13 Best Places to Visit in Canada That Aren't Toronto or Vancouver

10. Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario: Wilderness Canoeing and Wildlife Paradise

Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario's oldest provincial park, encompasses 7,653 square kilometers of pristine Canadian Shield wilderness, where over 2,400 lakes and countless rivers create a paddler's paradise that has remained largely unchanged since the last ice age retreated 10,000 years ago. This vast wilderness area, larger than Prince Edward Island, offers visitors the quintessential Canadian experience of canoe camping, where travelers can paddle ancient water routes used by Indigenous peoples and fur traders, portaging between crystal-clear lakes surrounded by dense forests of maple, birch, and pine that explode into brilliant colors each autumn. The park's diverse ecosystems support an incredible array of wildlife, including the largest population of wolves in Ontario, along with black bears, moose, beavers, loons, and over 270 bird species, while the park's Wolf Howl program offers visitors the unique opportunity to participate in guided expeditions to locate and communicate with wild wolf packs through howling sessions that often result in spine-tingling responses from the wilderness. Algonquin's extensive trail system provides options for hikers of all abilities, from short interpretive walks that explore the park's natural and cultural history to challenging multi-day backpacking routes that penetrate deep into the wilderness, while the famous Highway 60 corridor offers more accessible experiences including the Algonquin Visitor Centre with its excellent exhibits and the Algonquin Logging Museum that preserves the area's forestry heritage. The park's accommodation options range from frontcountry campgrounds with modern facilities to remote backcountry campsites accessible only by canoe, while the historic Killarney Lodge and other wilderness lodges provide comfortable bases for exploring this magnificent wilderness area that continues to inspire artists, writers, and nature lovers with its timeless beauty and profound sense of solitude.