Tag: Alberta

The 10 Provinces of Canada

On By Dani Francuz RoseLeave a comment

This month we hit another milestone! We have officially been to all 10 provinces of Canada! Of course, we haven’t even come close to visiting all the places we want to see within the 10 provinces (not to mention the territories), but still, it is pretty cool to have been able to see as much as we have! So, for this month’s post, I wanted to write a little bit about our time spent in each province so far and share a few of the things still on our list for whenever we make it back. Enjoy!

Alberta

We first went to Banff just a few months after moving to Canada, and we were absolutely blown away! I have a feeling we’ll be back to the Canadian Rockies a few times before we leave the continent because they are truly spectacular. Calgary was an easy entry point, Canmore and Banff were amazing, but the highlight was definitely the drive up to Jasper National Park on the Canadian Icefields Highway. Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Athabasca Falls, countless glaciers: it was incredible! In fact, for our next trip out that way, we’re actually thinking of doing it again just in reverse: flying into Edmonton, spending time in Jasper, and taking the Icefields Highway back down to Banff – the same gorgeous scenery in the opposite direction, and ideally, in a different season. The biggest challenge will definitely be deciding which season because I have a feeling all four are equally stunning!  

British Columbia

Okay, so technically, British Columbia was the first province Tucker and I ever visited together. In 2008, we went on an Alaskan cruise, which served as my 50th US state expedition and our high school graduation trip, but unfortunately, we were only in Vancouver for a day. Therefore, it is high time for a BC re-do! Luckily, that trip is already in the books for January 2027. We’ll be stomping around the city for about a week, snowboarding for a day or two, and hopefully hoping over to the island as well. Of course, Whistler is also an option or the Sea-to-Sky Highway or more of the Rockies… Clearly, I’m still workshopping this trip, but whatever we don’t get done this time will just be on the list for a subsequent trip! Like the majority of Canadian provinces, BC is huge, and it really requires multiple trips to see and do all the things we’d like!

Manitoba

The very last province we made it out to was Manitoba, right in the center of the country. Here, we spent the majority of our time in Winnipeg, aka The Peg. Somehow, I feel like Winnipeg gets a bit of a bad rap, but we found the city to be super fun! It’s all very spread out, but it has a plethora of beautiful parks, lots of unique activities, and a solid amount of local color. I absolutely loved Assiniboine Park; Tucker loved all the breweries, and on our mini road trip day, we had a great time checking off a ton of fun roadside attractions en route to/from Riding Mountain National Park. Of course, I’m still eager to get back out to Winnipeg in winter, so we can see if “Winterpeg” really lives up to its name! Maybe we’ll combine that with a trip up to Churchill, the Polar Bear Capital of the World, which is on Hudson Bay on the northside of Manitoba. If you know us, you know that’s exactly the sort of thing we’d do…

New Brunswick

I sometimes feel a bit bad for New Brunswick. It seems like the most underrated/left-out province of them all, but it’s honestly so nice! The Bay of Fundy was probably our favorite sight since it’s so unique, but really, there is a lot we love about visiting NB (I think after Québec and Ontario, both of which we’ve called home, NB is our most-visited province). New Brunswick is right in the middle of Québec, Nova Scotia, and Maine, and I think it has a lovely mix of all the things you associate with those three slightly more famous destinations: French, forests, coastlines, etc. Of course, the Bay of Fundy is the true draw of NB. This bay actually has the highest tidal range in the world at over 50 feet, so here, you can literally watch the tide change right in front of your eyes. You can also walk on what is essentially the ocean floor if you time your visit correctly. Anyway, I actually wrote a whole post about the Maritimes, so if they’re on your to-visit list, definitely check it out!

