As the second-largest country in the world by area, Canada’s geography is incredibly diverse, with wild landscapes and plenty of striking flora and fauna. From the Rocky Mountains to dramatic coastal inlets, these are some of the most remarkable natural wonders from across the country.

Located in MacMillan Provincial Park on Vancouver Island, Cathedral Grove is the place to go if you want to see massive Douglas fir trees, many of them up to 800 years old. These majestic tree trunks are as large as 30 feet (9m) in circumference and up to 246 feet (75m) providing a shaded canopy to stroll under as you navigate a network of carefully maintained trails. Along the way you’ll also see bark-stripped “culturally modified” trees, used by indigenous peoples for ceremonial purposes.

This oddity can be found in the heart of British Columbia wine country, near the town of Osoyoos. Aptly named, Spotted Lake is a small lake that develops naturally occurring polka dots during the heat of the summer as the lake water evaporates and a high concentration of minerals cause large green, blue and yellow spots to appear on the surface. The lake is on private property, but it is only steps from the highway and can easily be appreciated from the side of the road.

This protected rainforest on the coast of BC is as large as the entirety of Ireland. Full of islands, fjords and untouched rainforest as far as the eye can see, the Great Bear Rainforest is spectacular enough on its own, but most visitors go there specifically to spot wildlife. The area is the only place in the world where you’ll find rare Kermode or “spirit” bears, a white version of the more common black bear. It's also home to coastal wolves and other unique species.

Known as one of Canada’s most rewarding hikes, this 47-mile (75km) trail takes visitors along the coast of Vancouver Island, through Pacific Rim National Park. It's challenging terrain: hikers need to register in advance and should be at a high level of fitness. But those who tackle it experience the raw beauty of Canada’s westernmost coast, taking in natural beaches, waterfalls and ancient forests during the near week-long route.

Lake Louise is the most famous of Banff National Park’s turquoise lakes. You could spend days exploring other equally beautiful spots here, including Moraine Lake and Peyto Lake, but Lake Louise is the easiest to get to and offers spectacular photos ops. The lakes get their distinctive blue colour from reflective glacial silt that makes its way into the water. The ice-cold glacial water also makes them too cold for swimming, even in summer.

It’s rare for people to be able to walk onto an ancient glacier, which is why the easily accessible Athabasca Glacier is so popular with visitors. Athabasca is one of the six “toes” of the Columbia Icefield, the largest ice field in all of the Rocky Mountains, which spreads across the border of Banff and Jasper National Park. Here's what to do on an alternative winter break in Alberta. 

This trio of peaks isn’t necessarily larger or more spectacular than the other mountains in the Canadian Rockies, but it's among the most recognisable. The Three Sisters can be found near the town of Canmore, just east of the gates to Banff National Park, making them some of the first mountains visitors spot when driving to Banff from Calgary. Many local hotels and restaurants intentionally angle their windows to maximise the view of these picturesque peaks.

The river valley that is home to the town of Drumheller in southeastern Alberta is full of porous hills striped with distinctive layers of sediment, and otherworldly flat-topped rock structures called hoodoos. The unique geographical formations also make the Drumheller area a hotbed for the discovery of dinosaur fossils, many of which can be explored at the Royal Tyrrell Museum, which is dedicated to palaeontology and boasts a huge collection of authentic fossils. The most recent discovery here was a 79.5-million-year-old fossil, believed to be one of the oldest tyrannosaur species uncovered in North America.

Technically, you have a chance of viewing the aurora borealis (otherwise known as the Northern Lights) in many parts of Canada, but this nighttime celestial phenomenon is most consistently spotted from the northernmost part of the country. Yellowknife, NWT is one of the best places for winter Aurora viewing: outfitters even offer special heated camps that let you sleep under that famous green and purple glow. Inspired? Discover 13 unexpected places where you can see the Northern Lights.

Nahanni National Park surrounds the South Nahanni River, a gorgeous wild waterway that snakes through some truly stunning landscapes. The protected land of the reserve is home to a complex system of limestone caves, deep river canyons, impressive waterfalls and granite peaks. With very few people inhabiting this land, it’s also a paradise for wildlife, with wolves, grizzly bears and caribou roaming freely.

Known as a “botanical mystery,” the Crooked Bush that grows near Hafford, Saskatchewan is both beautiful and a little eerie. The “bush” is actually a small grouping of 70-year-old aspen trees with twisting trunks that stretch and grow in every possible direction. A small boardwalk runs throughout the trees so visitors can marvel at their unexplained peculiarity. No one is quite sure why the trees are crooked, especially given that similar trees just steps away are perfectly straight.

