Most Visited Canadian National Parks

Here are the most visited Canadian National Parks. Ideal time to visit really depends on your preference, for skiing, hiking and your wish to see wildlife.

1. Banff National Park – Banff National Park is the most visited Canadian National Park. It is easy to visit from Calgary, it is about 2-3 hours drive (110KMs). It was established in 1885, and is located in the Rocky mountains of Alberta. There are many animal species such as Grizzly and Black bears, elk, wolves, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, deer and bison. It is Canada’s first national park and UNESCO world heritage site. It contains glaciers, ice fields and mountains for a dramatic scenery.
2. Jasper National Park – is also located in Alberta, just north of Banff and West of Edmonton. It is home to the Columbia Icefield where glaciers and icefields feed rivers towards pacific and arctic. It is part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Park. It is spans over 11,000 KMs and have wildlife similar to Banff. Its location is fairly easy to visit from Edmonton or Calgary, both around 300-400kms of drive. There are many campgrounds, lodges but can also be remote and rugged for those that love the wilderness.
3. Glacier National Park of Canada – Established in 1886, Is another park located in Rocky Mountains. About 6.5 hours from Vancouver or 4 hour drive from Calgary. It is home to large mammals such as grizzly bear, black bear as well as a diverse ecosystem for birds. It is found in British Columbia and is neighboring other popular Canadian national parks such as Yoho and Mount Revelstoke. 12% of the park is covered by permanent snow and glaciers and it has an extensive cave system. The Rogers pass a Canadian Pacific Railway runs through the park.
4. Yoho National Park -Is near the Glacier national Park and is the 4th most popular Canadian National park for visitors to visit. It is home to the Burgess Shale Fossil site, where soft bodied marine animals can be found that are approximate 515 million year old. Located in British Columbia in the Canadian Rookies, it is easy to access from Vancouver or Calgary, there is tourism infrastructure including rails and campgrounds.
5. Thousand Islands – The most visited National Park in Ontario, it is easily accessible from both Toronto and Montreal. It is on of the smallest national park with only with 24.4 square kms. It is unique because its a mix of islands, and mainland parcels in St. Lawrence River. It is high in bio diversity as it is in what is called a transition zone between Canadian Shield and Adirondack region. It name comes from 1,000 islands scatters on the river. It is also hone to some wildlife such as cayotes, deer, porcupines, beavers, foxes, skunks, turkeys and rabbits.

6. Kootenay National Park – Is located in British Columbia and is the 6th most visited National Park in Canada or 5th in Rooky mountains. There are over 180 species of birds, which is a heaven for bird watching. There are contrasting ecosystems from hot springs to glaciated peaks and valleys as well as a river corridors, making it a beautiful park to visit. There over 200 km of trails, a hikers dream. You can get to it from Calgory, while it is open all year round. It’s high season is from June to September, where you can hike and set up camp.

7. Fundy – The most visited Canadian National Park on the East Coast. It is found on the Bay of Fundy, in New Brunswick, on the north shores and near the village Alma. You can get there from Fredericton which is about 2 hour drive, Saint John about 1.5 hour drive or Moncton 1 hour drive. It is home to the worlds highest tides with water rising and falling 11 to 12 meters or 35 to 40 feet in some places. With its dramatic coastline, rugged cliffs and salt marches, with the Acadian forest setting there is no shortage of breathtaking scenes. For those that love wildlife there are shorebirds, crabs, moose, deer, black bears, racoon and cayotes.

8. Prince Edward Island National Park – 2nd most visited Canadian National Park in the East. It is located in Prince Edward Island. To get there you can drive the confederation bridge from New Brunswick or by ferry from Nova Scotia. You can also fly in via Charlottetown. Please note, that some parts of the national parks are not operated year round. It is known for spectacular coast landscape with sand dunes, salt marshes, beaches and red sandstone cliffs. It is also home to Anne of Green Gables, where you can visit Green Gables farm and literary site. On top of the ocean, you can also view wildlife including red foxes, beavers, minks and over 300 bird species including piping plover.

9. Waterton Lakes – Established as the 4th national parkin Canada. Waterton lakes is home to over 60 species of mammals including Grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, coyotes, cougars, mountain goats and more. It is also home to 250 species of birds. For those that love plants, there are over 1,000 vascular plants, with many unique species. Despite being a small park i tis very biodiverse, with prairie, mountain and alpine ecosystems. It is found in Alberta, and can be accessed from Calgary with 3 to 4 hour drive.

10. Pacific Rim National Park Reserve – is the 10th most visited Canadian National Park. It is located in British Columbia on the west coast of Vancouver Island. While parts of the park are easily accessible other parts are remote. The park is broken into three separate regions: Long Beach, Broken Group Islands and West Coast Trail. It is monte to both marine and terrestrial species including grey whales migrating, orcas and bears.

While the list contains the top 10 most visited Canadian National Parks. you can see the full list by popularity on the free travel app, Visited. Available to download on both iOS and Android