Newfoundland and Labrador

The Far East, okay, not as far east as China, but as far east as you can get in Canada! In fact, the time zone in NL is 30 minutes ahead of East Coast time, which was just the first of many interesting facts we learned out there. Our trip centered around Newfoundland, which is an island affectionately known as “The Rock”, and I’d say that’s a fair assessment. NL is incredibly rugged. It’s also a bit isolated, which explains why it feels vastly different from the rest of the provinces. We spent a lot of our time in Newfoundland hiking because the coastline is dotted with lighthouses, lookout points, and depending on the season, either icebergs or rare birds. Despite some challenging weather, we had an absolutely amazing time schlepping around the island, and of course, the hospitality of the locals is second to none in all of Canada, so we also spent a good amount of our time chatting and drinking with locals who were just as curious about us as we were about Newfoundland. All in all, definitely a trip I’d love to do again, perhaps this time making up to Labrador as well!  

Nova Scotia

Another heavy-hitter in Canadian tourism, Nova Scotia has a lot to see. Halifax, of course, but the infamous Cabot Trail and Peggy’s Cove are here as well. Plus, the lobster rolls, Halifax donair, Moon Mist ice cream…it sort of seems like food was a driving force during our time spent in Nova Scotia, and on that front, we were never disappointed (well, unless you count that time a seagull stole a $30 lobster roll right out of Tucker’s hand lol). Seagulls notwithstanding, Nova Scotia is absolutely beautiful and really accessible. When compared to some of the other provinces, driving across NS seems downright quick! And like Newfoundland, the locals are incredibly welcoming and really seem to enjoy sharing their favorite local hangouts. At one point, we were even considering moving to Halifax, so you never know, we might soon be exploring even more of Canada’s Ocean Playground!

Ontario

Where do I even begin with Ontario? We called this province home for 2 years, so obviously Ottawa is my favorite city in Ontario. But we also took trips to Niagara Falls, Toronto, Kingston, and about a dozen smaller towns in southeastern Ontario. Our first Canada Days were celebrated here. Ontario was where we were introduced to Beavertails, butter tarts, ketchup chips, and Coffee Crisps. This is also where we learned to love the extreme seasons of Canada, specifically of Central Canada. And even though we’ve already made trips back to Ontario after having moved to another province, there are many more we still want to make. Top of the list would probably be Thunder Bay. Lake Superior is the only Great Lake I have yet to see in person, and Thunder Bay looks like a stunning place to do just that. The problem with Ontario is that it’s absolutely massive. If I wanted to drive from Ottawa to Thunder Bay (both of which are in southern Ontario), it would take 16 hours. Maybe we’ll just fly.

Prince Edward Island

PEI might be the tiniest province of Canada, but it definitely packs a punch! I associate the island with Anne of Green Gables, but there’s a lot more to see than the rolling green hills and red dirt paths described in the novels. Prince Edward Island has a little bit of everything: farmland, gorgeous coasts, vineyards, the longest bridge in Canada! One of the best things about it is how much you can see there in a short amount of time. It only takes 3 hours to drive from one side to the other. While we were there, we saw the most beautiful sunset on the west coast of the island, and ever since then, I’ve had the idea to go back and watch a sunrise on the east coast in the morning, spend the day crisscrossing the island, exploring all the amazing restaurants, shops, coastal drives, etc. ending up on the west coast for another spectacular sunset. Of course, these days, I’ve been talking with a lot of people who have cruised to the island, which also seems like it would be a lovely way to see PEI. We’ll just have to see!

Saskatchewan

We finally made it out to Saskatchewan on one of our most recent trips, and I’m so glad we went full-on prairies! I knew I wanted to see the prairies in all their glory, so not only did we spend several days in Saskatoon walking the Meewasin Valley Trail, we also rented a car and drove for hours around the vast nothing between Saskatoon and Regina. And if that wasn’t enough, we also took a 14-hour train ride right through the prairies so I could be absolutely sure we saw the true extent of the province’s vast supplies of wheat, canola, and potash from every possible angle. I’m not sure what we expected before spending time in Saskatoon, but we left feeling like this was another underrated city that is well-worth a visit. It’s called the Paris of the Prairies, and I’d say for good reason. The Saskatchewan River is extremely picturesque, and the city wraps around it beautifully with a collection of lovely bridges. Calgary and Winnipeg on either side have vastly different vibes; Saskatoon feels to me a bit more like Québec: a little calmer, a little more relaxed, and really just a great place to vacation. I can easily see us going back to Saskatchewan. I mean, we didn’t even make it all the way down to the City that Rhymes with Fun (aka Regina)!

