Canada voted #1 country to visit for 2017 by Lonely Planet

From Arctic to Atlantic to Pacific and every place in between, Canada, the world’s second largest country, celebrated its 150th birthday in 2017.

Lonely Planet thought that was a good reason to name Canada the number one place to travel to next that year. The tipping point for that decision was the fact that access to all of our national parks were absolutely free for the whole sesquicentennial year. We have a lot of national parks – 44 of them to be precise.

Our 150th birthday may be over but our great country and province are still here. Alberta is blessed with some of the country’s most magnificent national parks. (We think they might actually be the best in the world.)

Waterton stands guard at our Southern border. Banff and Jasper cover vast territory in the West and Wood Buffalo looms in the North. Here’s a fun fact most people don’t realize: just 45 minutes from downtown Edmonton you’ll find Elk Island National Park. It’s a treasure that our friends at Edmonton Tourism showcase year round. Check out the Top Five Things To Do including wildlife watching, hiking, picnicking, star gazing and paddling.

Canadians are kind, friendly and on the whole very modest. We’re rightfully proud to live in such a beautiful and bountiful country. We’re also happy to share it and hope you’ll all come to experience this place for yourselves any year.