Weird and wonderful Canada
Fall in love with some of the country’s most unusual nature hot spots
Some people say that we love someone or something despite their peculiarities, but I believe it’s the quirks and idiosyncrasies that actually inspire the deepest kind of love. With its immense and beautiful landscapes, Canada is easy to love. And when you look beyond the surface, there are plenty of eccentricities to appreciate. Here are just a few of Canada’s most unusual nature hot spots to help you fall in lasting love with our big, beautiful country.
Ontario’s Cheltenham Badlands
This unique geological area near Caledon was exposed after soil eroded due to poor agricultural practices during the Great Depression. The colourful Cheltenham Badlands landscape unearthed beneath the eroded soil was first formed at the base of an ancient sea more than 400 million years ago, and the beautiful colours are created by iron oxide deposits.
This provincially significant area is managed by the Ontario Heritage Trust along with its managing partners, the Credit Valley Conservation and the Bruce Trail Conservancy. There are two formal trails through the badlands — the Bruce Trail and the Badlands Trail, which are connected. You can view the badlands from an accessible boardwalk, but you can’t walk on the terrain. There is a parking lot near the boardwalk, and visitors are charged a small fee for using it.
Ice Bubble Heaven in Alberta On the east side of Banff and Jasper National Parks in the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies lies Abraham Lake, the largest manmade lake in Alberta. The lake has become Instafamous in recent years for its frozen winter ice bubbles. When the sun shines just right, they look like jewels glistening under the surface. When you put the bubbles in the foreground of a picture and the Rocky Mountains in the background, it makes for an incredible composition. But what’s the science behind the phenomenon?
In winter, pockets of methane gas freeze in layers below the top surface of the ice. The methane gas bubbles are formed as a result of bacteria breaking down organic matter at the bottom of the lake. Bubbles can be found in other Rocky Mountain lakes, but they are typically more visible in Abraham Lake, where strong winds tend to keep the ice surface free of snow. One of the best access points is near the sign for Hoodoo Creek. However, beware of unstable ice in some areas of the lake, where water flows in and out of the Bighorn Dam. Several companies offer ice bubble tours.
Manitoba’s Snake Pits One of the largest snake dens in Canada is located 17.6 kilometres north of Narcisse, Man., at the Narcisse Wildlife Management Area. In cold climates, red-sided garter snakes hibernate in large groups during the winter months. The four Narcisse snake dens are home to more than 50,000 red-sided garter snakes, which can be seen when they exit and enter the dens in the spring and fall.
During the spring mating season, which runs from the end of April through the first few weeks of May, visitors can witness a “mating ball,” in which one female is surrounded by as many as 100 males. There are observation platforms next to the dens and a three-kilometre interpretive trail runs through native grassland and aspen forests.
Saskatchewan’s Mysterious Crooked Bush There’s a great deal of folklore surrounding this one-hectare stand of mutated trembling aspen trees on private land about an hour’s drive northwest of Saskatoon.
A short boardwalk trail leads you through a cluster of unusual aspen trees that twist and turn in horizontal and downward directions, giving the grove an eerie appearance. Scientists believe the trees’ strange features are the result of a genetic mutation, but they are unsure what caused it. Local legends attribute the bizarre formations to everything from a lightning strike to a UFO landing. It is said that cattle will not travel through the trees, and some people experience feelings of vertigo and dizziness inside the grove. The Redberry Lake Migratory Bird Sanctuary and the Popoff Tree (Saskatchewan’s oldest and largest tree) are also nearby.