Bow Lake on the Icefields Parkway.Credit: Travel Alberta
ICEFIELDS PARKWAY, ALBERTA
The gods were in an extravagant mood when they created the Canadian Rockies, where snow peaks, glaciers, waterfalls, turquoise lakes and dark-green forests combine to create calendar-suitable scenes. The Parkway runs 235 kilometres from Lake Louise to Jasper, but everyone begins in Banff, adding another 64 kilometres to the super-scenic mix. Only the soulless would drive it in three hours: take a week so you can hike, kayak and explore detours such as the Bow Valley Parkway and mountain-reflecting Moraine Lake. The Parkway usually remains open in winter, when it feels like driving through a snowdome. See travelalberta.com
VIKING TRAIL, NEWFOUNDLAND
Storm-pummelled coastlines, drifting icebergs, fjords and brooding mountains characterise island-state Newfoundland, and this 526 kilometres one-way trail up its north-west coast showcases the best of its brutally beautiful landscapes, such as at glacier-chewed Gros Morne National Park. Summer is whale- and iceberg-watching season. The trail also highlights intriguing Viking connections, especially at L'Anse aux Meadows, settled (ultimately unsuccessfully) by Vikings in the 11th century. At Norstead, you'll find a recreated Viking town and replica ship. Meanwhile in fishing villages you'll enjoy great seafood and lingering Basque, French, British and Celtic influences; get ready for some pub fiddling. See newfoundlandlabrador.com
TRANS-CANADA HIGHWAY, PRAIRIE STATES
Credit: Destination Canada
Properly speaking, this mighty road trip barrels 7820 kilometres across Canada from Pacific to Atlantic, but you might content yourself with 1336 kilometres between Calgary and Winnipeg. The landscape is horizontal, but big skies, oceans of grassland and garish canola fields are strangely exhilarating, and you might spot bison. Aficionados of roadside kitsch will love the world's biggest moose, tallest tepee and most outsized Coke can. The landscape does sometimes ruck up, creating the humped desert Badlands and coughing up dinosaur bones. Forts and trading posts from frontier days and stylish city Winnipeg add to the mix. See canada.travel
CABOT TRAIL, NOVA SCOTIA
Credit: Tourism Nova Scotia/Rob Romard
Looping 298 kilometres return from Baddeck on Cape Breton Island, this tourist route humps over headlands, plummets into valleys and rolls past ancient forest to provide the types of scenic curves you see in TV car adverts. Hiking trails and viewpoints mean you should budget several days, more if you want to golf, kayak, sail, whale-watch or (if you're truly hardy) swim in the frigid water. Celtic culture thrives here, but also interesting is French-Acadian culture in fishing towns such as Cheticamp. Drive clockwise for the views, and if you'd rather stay away from sea-foaming cliff edges. See novascotia.com
ICE ROAD, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Credit: Destination Canada
Swathes of the boggy Northwest Territories are un-driveable in summer, but the winter freeze opens up 2000 kilometres of rutted ice roads to remote settlements. The best is the 117 kilometres from Inuvik to Aklavik, which though short is legendary and provides superb scenery of the pavlova-pretty Richardson Mountains, at least during limited winter daylight hours. Inuvik is tiny but has improbable Muslim and Filipino communities. The ice road is open between December and April. At any time of year, you could drive the 740 kilometres from Inuvik to Dawson City along the adventurous Dempster Highway. See spectacularnwt.com
GOLDEN CIRCLE ROUTE, YUKON
Credit: Destination Canada
If you're ever going to drive the 568 kilometres (plus a car-ferry ride) into Alaska return from Whitehorse, do it in autumn when tundra and mountains are splattered in lurid red, orange and yellow. By season's end you might see the northern lights. You'll be swallowed up in an extravagance of mountains and lakes, and will likely spot black bears. There's also history hereabouts in the Klondike gold-rush region; you end up in Skagway in Alaska, lined with Wild West bars and wooden shopfronts. First Nations culture and totem poles are on show in Carcross and Haines. See travelyukon.com
The writer has travelled as a guest of Destination Canada and various state tourism offices and travel companies.
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