ENJOY THE TURNING OF THE LEAVES
From coast to coast, we’ve got great places to view Canada’s fortune of foliage
The bad news is summer’s over. The good news is that it’s almost fall colours time in Canada, a time when our vast forests put on displays that attract visitors from around the world. Here are a few spots worth visiting in the coming weeks:
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Vancouver offers a surprising amount of fall colour in places such as Stanley Park and Queen Elizabeth Park, where you’ll find more deciduous trees than you would in the mountains or areas further north. Rent a bike at any number of spots near Stanley Park and take a ride along the seawall for great autumn displays in shades of red and yellow mixed with deep green cedars and other evergreens. The Okanagan Valley serves up wonderful food and wine and some lovely fall foliage displays. Try renting a regular or electric bike with Heatstroke Cycle in Osoyoos, but remember not to drink and pedal.
ALBERTA
The Icefields Parkway is best known for its Rocky Mountain views, glaciers and wildlife. The evergreens obviously don’t change colour, but you’ll find more than enough deciduous larch trees and aspens that shift from green to iridescent yellow and red in the fall. Take a gondola ride in Jasper, Lake Louise or Banff for gorgeous views of the countryside, or try the hike at Sunshine Meadows, where you’ll pass lovely mountain lakes and can work your way back over the border into B.C. Edmonton has surprisingly pretty fall colours, especially if you stroll or ride your bike along the North Saskatchewan River valley. Try a ride along the Cowboy Trail south of Calgary for a gentle, pretty drive along the Rocky Mountain foothills. And be sure to stop in the town of Turner Valley for a great burger at the Chuckwagon Cafe.
QUEBEC
Rent an electric bike in Montreal with Dyad Cycles, then take it for a spin to the top of Mount Royal. You’ll be rewarded with sensational views in one of the world’s great urban parks, plus tremendous views of downtown and south towards the Eastern Townships and the U.S. border. Even better, make the drive from Montreal to Quebec City on the north shore of the St. Lawrence, taking in Trois-Rivieres or dipping north into the Mont Tremblant area, where you’ll find fantastic hiking and changing colours from maple, birch and beech trees.
ONTARIO
Not far north of Toronto, the Muskoka region is a great place to see the colours change, with quiet roads and wide open lakes that make the viewing all that more spectacular. The RMS Segwun and the Wenonah II ships run out of Gravenhurst through Oct. 12 and have special fall colour sightseeing trips. The hills around Huntsville and Dorset are also ideal for fall colours. I’ve never had the pleasure, but folks who’ve tried it say the Agawa Canyon train trip near Sault Ste. Marie is one of the best ways to see the fall colours. The website 400 eleven.com keeps track of fall colours for you. You also can try ontarioparks.com/ fall colour. the valley, as well as pretty rivers and tall church spires popping up between the maple trees. Small cities such as Bridgetown, Annapolis Royal and Wolfville have tons of charm. The parks around Halifax are often ablaze with colour. Or try the drive along the coast near Mahone Bay and lovely Lunenburg . And don’t forget Cape Breton, home to one of the world’s great drives, the Cabot Trail.
ALSO WORTH A TRY
• Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg is one of Canada’s top urban parks.
• Butchart Gardens in Victoria is a world-renowned repository of flowers and beautiful trees.
• Newfoundland and Labrador gets more fall colour than you might expect. Try the Deer Lake and Corner Brook areas.
• Prince Edward Island is gorgeous in fall, with trees that sometimes match the red in Anne of Green Gables’ hair.
• Saskatoon sits on the South Saskatchewan River, and you’ll get great views from the city’s bridges or by walking the riverside trails.