Quebec

Another one that’s hard to sum up into one short paragraph! Quebec is our home, and even before moving here, we had visited several times. There’s no denying Montreal is effortlessly cool, but clearly, I’m Team Québec City all the way! As much as it’s cliché to say, there really is a certain je ne sais quoi about Quebec. The province has glittering lakes, winding rivers, forested mountains, colorful leaves, snowy winters, and everything else you could ever want from nature. Quebec is culturally rich as well; it’s indigenous, French, English, and Canadian all at the same time! During our time here, of course, we’ve seen a lot of what Montreal and Québec have to offer, but also Charlevoix, Saguenay, Rivière-du-Loup, Mont Tremblant, and more. Our next big trip within Quebec will probably be out to Gaspé, another one of the most beautiful landscapes in all of Canada. And in case you were wondering, I do in fact pinch myself often just to make sure this really is my life and not just a dream!

So, here’s to the 10 incredibly beautiful provinces of Canada! I sincerely hope you also get the chance to visit them all one day because from coast to coast to coast, Canada really is something special!

Beautiful Banff

On By Dani Francuz Rose1 Comment

Last month, Tucker and I continued our Canadian explorations with a trip to Banff, Alberta. Of course, Banff had been on our list long before we knew we’d be living in Canada, and we can now say with absolute certainty that it should be on everyone’s bucket list! We were truly blown away with the seemingly infinite number of stunning views, trails, waterfalls, glaciers, and all sorts of other incredible landscapes. In fact, I had trouble narrowing down our plans to fit neatly into a one-week trip (many people spend weeks or months trekking around Banff and Jasper National Parks, and I now know why). But since most of us can’t do that, I thought I’d share our experience, which could be useful to others in planning their own epic trip to Banff!

Calgary, Alberta

But before we get to the city of Banff, we have to get to the province of Alberta. The vast majority of visitors fly into Calgary, which is the nearest major city. This is what we did although we also considered flying into Edmonton and driving down through Jasper as an alternative. Ultimately, Calgary won out because it was closer and the flights were cheaper. I’m happy this was our choice though because it meant we got to spend several days in Calgary, which turned out to be a really fun city: two beautiful rivers running through it with gorgeous parks throughout, a very lively and impressive brewery scene, and several bar and restaurant streets where we were able to try the famous Albertan ginger beef. Seriously, don’t let the airport be the only thing you see in Calgary!

Of course, our main reason for being in Alberta wasn’t the cities, it was the beautiful Rocky Mountains, so how to get out there? Well, they’re really only about an hour drive from downtown Calgary, and you have several options. There are buses and shared cars aplenty, but we, like most people, ended up renting a car. The price was as expected: reasonable if you return it to the same place, outrageous if you don’t. In hindsight, having your own car is absolutely paramount if you want to see anything outside the teeming tourist bubble. One of the best parts about driving ourselves around Alberta was that we could (and did) stop at every possible turnoff for views, trails, signs, etc. not to mention the total freedom we had when driving the Icefields Pkwy. But if you’re sticking close to Banff (as in Banff City and the lakes) you really wouldn’t need a car at all if you didn’t want one.

Canmore & Banff

Once you’re successfully into the mountains, you have another choice to make: where to stay. If you’re camping, the options are limitless, but if you’re afraid of bears and/or you’re not a millionaire, you basically have two choices: Banff City or Canmore. Canmore is a little further from the main attractions and isn’t quite as touristy; therefore, it’s slightly cheaper, but there’s much less to do, which means you’ll likely be driving (and having to find parking) more often, or so we heard from fellow hikers. We stopped in Canmore both on the way out of and back into Calgary, and we really enjoyed it. It’s basically a baby Banff, and I think it’s a solid option, especially if you prefer a more low-key home-base.

