For many Canadians, summer has always been about enjoying scenic spots close to home or experiencing new adventures in other provinces.
But this year, given the high cost of fuel, a continuing boycott of U.S. travel and instability in many parts of the world, even more people are planning to vacation right here, thank you very much.
We asked Globe readers for their favourite places in Canada to relax, have fun and soak up the sun. Many wrote in with recommendations for where to enjoy the great outdoors with hiking, paddling or lounging on the beach. Others described small-town eateries and attractions worth checking out.
If you’re trying to decide where to kick back and unwind this summer, these ideas could be just the inspiration you need.
–Idella Sturino and Jacob Dubé
We love the Northwest Territories in summer – specifically a gorgeous lake 20 minutes out of Yellowknife called Prosperous Lake. We have a cabin perched at the edge of the lake and it is heaven! Also, gardening in the north is wonderful thanks to the nearly 24-hour sunshine in June and July.
–Jackie Hall, Penticton, B.C.
Sechelt Inlet is a beautiful deep sound just past the Skookumchuck Narrows on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast. It touches the coastal town of Sechelt and looks up to a multitude of hiking and biking trails. In only a few minutes of paddling, you are among the seals and vacant beaches where eagles and cormorants soar. Porpoises swim beside provincial parks while leisure crafts head to Salmon and Narrows Inlets for even more remote beaches. Drop a line or a trap for dinner, while taking in the surrounding mountain peaks. All only less than two hours from Vancouver.
–Caroline Lamont, Sechelt Inlet, B.C.
Our family has been going to the same ranch, Watch Lake Lodge, for the past 58 years. It’s located in the Cariboo region of B.C. When my parents first started taking us, there was no electricity in the cabins, hence we had an ice box and flashlights. Obviously, back then, no computers or smartphones so we had to play games, have campfires, tell ghost stories … you get it!
Now that our kids have grown and the third generation goes there, we still play the same games, have campfires and enjoy swimming, horseback riding and delicious meals together. There is electricity but no running water (except cabin #11). Our families have grown and our adult children look forward to going there every July. I almost didn’t want to write about this hidden gem, in case everyone wants to go there, but I just had to share it.
–Martha McKenzie, B.C.
Osoyoos Lake is the warmest lake in Canada. There are lots of beaches, and with Penticton close by there’s lots of fresh produce and wines from local farmers, as well as great restaurants and small-town businesses and shops.
–Josie Tyabji, Penticton, B.C.
At home in Kitsilano, Vancouver. Near the beach. Good farmers’ markets. Great places to cycle, kayak and swim. If not, then on Vancouver Island. Most likely on the southwest coast, around Point No Point Resort (love the name). Or on a sailboat somewhere in the Salish Sea. Maybe anchored in the Thormanby Islands for a swim.
–Steven Forth, Vancouver
A well-kept secret, Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park on the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan quietly offers the quintessential summer playground without the expense of better-known areas. The Resort at Cypress Hills, where we stayed on the Saskatchewan side, is perched on the shores of a picturesque little lake offering a tranquil place to slip in a kayak or paddleboard. Cypress Hills has the highest elevation between the Rockies and Labrador, providing for great hiking and amazing views. If hiking is not your flavour, the golf course is a nice country course where you can see deer and moose at home with golfers. The park offers a zipline tour and bike rentals as well. The nearby town of Maple Creek is worth a visit, with one of the best old-school toy stores I have been to in Canada. On the Alberta side, there’s the city of Medicine Hat. It’s worth the day trip to visit the Clay District, a National Historic Site that’s home to a fascinating history of pottery and stoneware production in Canada. Everyone thinks of the Prairies as vast, flat and empty. Well, for anyone who visits, Cypress Hills challenges all those assumptions.
–Tara Weiss, Calgary
Riding Mountain National Park is very accessible and relaxing. Super for cottagers, with a full range of Prairie-centric activities and friendliness. Not expensive compared to other overrun parks. Historically interesting, too.
–Doug Paterson, Brandon, Man.
Lac Seul in Northwestern Ontario, either on a houseboat or in a kayak. It is a beautiful multibay lake in the shield country. I like the solitude and shutting the world’s problems off, bobbing on the water or tucked up in a bay watching the loons diving, and after a day of paddling sitting on a sand beach by a campfire, watching the sky turn shades of red, pink and purple. And paddling along just a few feet off the shoreline, exploring, looking at the many different kinds of moss, or coming around a corner and seeing otters slide into the water.
–Jennifer Hancharuk, Sioux Lookout, Ont.
The North Shore of Lake Superior from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., to Thunder Bay, including stops at Pancake Bay Provincial Park, Lake Superior Provincial Park, Neys Provincial Park, Rainbow Falls Provincial Park, Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park and Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. Climb to the top of the Sleeping Giant’s head; visit Silver Islet (and find out about its silver mine); hike to the gorge at Ouimet Canyon, a marvel of geological history; hike to the Pic Island Overlook at Neys and see the vantage point for several Group of Seven masterpieces; hike the Nokomis Trail, see the pictographs at Agawa Rock, visit Gargantua Falls and walk the Agawa Bay beach at Lake Superior park; watch the sunset on the beach and hike to the Edmund Fitzgerald Lookout at Pancake Bay. The North Shore of Lake Superior is one of our hidden gems!
–Lee Paterson and Dennis Schilling, Port Perry, Ont.
Algoma Country in Northeastern Ontario. I grew up in Sault Ste. Marie and go up every summer for two weeks to enjoy the incredible nature and outdoor activities in the area. In particular, I love the north shore of Lake Superior and its scenic views and pristine beaches. The cold water is therapeutic!
–Chris Bitonti, Toronto
We love spending our summers at Sauble Beach, Ont. This beach on Lake Huron is 11 kilometres long and gorgeous. The lake water is shallow for quite a bit, which is great for families with young children. The sunsets can be very spectacular. I really think that it’s the best freshwater beach in the world!
–Jarema Mykitschak, Guelph, Ont.
My favourite summer activity is mountain biking or hiking in Durham Regional Forest, or one of the other conservation areas around the Whitby, Oshawa and Bowmanville areas.
–Norm Fenton, Bowmanville, Ont.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, our family has developed a new love for vacationing in Canada, and more specifically, Quebec. Since 2020, we have travelled to various regions of Quebec and have fallen in love with the culture, food, environment and people, from Gatineau to Tadoussac, Quebec City and its playground to the north, and Montreal and its surroundings. In the past, we alternated between spending the summer either visiting Europe or vacationing on the U.S. East Coast – both beautiful and exciting in their own right. But with a changing political environment in the U.S. and sweltering, overrun destinations in Europe, we have decided this year to spend our two-week vacation exploring more of Quebec, culminating with a seven-day road trip around the Gaspésie. We have discovered how special Quebec is and will always return to la belle province.
–David West, Toronto
Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland and Labrador. It is one of the most spectacular views you will ever get and the hiking and sandy beaches and swimming are amazing.
And don’t forget the food. The King Lobster food truck serves the best lobster rolls ever.
–Karl Sorensen, N.L.
This summer will include a fantastic trip to Newfoundland. Salmon fishing on the Exploits and Gander Rivers, theatre in beautiful Trinity, a spa day at the Monastery in St. John’s and spectacular food at Portage and Terre, again in St. John’s – who could ask for more?
–Judy Hamilton, Toronto
Submissions have been edited and condensed.
