IMAGE: AWL IMAGES


The Big Trip Canada by road


WHETHER ALONG POLAR HIGHWAYS, COASTAL ROADS OR THROUGH THE RAINFOREST, TAKING A ROAD TRIP IN CANADA IS TO ENCOUNTER SOME OF THE WORLD’S MOST SPECTACULAR NATURAL SIGHTS


Canada is one of the rare places on Earth where wide, well-maintained roads carve their way through remote, uncompromised wilderness. Behind the wheel of a car, you can skirt the icy feet of glaciers, wind through forests populated by foraging megafauna, climb Rocky Mountain slopes and explore storm-sculpted coastlines, where ocean waves are plied by migrating cetaceans. Adventurous travellers can even explore the all-season Dempster Highway, which runs from boreal wilderness north through the Arctic Circle and on to the stark polar coastline. It’s for this reason that road trips are not to be


rushed in Canada, a country that’s home to the second-longest national highway in the world. Scenic A-to-B drives are a thrill in themselves, but the joy of making it this far into the wilds is allowing plenty of time to get out and explore. After all, across provinces and territories like British Columbia and the Yukon, there are near- endless opportunities for mountain hiking, wild swimming in remote lakes, white-water paddling in a dugout canoe or back-country cycling under endless skies. In Nova Scotia, meanwhile, lighthouses lead drivers to coastal villages, where roadside inns serve seafood


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chowders to ancient recipes and words are still spoken in French Acadian and Scottish dialects. To get where your car or feet won’t reach,


fly-and-drive opportunities abound. In British Columbia, seaplanes fly low above Pacific temperate rainforests and rugged coastlines, gently setting down on lakes for a spot of bear- watching. Over in the Yukon, small excursion planes access stellar sights like Kluane National Park, which has the world’s largest non-polar ice fields. Motorhomes and RVs are another popular


travel choice, allowing your accommodation to come right along with you where it may otherwise be scant — and the country’s regions and territories have plenty of campgrounds that supply vehicles with power and water. There’s a lot to be said for camping in Canada, be it with a motorhome, the pre-set tents and cabins often available for rent in national parks, or a simple sleeping bag, as long as you follow local guidelines about wildlife and safety. You can expect evenings entirely devoid of light pollution, lit with a dazzling canopy of stars and — season and northerly latitude depending — a never-setting sun or heavenly displays from the Northern Lights. SARAH BARRELL


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