Listly by Vishal Subramanyan
Canada is known for its abundance of wildlife from massive grizzly bears patrolling the backcountry, to even larger whales patrolling the sea. Here are the best places to see wildlife in Canada
Khutzeymateen is Canada's only grizzly sanctuary and might very well be the best place to see and photograph grizzlies in the world. This ecological jewel sees less that 200 visitors a year. Visitors can only see bears from zodiacs, and hunting of bears here is prohibited. This means the bears behave naturally in front of humans, as they do not consider them a threat. The grizzlies are year round residents in the valley as they feed on the sedges on other food sources here. People have seen dozens of grizzlies a day, including some that swim. A lucky visitor might even spot a coastal grey wolf.
Banff National Park is one of the best and most famous national parks located in the glorious Canadian Rockies. It is known for its beautiful blue lakes and its tall and impressive snow-capped peaks. it is also known for it gondolas and its skiing. Banff National Park is very popular to foreign and local tourists because of these beautiful features. Due to its popularity Banff has lots of great hiking trails for all levels. It probably has more hiking trails than the other Canadian Rockies national parks.Despite the number of people and the popularity of the park, Banff still has an abundance of wildlife, and some people's primary intention to visit Banff is to see this abundance of wildlife.
One animal that is very abundant in Banff National Park is the elk. The elk in Banff are pretty much everywhere. They are in the town sites, on the trails, and on the roads. They spar and bugle in these areas, unaware of their human onlookers. Banff offers extraordinary elk viewing due to the large population of habituated elk. Bears are also very numerous in Banff. Black bears are very common and can be spotted in lots of different areas. People have reported daily sightings of black bears. Some have even seen two families fight. Grizzly bears are lower in number in Banff National Park and are mainly found in the back country, but still can be seen. Look for these charismatic predators on the Bow Valley Parkway. Wolves are low in number in Banff national Park but they are occasionally spotted on the Bow Valley Parkway.
Jasper National Paris the second most famous and and one of the best national parks in the Canadian Rockies. If you're looking to see the Canadian Rockies with less crowds and more wildlife, Jasper National Park is the place to be. it has the spectacular lakes and beautiful scenery of Banff with less crowds. Jasper also has great ski resorts. It has the turquoise lakes and snow-capped peaks of Banff too. And though Jasper does get a substantial amount of visitors, it has less than Banff. But due to the less number of visitors, Jasper doesn't have as many restraunts or luxury hotels as Banff. And though it has lots of great hikes, it will not have the variety of trails that Banff has. But if your looking for a true wilderness experience, Jasper will deliver. Jasper also edges Banff when it comes to wildlife.
Jasper is the wildlife hot spot of the Canadian Rockies, and is considered by many to have better wildlife viewing than Banfff National Park. Like Banff, Jasper National Park has a ton of elk. And I mean ton. There are probably more elk in Jasper than in Banff. They create jams in the townsite and in the park. They rut, bugle, and mate right in front of people. The elk in Jasper form large herds and are habituated to human presence, allowing for up-close viewing and photography opportunities. Jasper National Park has a very healthy population of bears, particularly black bears,. You have a very high chance of seeing them on the Magline Lake road. Some people have driven this road dozens of times and never not seen a black bear. The black bear and grizzly bear population in Jasper is healthier than the bear populations in Banff. Grizzlies are lower in number than black bears and mainly stick to the back country in Jasper National Park, but they still can be viewed. Wolves are in healthy number in Jasper too.
Waterton Lakes National Park is the less famous but arguably better national park to its sister park, the famous Glacier National Park. Waterton Lakes National Park is known for its very impressive scenery and great boating activities. But one thing Waterton Lakes National Parkis legendary for is for its impressive hies. Waterton has a large variety of trails suited for all levels of hikers. Waterton Lakes has several long steep trails for advanced hikers which draw lots of visitors. Several people go to Waterton Lakes National Park to experience the great hikes. Many of the hikes in Waterton are posted on several hiking magazines because of how good they are. But another draw to Waterton Lakes National Park is its abundant wildlife.
Waterton Lakes National Park has an amazing amount of wildlife, probably more so than its sister park Glacier National Park. There are tons of elk which often wander through town, on roads, and use the trails. Like Glacier National Park, Waterton Lakes National Park has an abundance of mountain goats which can be spotted in lots of places in the park.It also has bighorn sheep which have been spotted in lots of different places like in front of people's cabins and even in the towns. Waterton also has lots of small predators like lynxes and foxes. But one main wildlife highlight in Waterton is black bears. Black Bears are very abundant in Waterton Lakes National Park, miuch more so than Glacier. They can be seen anywhere. Mothers with cubs, mating pairs, and big males can all be seen. People have seen 20+ bears in a single weekend. Some pople average 20+ individual bears in 48 hours. Waterton is a black bear mecca. Wolves, cougars, and grizzlies also exist in high number in Waterton.
Ontario's biggest provincial park, has long had a reputation for having lots of wildlife. The park has lots of red fox, moose, wolf, and bear. Moose are frequently spotted in the lakes and marshes in the park. There are several resident foxes and many people have been fortunate enough to see pups. The park also has an excellent reputation to spot pine martens in winter.