5 Best Summer Activities in Canada

Most southern hemisphere folks only think of Canada as a winter destination. But there is so much more to Canada than just skiing and snowboarding! In fact, summer in Canada sees a major increase in tourism. This beautiful country is rife with summer activities!

So, if you are looking for an exciting new summer holiday destination, keep reading.

The best part about summer in Canada is that there is literally something for everyone to enjoy! From extreme outdoor adventures to classy art festivals and everything in between.

Let’s dive right in and see what amazing summer activities Canada has in store.

1. Extreme Sports

With more media coverage in recent years, adventure sports has steadily become more popular. As such, a lot of city people want to plan their getaways around an extreme activity or two. And Canada is the perfect place for the ever-increasing population of adrenalin junkies!

Vast forests, majestic mountains and long winding rivers set a great scene for adventure seekers. Therefore, if you are into extreme sports and you want to find a new river to paddle or a new mountain to bike, then summer in Canada is what you’ve been waiting for!

So, without further ado, here is a list of extreme summer activities in Canada:

• Kayaking – According to Claire O’Hara, ten-time kayak world champion, Canada is one of the best places on earth to kayak. In an interview with Red Bull, O’Hara said that the Ottawa River in Canada caters for all kayakers, from newbies to pros. The Ottawa sports great rapids and big waves when the winter snows start to melt.
• Mountain Biking – Fun fact: the Freeride movement originated in B.C. But if you are not into freeriding, don’t stress! There are plenty of well-marked trails to ride all over Canada. However, Danny MacAskill, a well-known stunt biker, says that Top of the World Trail in Whistler is one of his top five biking destinations.
• Rock Climbing – Even though there are plenty of rock climbing destinations in Canada, one stands out above the rest. Skaha Bluffs in B.C is on BuzzFeedNews’ top ten climbing destinations in the world.

With so many worldwide top ten destinations, summer in Canada just got a whole lot more appealing to our adrenalin junkies, right?

2. Amazing National Parks

Sure, the great outdoors sounds like it has a lot in common with extreme sports. But here’s the thing. You can be outdoors and super relaxed at the same time! Plus, the fact that Canada is the second-largest country in the world makes the outdoors so much greater!

Canada has some of the most amazing National Parks out there. If you ever want to go somewhere to view nature in its full glory, you might want to pay a visit to one of the following:

• Banff National Park – A UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its glacier-blue lakes and rugged mountain peaks.
• Jasper National Park – The biggest Park in Canada, popular for its natural hot springs.
• Kluane National Park – Probably the most mountainous Park of the lot. Kluane is home to the highest peak in Canada, Mount Logan.

These are just three of the 47 National Parks in Canada. So, if you enjoy being in immensely vast spaces, or to be dwarfed by nature, go visit a couple of National Parks in Canada.

3. Camping

Millions of Canadians go on camping trips each year. And why not? Camping is one of the coolest summer activities out there! Moreover, with such a vast country, there is a myriad of fantastic camping spots strewn all over the place.

We compiled a short list of some of the most well-known camping spots. However, keep in mind that the couple of odd campsites we list here doesn’t do justice to all of the amazing sites in Canada.

• Point Wolfe Camp Ground – Located in Fundy National Park, New Brunswick. This campsite is a gateway to some breathtakingly beautiful scenery.
• Green Point Camp Site – On the other side of the country, Green Point offers some amazing ocean views over the Pacific. The Pacific Rim National Park in which it is located is well known for its prime surf spots. So, if you like camping and surfing, you know where to go.
• Baie-Sainte-Marguerite Campground – Close to the Saguenay Fjord and the St. Lawrence River, this campground is perfectly situated for water lovers.

4. City Seeing

No, we didn’t mean site seeing. We meant city seeing. Although we can carry on for hours and hours about Canada’s abundance of natural wonders, being outdoors and isolated isn’t for everyone. And that is why we included site seeing in the city into our blog post. Hence, City Seeing…

Canada has some of the cleanest cities in the world. So, if you decide to give the great outdoors a skip, at least you won’t have to pick your way through piles of garbage as you make your way from one boutique to the next (try shopping in Yorkville, Toronto).

Summer activities can include gazing at awe-inspiring architecture, right? For those city lovers out there, you simply have to see these buildings in Canada:

• Sharp Centre for Design, Toronto
• Habitat 67, Montreal
• Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia
• Montreal Biosphere, (you guessed it) Montreal

5. Summer Festivals

From famous farmers markets to world-class music festivals, you can find it all when you spend a summer in Canada. So if you want to attend a festival or two while you are in the area, here is a list of some of the big ones:

• Calgary Stampede – This ten-day festival is all about preserving the Western Lifestyle. The festival boasts with horse carriage racing, a lot of live music and great food (to name just a few things).
• Toronto Caribbean Carnival – A festival to celebrate Caribbean culture and music. For more than 40 years, Toronto has been hosting this fest and it is currently the biggest cultural fest in the world!
• Montreal Jazz Festival – Once again, the largest of its kind in the world. The Montreal Jazz Festival attracts millions of jazz enthusiasts from around the globe each summer.

There are plenty more where that came from. This was just to whet your appetite.

Ready for some Canadian summer activities?

Click here to contact Canada Abroad for more information regarding visa regulations and how to apply for your visa. You can also ask our team of experts more about summer in Canada and how to best plan your trip!