A few signposts for bigger adventures.
Australia
www.australia.com/thingstodo/walksandhikes
which recommends “Great Walks of Australia’, amongst them
Bay of Fires Lodge, East Coast Tasmania
Classic Larapinta Trek in Comfort, Northern Territory
Twelve Apostles Lodge Walk, Great Ocean Road, Victoria
Margaret River Cape to Cape Walk, Western Australia
The Arkaba Walk, Flinders Ranges, South Australia
Spicers Scenic Rim Trail, Scenic Rim, Queensland
Seven Peaks Walk, Lord Howe Island, New South Wales
Canada
Canadian National Parks
Within the website you have a description of the parks in alphabetical order, or you can choose via National Park. I love Georgian Bay, Ontario so here is a link Beausoleil in the park. And for fairness here is a view of the West coast, not too far from dear friends who live on Galliano Island, a little piece of heaven, and my cousin on Salt Spring island, is the Gulf Islands National Park. (British Colombia)
The Salish Sea Marine Trail through the islands of the West Coast (within the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve). The trail ‘weaves its way the many islands connecting the southernmost tip of Victoria to Lantzville, then across the water to the Sunshine Coast before ending in Squamish. … camping on the beach, picnicking and slowly exploring the breath taking Gulf islands’.
Prince Edward Island on the far east of Canada offers beaches, woodland and wetland. This link will take you to camping. For “Anne of Green Gables” fans, this where to go.
Fundy on the East has the highest tides in the world, forests and a ‘taste of the Atlantic Culture”. This is what is says about itself. “Paddle in a kayak as the waters rise up to 12 metres or more. Walk the otherworldly sea floor at low tide. Or venture inland where trails lead to waterfalls deep in Acadian forests. .”
A thorough guide with allkinds of trails mostly around Lake Superior and Huron.
The Voyageur Trail Association builds and maintains the Trails in Northern Ontario.
‘The Superior Water Trail is an ancient heritage high way.
The Kate Pace Way near Lake Nipissing, Ontario combines walking, cycling AND in-line skating.
Many Canadians, (from East to West), point to Jasper as one of the most beautiful parks. The Park websites describes it as “vast wilderness, dotted with glaciers, lakes, waterfalls, rivers, mountains and deep-cut canyons. Hike, paddle, swim, ski, fish, and take in soothing hot springs, scenic drives and extraordinary wildlife”.
And three hours away is:
The National Parks website describes it; ‘Yoho’s towering rockwalls, spectacular waterfalls and soaring peaks reveal the secrets of ancient life, the power of ice and water and the stories of plants and animals that continue to evolve today”.
And forty minutes from there is Banff founded in 1885. It is Canada’s first national park, and one of the first in the world.
Northern Canada
Wapusk National Park in the subartic. “At the transition between boreal forest and arctic tundra, protects one of the largest polar bear maternity denning areas in the world. Wapusk is located within the range of the Western Hudson Bay population of polar bears, which numbers approximately 1000 bears. Nature lovers watch for arctic foxes, arctic hares, wolves, caribou and wolverine as well as more than 200 bird species.” (National Parks website)
And further north …. Arctic
“There are five national parks in Nunavut –
Quttinirpaaq (Eastern High Arctic),
Sirmilik (Eastern Arctic Lowlands),
Ukkusiksalik (Central Tundra),
Auyuittuq (Northern Davis), and
Qausuittuq (Western High Arctic).
A zig-zag skyline of craggy granite peaks and glittering glaciers overlooks tundra valleys and steep-walled fiords whose winding waterways teem with narwhal and ringed seals, Auyuittuq is a diverse and grand-scale Arctic experience.
Once you have experienced all the National Parks, there is The Great Trail (www.thegreatrail.ca) which covers Canada coast to coast including the Rockies, joining up the National Parks. You can choose your terrain. Walking, bicycling, canoeing, it has something for all abilities, coast to coast via the Rockies.
Other hiking trails ….
Look up www.hellobc.com for hiking trails
“Coastline, glaciers, grasslands and rivers”
Ski Resorts in Summer
The Rockies transform in the winter is some of the finest ski-ing in the world such as Banff, Whistler and Mount Revelstoke National Park .
USA
Green Tortoise is a company based in San Francisco. They travel all over America. It started out as a hippy bus company for students crossing from East to West. I have travelled up and down the West coast, to Yosemite National Park and West to East across the US, and around Mexico with “Tortuga Verde”. I highly recommend them. The trips West to East include visits to National Parks.
For National Parks in America, work through their website. The link takes you through to finding a park. If you click on “Colorado” and “watersports” you will find yourself at Curecanti.
Other parks include:
Appalachian Trail
I have driven the Appalachian Trail in the “Fall” and was stunning, when the mist cleared. The full range of colours from reds through orange and yellow.
the above link takes you via the National Parks website and this one takes you via
In Utah you have Bryce Canyon, and 80 miles down the road Zion National Park, Utah. Depending on whether you aim for the north or south the journey to the Grand Canyon is between two and four hours.