We ended up staying in Banff though since this was our first time, and we had no idea what to expect. Since we went at the end of September (right before a lot of attractions and roads are to be closed for the season), there was a plethora of visitors. Options for accommodations were somewhat limited either by availability or by price. Fair warning – Banff is beautiful, but it is not cheap. We chose to stay in a private room at a hostel about 1.5 miles (2kms) from the city center. It was an easy walk, but there is also an amazingly quick and efficient public bus that runs through town and out to many of the resorts as well. Several hotels/hostels give free passes for the duration of your stay, but you can also buy a day pass for $5CAD.  

The city of Banff has much more to do than we originally thought. On our first evening, we climbed the nearby Tunnel Mountain, and there were countless other trails into the surrounding mountains and valleys. Evidently, there’s also a famous golf course there – who knew? And the town itself is well-worth a wander. Little shops selling everything from mountain gear to homemade fudge, lots of cozy cafés, and restaurants that run the gamut: we saw a McDonald’s right down the street from an extremely lavish steakhouse. We ended most of our days in Banff eating and drinking after spending the day outside hiking, and the choices were surprisingly diverse for such a small town.

Lake Louise & Moraine Lake

Likely two of the most famous views in all of Canada (maybe even North America) are those of Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. No matter how you feel about large-scale tourism or throngs of tourists, you can’t come all the way to Banff and NOT see these two icons. Somewhat recently, Parks Canada decided to close off the roads to the lakes for all private vehicles. The only way to visit them now is to take a shuttle (or a tour) from a parking lot/ski lodge just outside the park. This was very confusing to us when reading about it online, probably because it’s new, but it was actually really easy to do. You reserve a time slot and a direction (either LL->ML or ML->LL) and then present your digital “ticket” to the bus driver. The buses leave every 20 minutes, and as long as you get on within your window, you’re fine.

Lake Louise is huge. There are trails on either side of the lake and up the mountains on both sides with bird’s-eye views. You can also rent canoes and take to the water if you want ($145 for 30 minutes – yikes!) My advice for Lake Louise is to play it by ear depending on the time you’re there, what the weather is like, how many people you see going in either direction, etc. We were there in the afternoon, and it was quite crowded, so we took the path less traveled up to the Fairview Lookout on the lefthand side and found it absolutely perfect. There are signs everywhere showing the lengths and difficulty levels of all the trails, so you can pretty easily decide once you’re there. Just remember to bring water and snacks because there’s not a lot of options once you’re on the tourist circuit.  

Moraine Lake is not as big, and because of how it sits, you’re sort of on top of everyone else trying to see/take pictures of the lake. There are several trails here too, but most of them take you away from the lake. We did the 4-mile (6-km) trail to the Consolation Lakes and felt that they lived up to their name lol. In hindsight, I’d have rather brought a picnic and found a nice place to sit and eat while looking over one of the lakes. All the hikes were lovely, of course, but the views of the lakes were better. Also, we did see signs about hiking/traveling in larger groups because of bears, which we didn’t take very seriously then. After recent events, we plan to be more aware and prepared next time, and I would urge anyone else to do the same.

Icefields Pkwy & Jasper National Park

Our last great adventure in the Canadian Rockies was a drive from Banff City up to Athabasca Falls in Jasper National Park and back. This stretch of road is known as the Icefields Parkway because there are over 100 glaciers along this path, which gave us some of the most incredible views we’ve ever seen from a car. It’s only about 3 hours up to Athabasca Falls, but it took us over 4 because of all the stops we made along the way: the Columbia Icefield, Sunwapta Falls, Mistaya Canyon, Peyto Lake, and dozens of other incredible stop-offs. This drive was easily my favorite part of the trip, especially in the fall. We didn’t see very many people along the way, but there were endless signs teaching us all about the region, the various landforms, flora, fauna, you name it. It was very much like a DIY field trip, which, of course, I loved!

Ugh! After writing this and reliving all these incredible moments, I’m ready to plan a trip back to Alberta. Somehow, I feel like this might be a Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) situation, in which you haven’t really seen it until you’ve seen it in all four seasons. I do hope I’ve inspired you to put your plans to visit Banff into action not only because it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world, but also because some of these places won’t always be there for us to see in the future. Time really is of the essence, so bon voyage!