Backcountry hiking and camping
Experience Canada’s gorgeous backcountry with these backpacking hikes and multi-day trails. Bask in tranquility, with nothing but the bag on your back and the sun above your head.
Atlantic Canada
Torngat Mountains National ParkNewfoundland and Labrador
Experience Inuit culture with a local guide at the Torngat Mountains Base Camp and Research Station. Head out with a local guide and follow in ancient footsteps on traditional travel routes surrounded by some of the oldest rocks on Earth. Make it a multi-day backcountry adventure in a world of jagged peaks, glacier-carved fjords and iceberg-dotted waters.
Gros Morne National Park Newfoundland and Labrador
Push your limits on the Long Range Traverse, over 35 km of some of the most challenging terrain in eastern Canada. Channel your wilderness navigation skills as you head into the backcountry for this 3 to 4 day hike. Bask in stunning views of waterfalls, fjords, mountains and lakes!
Terra Nova National Park Newfoundland and Labrador
Set out on a multi-day hiking adventure along the 35 km Outport Trail. Take in panoramic ocean views, cross sandy trails bright with caribou moss and climb to the summit of Mount Stamford. Continue to the abandoned settlement of Minchins Cove, where you'll spend the night in your tent.
Fundy National Park New Brunswick
See a bit of everything on the Fundy Circuit which links seven different hiking trails over 48 km throughout Fundy National Park. This three-to-five-day backcountry camping adventure takes you through river valleys and sun-dappled forest, past tranquil lakes, and across rivers.
Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site Nova Scotia
Take your time and plan a five-day, four-night exploration of the Liberty Lake Trail! Explore the 60 km hiking route which winds around the park from Big Dam Lake to the Lower Mersey River Bridge taking in boggy streams, soaring ancient hemlocks, flower-sprigged meadows and alder thickets. Look out for traces of coyote and black bears along the way.
Quebec and Ontario
Forillon National Park Quebec
Journey into the backcountry of Quebec’s first national park on Les Crêtes trail, a 35.4 km round-trip with a soaring elevation of 405 m. Enjoy panoramic views over L'Anse-au-Griffon valley, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Gaspé Bay. Spend the night camping at a backcountry site or go tent-free and make a reservation for a Lean-to shelter, a three-walled cabin which accommodates up to four people.
Pukaskwa National Park Ontario
Climb the steep shoreline of Lake Superior, roam beaches and boreal forest, and cross a 30 m gorge on the White River Suspension Bridge while hiking the rugged but rewarding Coastal Trail. This multi-night 60 km hike is an adventurer’s dream. If you prefer a shorter trip, make sure to go to the shore trail in Anishinaabemowin, which delivers the magic of Pukaskwa in a fraction of the time! Check out Mdaabii Miikna for a memorable backcountry weekend getaway.
Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area Ontario
Marvel in the beauty of Lake Superior as you journey along the Casque Isles Trail. See marshes, beaches, old gold mines and fossil deposits along this challenging 53 km trip, which takes three-to-five days to complete.
The Canadian Prairies
Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan
Thousands of years ago dinosaurs roamed these lands, and now you can too on the Valley of 1,000 Devils’ Backpacking Adventure! Grasslands National Park is teeming with wildlife, including the once-almost extinct plains bison. This peaceful park is one of the last remaining places to see a mixed-grass prairie ecosystem in North America.
Prince Albert National Park Saskatchewan
Follow the trail along the eastern shore of the Kingsmere Lake to Grey Owl’s cabin and discover the complicated legacy of Grey Owl… and Archibald Belaney. Choose from 14 of our designated backcountry sites to make camp and sleep under the stars to dream of Jelly Roll, the pet beaver.
Riding Mountain National Park Manitoba
Hike the Manitoba escarpment and enjoy the beauty of the deciduous forest with views over the plains below. Take one of the loop trails along the North escarpment and take your pick of our two sites to make camp for an overnight adventure. Great year-round, but the brightly coloured foliage, twinkling night sky and bugling elk in the distance make this hike spectacular in fall.
Western Canada
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve British Columbia
Once a life-saving route for shipwreck survivors, the West Coast Trail is now a 75 km backpacking trail just waiting for you to come explore. Learn more about the traditional stories and living culture of the local Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations who have stood guardian to these lands for countless generations. Hiking this extremely demanding trail is guaranteed to leave you with aches, which will fade, and memories that will last a lifetime!
Yoho National Park British Columbia
Challenge yourself on the Iceline Trail, a 20.8 km hike. Climb 710 m to a high bench with superb glacier views before winding your way down to meadows in the Little Yoho Valley, returning past the spray of Laughing Falls. You’ll have earned your night’s rest in one of our five backcountry campgrounds—don’t forget to make a reservation!
Mount Revelstoke National Park British Columbia
Blooming alpine meadows, snow-dusted mountain tops and shimmering lake views – what else could you want from a hike? The trails at Miller, Eva, and Jade lakes have all of that and more! Backcountry campsites are available at Eva Lake and Upper Jade Lake so you can spend the night swapping post-hike stories under the stars.
Jasper National Park Alberta
Fall in love with the rugged wilderness of the largest Rocky Mountains park on a two-to-three-day backcountry hike through the rolling subalpine meadows of the Tonquin Valley. With new campground and trail upgrades, the Tonquin Valley is one of Canada’s premiere alpine regions. A unique combination of the barren peaks and ghostly ice of the Ramparts mountain range, and fertile Amethyst Lake are a feast for any hiker’s senses.
Banff National Park Alberta
Escape the crowds on a multi-day trip in the Sunshine, Egypt Lake and Vista Lake areas. Explore a series of breathtaking trails along the alpine lakes of Simpson Pass, Healy Pass and Egypt Lake. Enjoy the wilderness in your tent under the stars, or enjoy a one-night stay at the rustic Egypt Lake trial shelter.
Northern Canada
Kluane National Park and Reserve Yukon
Have you ever seen a glacier up close? The Ä’äy Chù (Slim's River) West takes you on a two-to-four-day expedition through the heart of Kluane. With breathtaking mountain and glacier views, the trail ends at 22.5 km. For those who wish to explore further can opt for a demanding trek up Observation Mountain. Although difficult, the reward of viewing the spectacular Kaskawulsh Glacier makes it all worthwhile.
Ivvavik National Park Yukon
Go where only 100 people visit each year! Ivvavik National Park has infinite hiking opportunities along its rolling mountains dotted with roaming caribou. Fly into basecamp for a guided backcountry trip with Parks Canada interpreters and Inuvialuit cultural hosts or head out on your own self-guided adventure.
Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site Yukon
Follow this fabled trail along the centuries old path first crossed by the Carcross/Tagish and Taku River Tlingit First Nations traders and later stormed by the Klondike Gold Rush stampeders in 1897. Artifacts found along the trail help you imagine what their journey along this 53km stretch would have been like. This trail is for experienced backpackers, reservations are required.
Auyuittuq National Park Nunavut
Lace up your boots and follow the Akshayuk Pass through skyscraping mountains and across glacier-fed streams. On this traditional Inuit travel route you’ll be treated to jaw-dropping views of Nunavut’s most accessible park as well as access to the highest summits on the Canadian Shield.
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