, you’re never guaranteed to see them, but Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories is a great place to try. Just remember to wrap up warm!

To get one of the greatest glimpses into such a vast, sprawling country, how about going coast to coast, from Atlantic to Pacific? Taking a drive across the Trans-Canada Highway or a ride on the Canadian (a 1950s train journeying from Toronto to Vancouver over the course of 3-4 days), is something that few people experience in a single trip, but any who do so will remember for the rest of their lives.

2. The Rockies – one of the most famously scenic and beautiful places to visit in Canada

While the entire Rockies stretch through the USA as well, when it comes to jaw-dropping scenery its northern neighbor comes up trumps, whether it’s for hiking in the summer or skiing in the winter. Comprising 5 National Parks (Banff, Glacier, Jasper, Kootenay, and Yoho) this area should be near the top of any bucket list.

The Rocky Mountaineer is the train of choice for many honeymooners, and it’s easy to see why – glass-topped carriages giving superlative views onto glaciers, towering mountain peaks, waterfalls, canyons, and lakes so blue you’ll think your eyes have been Photoshopped.

3. Vancouver Island and the Johnstone Strait – one of the most scenic places to explore in Canada

Surfers love the wild, epic waves here (though with a nickname of “Graveyard of the Pacific” the west coast should be approached with caution), and animal lovers come to spot orcas in the waters of the Johnstone Strait.

If you prefer something more sedate to all that excitement, you can relax with something quintessentially British (well, you are in British Columbia, after all!) – afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel, Victoria.

4. Lake Louise – one of the largest and most scenic ski resorts in Canada

Beautiful Lake Louise is located in the Rockies but deserves a special mention of its own. You’ve seen the photos – with water almost impossibly turquoise (the result of minerals in the rock that flow into the lake after glacial erosion) – now it’s time to see the lake for yourself and get a picture of your own.

This isn’t the place to get away from it all – and certainly won’t be able to get away from thousands of other tourists – but some places are popular for good reason, and deserve to be visited anyway.

5. Abraham Lake – a unique and wonderful scenic spot in Canada

Want to see what human endeavor and nature look like when they interact. Check out the very pretty Abraham Lake. Why do I say this? Well, you’d be entirely forgiven for thinking that Abraham Lake is a natural phenomenon. (Spoiler, it isn’t). The lake was actually man-made after the Saskatchewan river was dammed in 1972. If you’d visited in the 60’s you’d have probably been stood in a grassy valley. But human endeavor isn’t actually the best bit about Lake Abraham. There’s something going on under the surface, literally.

The lake is beautiful all year round with milky blue glacial water. Here’s our advice. Visit in winter, bring your camera. Due to deposits of various flora on the bed of the lake, huge methane gas bubbles are released. These are then trapped at various layers under the frozen surface. You’ll be presented with a cathedral of frozen wonder as these bubbles make miles of frozen subsurface columns. All observed from your own private and entirely unique viewing window. Your best bet to avoid mishaps is to hire a guided tour. Walking on frozen lakes is rather cool, but also a little bit dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing.