The hidden gems in Canada worth planning a trip around are Haida Gwaii (British Columbia), Waterton Lakes National Park (Alberta), Grasslands National Park (Saskatchewan), Churchill (Manitoba), Manitoulin Island (Ontario), Îles de la Madeleine (Quebec), Grand Manan Island (New Brunswick), Kejimkujik National Park (Nova Scotia), eastern Prince Edward Island and Fogo Island (Newfoundland and Labrador). Most visitors name Banff, Niagara Falls, Old Quebec or the CN Tower. Canadians themselves spend their summers on ferry-reached islands, in dark-sky parks on the prairie and in fishing villages with one road in.
This guide picks one underrated place in each of the ten provinces, with what to do there, the nearest airport, how long to stay and when to go. Pair two or three of them with a city stay for a quieter trip, or read our Canada travel guide for the bigger picture first.
One underrated place in every Canadian province
The places run from west to east, so you can read the list as a road map of the country. Each one is reachable by road, ferry, train or a short regional flight, and each rewards at least two nights. Prices throughout are in Canadian dollars.
British Columbia: Haida Gwaii
Plan it: fly into Sandspit or Masset from Vancouver; 4 to 7 days; best June to August.
Haida Gwaii is an archipelago of about 150 islands off the north coast of British Columbia, home to the Haida Nation for thousands of years. The Haida Heritage Centre at Kay Llnagaay near Skidegate is the place to start, with carved poles, canoes and exhibits on the islands' history and art. Time your visit well and you may catch Haida artists carving and painting at local events.
The southern third of the archipelago is Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, Haida Heritage Site and National Marine Conservation Area. Its highlight is SGang Gwaay, a former village with standing mortuary poles that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You reach it only by boat or floatplane, usually on a multi-day kayak or boat tour, and Parks Canada requires every visitor to attend an orientation first. Expect rain, moss-thick forest, eagles, sea lions and whales.
BC Ferries also sails from Prince Rupert if you are driving. Base yourself in Daajing Giids (formerly Queen Charlotte), Masset or one of the lodges. With a spare day, drive north to Naikoon Provincial Park and climb Tow Hill for the view along the beaches of the north coast.
Alberta: Waterton Lakes National Park
Plan it: fly into Calgary, then about three hours by road; 2 to 3 days; best June to September.
Waterton Lakes sits in the far southwest corner of Alberta. It joins Glacier National Park in Montana to form the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Prince of Wales Hotel, perched on a bluff above Upper Waterton Lake, is one of the classic images of the Canadian Rockies.
The park is compact, so a few days go a long way. The Crypt Lake Trail, reached by boat across the lake, climbs past waterfalls, through a short tunnel and along a cable-assisted ledge. The Red Rock Canyon and Cameron Lake roads are easy drives with bears, bighorn sheep and wildflowers along the way. Wildfire in 2017 burned large parts of the park, and the regrowth since then is part of what visitors see today.
Hotels and campgrounds sit in the Waterton townsite. With one more day, stop on the way back at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump near Fort Macleod, a UNESCO site where Blackfoot hunters drove bison over a cliff for thousands of years.
Saskatchewan: Grasslands National Park
Plan it: fly into Regina, then about four hours by road; 2 nights; best May to September.
Grasslands National Park protects a large piece of native mixed-grass prairie along the Montana border. It has two blocks. The West Block near the village of Val Marie holds the Frenchman River valley and the Ecotour Scenic Drive. The East Block covers the badlands of the Killdeer area, where dinosaur fossils have been found.
Plains bison returned to the West Block in 2005 after more than a century away, and the park protects colonies of black-tailed prairie dogs, which in Canada live only in this region. Grasslands is a designated dark-sky preserve, so on a clear night the Milky Way runs from horizon to horizon. Services are minimal. Bring food, fill the tank and expect gravel roads that turn slick after rain.
Sleep at the Frenchman Valley campground or in guest rooms in Val Marie.
Manitoba: Churchill
Plan it: train or flight from Winnipeg; 3 to 5 days; belugas in July and August, polar bears in October and November.
Churchill sits on the shore of Hudson Bay in northern Manitoba, and no road connects it to the rest of Canada. The VIA Rail train from Winnipeg takes about two days across boreal forest and tundra; the flight takes a little over two hours. That isolation is part of the appeal.
In autumn, polar bears gather on the coast waiting for the bay to freeze, and tundra vehicle tours take visitors out to watch them safely. In summer, thousands of beluga whales enter the Churchill River estuary, close enough to see from zodiacs or even kayaks. Bear season sells out early and tour and room prices are high, so book months ahead.
Stay in one of the small hotels or lodges in town. If the weather allows a boat trip across the river, Prince of Wales Fort, an 18th-century Hudson's Bay Company stone fort run by Parks Canada, makes a good half day.
Ontario: Manitoulin Island
Plan it: fly into Sudbury for the bridge route, or drive from Toronto to the Tobermory ferry; 3 to 4 days; best June to September.
Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron is the largest freshwater island in the world, with more than 100 inland lakes of its own. Six First Nations communities live on the island, and Wikwemikong hosts one of the region's largest powwows each summer. Indigenous-run operators offer cultural tours, guided hikes and traditional food.
The Cup and Saucer Trail climbs the Niagara Escarpment to cliffs with wide views, and Bridal Veil Falls near Kagawong is an easy swim stop. From the north you drive in down Highway 6 over the swing bridge at Little Current. From the south, the MS Chi-Cheemaun car ferry crosses from Tobermory to South Baymouth in under two hours between May and October, which makes it easy to pair with the Bruce Peninsula.
Base yourself in Little Current, Gore Bay or a rented cottage.
Quebec: Îles de la Madeleine
Plan it: fly from Montreal or Quebec City, or take the ferry from Souris; 3 to 5 days; best July and August.
The Magdalen Islands are a chain of islands in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, linked by long sand spits and dunes. Red sandstone cliffs carved into arches and caves line the shore, and brightly painted houses dot green hills. Daily life runs mostly in French, with a strong Acadian character.
Days here mean beach walks, kayaking into the sea caves at Belle-Anse, kitesurfing on the lagoons and eating smoked herring, seafood and cheese from the islands' small producers. The CTMA ferry from Souris on Prince Edward Island takes about five hours. July and August are busy, so reserve the ferry and rooms early.
Stay in Cap-aux-Meules, Havre-Aubert or one of the guesthouses spread across the islands.
New Brunswick: Grand Manan Island
Plan it: fly into Saint John, drive to Blacks Harbour for the ferry; 2 to 3 days; best July to September.
Grand Manan is a working fishing island at the entrance to the Bay of Fundy, the bay with the highest tides in the world. The provincial ferry from Blacks Harbour takes about 90 minutes, and the island's main road runs between harbours lined with smokehouses, weirs and lobster boats.
Whale-watching boats leave from North Head in summer, looking for humpback, minke and finback whales and, with luck, North Atlantic right whales. Boats also visit Machias Seal Island, where Atlantic puffins nest. On land, trails follow high cliffs to lighthouses such as Swallowtail. Dulse, a dried seaweed snack, is harvested here and sold in small shops.
Inns and cottages cluster around North Head and Seal Cove. With an extra day, Campobello Island, where Franklin D. Roosevelt spent his summers, is close by on the mainland side of the bay.
Nova Scotia: Kejimkujik National Park
Plan it: fly into Halifax, then about 2.5 hours by road; 2 to 4 days; best August to October.
Long travelled by the Mi'kmaq, Kejimkujik in southwest Nova Scotia is a park of lakes, rivers and old forest. Parks Canada and Mi'kmaw interpreters lead visits to petroglyphs carved into the slate along the lakeshore, and the park and its surroundings are a National Historic Site for that cultural landscape.
The inland park is made for canoeing, with multi-day backcountry routes and campsites on islands. It is also a dark-sky preserve. The separate Kejimkujik Seaside area on the Atlantic coast has white-sand beaches where grey and harbour seals haul out. Late summer and early autumn fall after the black-fly season and before the cold nights.
Camp at Jeremy's Bay or stay at an inn in Annapolis Royal, where Fort Anne National Historic Site fills a spare morning.
Prince Edward Island: Points East Coastal Drive and Basin Head
Plan it: fly into Charlottetown, then about an hour by road; 2 days; best July to September.
Most visitors to PEI stay around Charlottetown and Cavendish on the central north shore. The eastern end is calmer, with fishing harbours, lighthouses and long beaches along the Points East Coastal Drive. Basin Head Provincial Park is known for its "singing sands", which squeak underfoot because of the shape of the quartz grains.
East Point Lighthouse marks the island's eastern tip, and Souris is the departure port for the Magdalen Islands ferry, so this is a natural first stop on a Gulf islands trip. Lobster suppers, oysters and mussels fill the summer menus. The drive is gentle enough for cyclists, and the Confederation Trail rail trail crosses the whole island.
Beds are in Souris, Montague or seaside cottages.
Newfoundland and Labrador: Fogo Island
Plan it: fly into Gander, drive about 70 minutes to the Farewell ferry; 2 to 4 days; best June to September.
Fogo Island lies off the northeast coast of Newfoundland. The car ferry from Farewell takes about 45 minutes direct, or longer when it stops at Change Islands. A few thousand people live in small outport communities, many settled by Irish and English fishing families. The Fogo Island Inn, built on stilts over the rocks at Joe Batt's Arm, brought international attention, followed by artist studios scattered around the island.
You do not need to stay at the inn to enjoy the island. Walking trails cross the barrens to coastal lookouts, icebergs drift past in late spring and early summer, and whales feed offshore. Local guides lead berry-picking, fishing and boat trips. Wind or ice can delay the ferry, so leave spare time at the end.
Sleep in guesthouses, rental homes or the inn itself. With another day, Twillingate on the mainland side is one of the best-known iceberg-watching towns in the province.
Hidden gems vs famous spots
The trade-off is simple: fewer people and fewer services. Two examples show the scale. Waterton recorded more than 540,000 visitors in 2024, its second-busiest year, while Banff counted about 4.5 million in 2025. The Niagara region draws more than 13 million visitors a year, according to the Ontario government.
| Hidden gem | Famous alternative | What you gain | What you give up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterton Lakes | Banff | Short drives between trailheads, quieter trails | Fewer hotels and restaurants, no famous turquoise lakes |
| Manitoulin Island | Niagara Falls | Lakes, cliffs and First Nations culture without the crowds | A longer drive and a seasonal ferry |
| Fogo Island | St. John's | Outport life and icebergs from the shore | City nightlife, restaurants and direct flights |
Best hidden gem by season
Summer. Most of the list runs on a June to September calendar, when ferries sail full schedules and guesthouses open. Haida Gwaii, the Magdalens and Grand Manan are at their best in July and August. Outside those months many guesthouses, tour operators and park services close, and some ferries cut sailings, so check opening dates before booking.
Autumn. Churchill is busiest in October and November for the bears. Kejimkujik and Grasslands come into their own in late summer and early autumn, when the long dark nights suit their dark-sky status. In the Yukon, late August turns the slopes of Tombstone red and gold.
Winter. Few of these places work in winter. Churchill is the exception: after bear season it becomes a base for watching the northern lights.
Getting there and booking ahead
Distances in Canada are large, and several places depend on seasonal schedules. The car ferries to Fogo Island and the Îles de la Madeleine, and the Chi-Cheemaun to Manitoulin, can fill in July and August, so check whether vehicle reservations are available and book car space before you fix hotel dates. If you are coming from abroad, most international flights land in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal or Calgary, and regional connections take you on from there.
Which little-known region suits your trip
Wildlife lovers have the widest choice. Churchill is the one town on earth that sits in the path of migrating polar bears, and its belugas are almost as memorable. Grand Manan adds whales and puffins on the Atlantic side, and Grasslands has bison and prairie dogs on the open plains. If you can travel only once, match the animal you most want to see to the month you can go, because each window is short.
For culture, Haida Gwaii and Manitoulin Island stand apart. In both, First Nations communities run museums, tours and events on their own terms, and visitors learn far more by booking local guides. The Magdalen Islands offer something different again: a French-speaking Acadian society with its own food, music and accent, a long way from Montreal.
Hikers should look at Waterton first, then the cliff trails of Fogo Island and Grand Manan. Paddlers are spoiled by Kejimkujik's lakes and the sea caves of the Magdalens. Families with young children find eastern PEI the easiest: short drives, warm shallow beaches by Canadian standards and plenty of ice cream stands. Couples looking for a splurge often pick Fogo Island for the inn, while budget travellers can camp in almost every park on this list.
A 12-day Atlantic Canada island route
Four of the ten places, Kejimkujik, Grand Manan, eastern Prince Edward Island and the Îles de la Madeleine, sit close enough together for one 12-day trip with a rental car and ferries.
- Days 1 to 2, Halifax to Kejimkujik: Pick up a car in Halifax and drive inland. Paddle on Kejimkujik Lake and join a petroglyph walk if one runs.
- Days 3 to 5, Grand Manan: Drive via Saint John to Blacks Harbour for the ferry. Spend two days whale watching and walking the cliffs.
- Days 6 to 7, eastern PEI: Cross the Confederation Bridge onto Prince Edward Island and stay near Souris. Walk the singing sands at Basin Head.
- Days 8 to 11, Îles de la Madeleine: Take the ferry from Souris. Kayak at Belle-Anse, cycle between islands and eat local seafood.
- Day 12, back to Halifax: Ferry back to Souris and drive to Halifax, or fly out from the islands via Montreal.
The CTMA operator asks passengers to arrive at least 75 minutes before departure, so plan day 8 around the sailing.
Bonus: lesser-visited places in Canada's three territories
The territories are not provinces, but they hold some of the most spectacular parks in the country. Three stand out.
Tombstone Territorial Park in Yukon has jagged black peaks and tundra along the Dempster Highway, about 1.5 hours from Dawson City, with caribou in late summer. Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Northwest Territories is a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose Virginia Falls drop about 96 metres, roughly twice the height of Niagara. Access is by floatplane from Fort Simpson, and paddlers plan multi-week river trips around it. Auyuittuq National Park on Baffin Island, reached via Pangnirtung, has granite walls, glaciers and the Akshayuk Pass, and is only for well-equipped Arctic trekkers with polar bear safety plans.
Services are few and weather changes quickly, so most visitors travel with licensed outfitters or air charters and register their trip with Parks Canada where required. Our guide to which Canadian provinces and territories are most visited shows how far off the usual path these are.
Practical tips for remote parts of Canada
- Sort out entry first. Many visitors flying to Canada need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), while others need a visitor visa. Check your passport's requirement before you book.
- Respect the distances. Plan no more than four or five hours of driving a day so you have time for the places themselves.
- Learn wildlife rules. Bears live in Waterton, Haida Gwaii and the northern parks. Carry bear spray where advised, store food properly and keep your distance from all wildlife.
- Pack for bugs. Black flies and mosquitoes peak in June and early July in the north and the Maritimes. Bring repellent and a head net.
- Expect weak signal. Mobile coverage disappears in many parks. Download offline maps and tell someone your plans before you head out.
The real reward of these places is time with the people who live there. Order the lobster at a church supper on PEI or ask a Grand Manan fisher about the weirs. These communities are small, often with one shop and one café, and a curious visitor gets far more from them than someone ticking off a list. If you are thinking of staying longer, our guide to moving to Canada covers the visa routes.
Compare flights into Canada's gateway cities and find places to stay near the parks and islands in this guide. Find hotels
Planning a trip to Canada? Read our Canada travel guide or search flights.
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