Canada’s Beauty Hits Different: 11 Places to See It Up Close

Canada’s beauty tends to sneak up on you. You think you’ve seen nature before, then suddenly you’re standing in front of a view that feels completely unreal. The place doesn’t shout for attention, but still manages to leave you speechless.

Here are a few places where you can experience Canada’s raw beauty.

Auyuittuq National Park, Nunavut

Rising above the Arctic Circle, this park’s name translates to “the land that never melts.” It contains Canada’s highest sheer rock face, Mount Thor, which drops 1,250 meters. The region’s glacial valleys and ice caps attract skilled hikers and climbers following the Akshayuk Pass across remote tundra.

Bruce Peninsula, Ontario

What sets this peninsula apart is its location on the Niagara Escarpment, where dolostone cliffs plunge into Georgian Bay. Fathom Five National Marine Park shelters 22 historic shipwrecks. The clear, cold waters and ancient forest trails draw thousands to the Grotto, a limestone cave filled with aquamarine light.

Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick

No other coast moves like this one. The tides at Fundy rise and fall up to 52 feet every 12 hours. Erosion has carved the sandstone into towering rock formations called Hopewell Rocks. The surrounding mudflats and salt marshes support rare shorebirds during their trans-Atlantic migrations.

Montmorency Falls, Québec

At 272 feet, these falls are almost 100 feet taller than Niagara. They’re located just 15 minutes from Québec City, and they’re accessible by cable car, suspension bridge, and a staircase that zigzags the cliffside. In winter, mist freezes into a snow-cone-like mound known as the “sugar loaf.”

Jasper National Park, Alberta

Spanning 11,000 square kilometers, Jasper is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its dark-sky preserve status makes it one of the best places in the world for stargazing. Visitors often spot elk, mountain goats, and caribou while hiking glacier-fed valleys or riding the Jasper SkyTram.

Cavendish Beach, Prince Edward Island

Cavendish Beach, alongside PEI’s north shore, is framed by windblown dunes and red sandstone cliffs. It’s located in Prince Edward Island National Park near Green Gables Heritage Place. The warm Gulf of St. Lawrence waters and soft white sand make it ideal for swimming, shell collecting, and coastal walking.

Lake Louise, Alberta

This alpine lake, fed by Victoria Glacier, sits at 1,750 meters and stays frozen more than half the year. Its water contains a rock floor that gives it a distinct turquoise color. Visitors hike to Lake Agnes or paddle across its surface, surrounded by peaks of the Bow Range.

Haida Gwaii, British Columbia

Cultural history and ecological richness converge on these remote islands off Canada’s Pacific coast. The Haida Nation co-manages heritage sites like SG̱ang Gwaay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Species found nowhere else, from Sitka deer to unique subspecies of black bear, thrive here.

Dempster Highway, Yukon

This gravel road runs from Dawson City to the Arctic Ocean. It’s built atop permafrost and totals 740 kilometers while cutting through Tombstone Territorial Park and tundra plains. Caribou, moose, and grizzlies roam the land. The route also crosses the Arctic Circle, a rarity for public highways.

Capilano Suspension Bridge, British Columbia

Constructed in 1889, this bridge now anchors a park showcasing coastal temperate rainforest. It stretches 137 meters across the Capilano River, 70 meters above the canyon floor. Treetop walkways and cantilevered cliff paths offer a gorgeous view of British Columbia’s dense, mossy wilderness.

Western Brook Pond, Newfoundland and Labrador

Inside Gros Morne National Park, this landlocked fjord was formed by glaciers and is now filled with freshwater. It’s accessible only by hiking a 3-kilometer trail, and boat tours take visitors between cliffs that rise over 600 meters. The water is among the purest ever recorded.

Abraham Lake, Alberta

Unlike most on this list, Abraham Lake isn’t natural, it was formed in 1972 by the Bighorn Dam. In winter, organic material decays below the surface while releasing methane. The gas freezes in bubbles beneath the ice and creates eerie, layered formations that photographers and scientists alike find fascinating.

Gaspésie, Québec

Driving through Gaspésie means hugging cliffside roads that dip into secluded coves and past dense boreal forests. Forillon National Park protects the Appalachian Mountains’ easternmost point. Offshore, Percé Rock–a 438-million-year-old monolith–juts from the sea. Bonaventure Island hosts one of the world’s largest gannet colonies.

Banff National Park, Alberta

Banff was Canada’s first national park, established in 1885. It features over 1,000 glaciers, thermal hot springs, and dramatic limestone peaks. The Icefields Parkway connects Banff to Jasper. Grizzly bears, bighorn sheep, and golden eagles inhabit the region.

Churchill, Manitoba

Remote and reachable only by train or plane, Churchill sits along Hudson Bay and is one of the few human settlements where polar bears roam freely. Beluga whales fill the Churchill River estuary each summer. From October through March, the aurora borealis is frequently visible above town.