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Sila Falls

There are two sets of falls on this river accessible from Sila Lodge in Ukkusiksalik National Park. The first is about a half hour walk from the lodge. Walk further for a couple hours and see a more dramatic waterfall cutting through the bedrock.

Sallikuluk

Rose Island, (Sallikuluk in Inuktitut) has been used by generations of Inuit who have lived, hunted, gathered, and used the island as a meeting place. Part of Torngat Mountains National Park, this small island located in Saglek Bay, is also a resting place for Inuit as there are over 600 traditional Inuit rock graves. When you step onto the island you know you have arrived at a truly special place.

Hike along the Hudson Bay

Vibrant wildflowers in bloom, 18th-century graffiti etched in stone, and beluga whales swimming off in the distance – the hike from Sloop Cove to Prince of Wales Fort National Historic Site is a breathtaking site to see and experience.

Cape Churchill

An amazing place on the northern tip of Wapusk National Park. In spring and early summer it may offer sights of the Cape Churchill Caribou herd, while later in the year it is a hub of Polar Bear activity like no other – the only place where I have seen over 10 polar bears at once as they wait for the Hudson Bay to freeze-up and their chance to return onto the sea ice.

Frieze Art

Blink and you could miss this tiny section of faded wallpaper in the sunroom Commissioner’s Residence in Dawson City at the Klondike National Historic Sites. It’s what remains of a frieze hand-painted by former Canadian politician and influential Yukoner, Martha Black. I love the way this small, delicate, personal touch contrasts with the stately furnishings in the home.

The Galley

I love the Galley on the S.S. Klondike National Historic Site, but I wouldn’t have wanted to work there. Cooks fed up to 100 passengers and crew using the enormous coal-burning stove that dominates the stern-wheeler’s tiny kitchen. It must have been sweltering! Look closely and you’ll find the menu offered to passengers in the 1930s.

Robert Service’s cabin

When you get to go stand inside Robert Service’s cabin, it is just the cutest, most quintessential, colourful log cabin you can imagine for a writer! Then, to join a guide on a hike up the hill behind the cabin is incredible. You hit a breathtaking lookout at Crocus Bluff – and you completely understand Service’s most famous poem, “Spell of the Yukon”, because it’s giving you shivers. It is just a magical experience at the Klondike National Historic Sites.

Kluane Icefields

When I first visited Kluane National Park in 1994, I couldn’t imagine the immensity of the Icefields since they are not visible from the Alaska Highway. Now I know... I’ve been up there for two camping trips at the Discovery Base Camp. Spectacular!

Unique Hot Springs

Whenever I go to Grizzly Bear Hot Springs in Nááts’ihch’oh National Park Reserve, there is one place that I try to catch a few minutes to just sit. It’s a big, flat rock at the source of Shúhzhié káili (The Creek Is Flowing Out of the Mountain). Watching the creek flow straight out of the rock and listening to its bubbling notes, I like to think it’s the music the Elders say the mountains are keeping.

Inspiration Point

The mountains soaring above you at Inspiration Point in Ivvavik National Park and the wide valley below you are spectacular. Learning to view this landscape through the caring and connected eyes of our local Inuvialuit guides is absolutely heartwarming.

Summit Lake View

Whether you ski the Akshayuk Pass in the glittering ice and snow of spring, or hike through the rainbow of wildflowers in summer or the crimson and gold tundra of fall, it’s hard to beat a Summit Lake view in Auyuittuq National Park.

Cape Merry Battery

Cape Merry holds a special place in the hearts of locals and visitors to Churchill, Manitoba. The site has it all: human history, geology, wildflowers that will take your breath away, and a view of Hudson Bay and Prince of Wales Fort that is unsurpassed.

Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway

I love driving the new Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway! It’s a beautiful tundra experience that ends at the Arctic Ocean and the Pingo Canadian Landmark just outside of Tuktoyaktuk. What an experience, to have a campfire by the Arctic Ocean and paddle to be one of the few to experience the view of these towering ice-covered hills.

Shepherd’s Knoll

Leave the beaten path behind and follow an established sheep trail for a short hike up to Shepherd’s Knoll for one of the best views in Kluane National Park and Reserve. Along the way look for evidence left behind from Dall Sheep that often visit the area. Climb to the highest point and enjoy a spectacular view of the Ä’äy Chù Valley.

Chilkoot Trail

The thing about the Chilkoot Trail that stands out for me is the suddenness of the transitions in the landscape as you move along the trail. Crossing Chilkoot Pass you feel yourself moving from the coast to the interior. Then again. Descending the final hill heading into Lindeman Lake, you experience a peculiar sense of “Arrival” as you leave the harshness of the high country behind and relax into the peaceful ambience of the dry interior forest.

Sweetgrass Station

A lively little place in its day, Sweetgrass Station in Wood Buffalo National Park used to be a bison management centre. There are still several buildings standing, including a warehouse, the Warden’s house and an extensive corral system. It truly is an amazing place.
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