Churchill’s remote position on the shore of the Hudson Bay where it meets the mouth of the Churchill River has made it a favoured spot for experiencing the arctic landscape and viewing polar bears, beluga whales and other Arctic wildlife. Capitalising on the town’s reputation as the “Polar Bear Capital of the World,” a number of outfitters take visitors out for polar-viewing trips, so you can glimpse these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat. Inspired? We discover polar bears and street art in Arctic Canada.

Niagara Falls is probably Canada’s most tourist-dense destination, for good reason. As crowded and commercial as the surrounding area may be, the falls themselves are breathtaking. There are three separate cascades, with the particularly picturesque Horseshoe Falls sitting on the Canadian side of the Canada-USA border. The sheer power of the thousands of cubic metres of water flowing over the falls every second needs to be seen firsthand to be truly appreciated. Now check out 50 photos that will make you fall in love with Canada.

Home to hibernating bats, prehistoric fossils and stalactites, the Bonnechere Caves in Eganville, Ontario (not too far from Ottawa) are limestone caves with a history that dates back hundreds of millions of years. The caves are usually open to the public from May to November, with guided tours offered every 20 to 30 minutes. The caves are quite cool in a literal sense – if you're lucky enough to visit during the summer, be sure to bring a jacket or sweater.

This park near Thunder Bay, Ontario got its name from the block-like mesa formations that look like a giant sleeping on its back when viewed aerially. From the ground, visitors can look out on the vastness of Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes, from the tops of the cliffs or explore the unique rock formations closer to the water. The park includes over 62 miles (100km) of hiking trails on which visitors may spot deer, wolves, foxes and other wildlife.

A favourite site of the famed artist collective known as the Group of Seven, Algonquin Provincial Park has long captured the imagination of Canadian nature lovers. Larger than the American state of Delaware, it is a remarkably well-preserved swathe of nature, full of streams and rivers perfect for canoeing. The park also features a transition between coniferous and deciduous forests, making for an interesting mix of plant and animal life.

Autumn is a colourful season everywhere in Canada, but no more so than in the province of Québec, which is rife with maple trees. The trees' leaves turn bright orange or brilliant red in the fall, covering the rolling hills of rural Québec in a blanket of colour for several weeks in October. The trees also have a sweet season in the early spring, when their sap is tapped and turned into delicious maple syrup. Discover more of the great outdoors in Québec with our guide to the province's best nature getaways. 

At 272 feet (83m) high – significantly taller than Niagara falls – the waterfalls at Parc de la Chute-Montmorency are dazzling to behold any time of year. In the summer the water creates a cooling mist; in the winter that mist freezes to create a mound of ice known as the "sugarloaf". The falls are best viewed from above – visitors can take a cable car from the foot of the falls to the top and then walk across a suspension bridge that spans the width of the roaring water.

Just off the tip of the Gaspé Penninsula in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence you’ll find Percé Rock, a massive chunk of sheer rock jutting out of the open water. The cliff is “pierced” by a distinctive arch that's considered to be one of the world's largest arches to sit over water. The area is a popular spot for sea kayakers as well as whale watchers and birders, with a large colony of gannets living on nearby Bonaventure Island.

Sand tends to be a fairly silent substance, but the beige powder on the beach at Basin Head, Prince Edward Island not only makes noise, it actually sings! As you walk along the beach the otherwise normal-looking soft sand makes a strange chirping noise that compliments the crashing of the nearby waves. The quartz-rich sand is unusually spherical in shape, which creates a singing sound when the grains rub together. 

Boasting the highest tides in the world, all of the shoreline around the Bay of Fundy is considered a natural wonder, but the Hopewell Rocks offer some extra wow factor. Over time, those high tides have created a series of weird and wonderful rock formations with vegetation growing on top of them that only fully reveal themselves at low tide.

Technically speaking, the Cabot Trail itself is not a natural wonder — it’s a scenic highway — but driving along this 186 miles (298 km) stretch of road grants access to the intense beauty of the Cape Breton shoreline. Along the way, you won’t just find charming towns and lighthouses, but also dozens of hiking trails that highlight the Cape Breton Highlands. Trail stops like Pleasant Bay are particularly awe-inspiring at sunset.

Most of Canada’s population is concentrated in the southern part of the country, but some of the most striking nature can be found in the northern reaches. Sitting at 80°N in latitude, Ellesmere is the world’s tenth-largest island and is covered by mountains and ice caps. This is true Arctic terrain and an important part of the Earth that most people never get to see. Discover more of the world's most remote places here. 

On the west coast of Canada’s easternmost province, Gros Morne National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, full of dramatic mountains and craggy fjords. The park’s numerous hiking trails give visitors the chance to explore a staggering diversity of landscape, while also gazing upon the Atlantic Ocean. Gros Morne is also a particularly good place to keep an eye out for wild moose. 

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