Where to Visit in Canada With Teenager
 

We take each of our grandchildren on a trip the summer they're fifteen. Our grandson would like to visit Canada this summer and see lots of animals and beautiful scenery (his words). We took the last grandchild to Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park last summer, so we don't want to repeat that again so soon. We have Delta FF miles that we would use to get there and then rent a car. We try not to spend an enormous amount of money on each trip, as we have eight grandchildren.
Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Northern Vancouver Island has wildlife galore both on land and in the surrounding sea.

http://www.bcferries.com/

http://www.tourismni.com/

http://www.telegraphcoveresort.com/

http://www.umista.ca/

http://www.aboriginaljourneys.com/

Thank you for this suggestion. My husband and have been to Vancouver Island but never that far north. We will definitely look into it.

Vancouver Island: as well as the north as suggested, the West Coast i.e. Pacific Rim National Park and the adjacent town of Tofino are quite special. Wildlife would include amazing tidepools as well as Killer Whale boat tours, and the area features ancient temperate rainforest with giant trees as well as wild windswept and driftwood strewn beaches.

Jasper National Park is spectacular, however although the scenery is not exactly the same as Waterton-Glacier, it is of course still the Rockies which you might find too similar. Wildlife include herds of Elk (Wapiti) including one the frequents the outskirts of the townsite of Jasper. We've also seen Black Bears, deer, moose and smaller animals as well as a variety of birds including Bald Eagles.

The provinces of Atlantic Canada have some spectacular scenery. One of the most scenic sections is Cape Breton in Nova Scotia (the Cabot Trail is one of North America's most scenic drives). I've seen moose here a number of times as well as many bald eagles and there are whale tours (whales can sometimes be viewed from shore in some areas). You could fly into Halifax (itself a very nice city) and drive from there. While in the area for more exceptional scenery you might want to include a tour of the Bay of Fundy coast of New Brunswick.

Thanks again for the suggestions. We have actually been to Tofino and walked in the rainforest. It was a beautiful place. I'm going to take a look at Jasper National Park. We've also been to Cape Breton, but it was rainy and foggy at the time, so I wouldn't mind returning. Have not been to New Brunswick. I'd like to visit Newfoundland, but I think my husband and I would want to be gone longer visiting there than the grandson would be able to handle.

Whoops. I just realized we've been to Jasper. Loved Lake Louise and the Icefields Parkway but are looking for somewhere (preferably) we haven't been.

This may not be so much animals but definitely beautiful scenery. What about Quebec City and then drive up the north side of the St lawrence through the Charlevoix region. The do a whale watching boat trip. It would be cultural and beautiful. In or near the Charlevoix area there are lots places to do fun nature related activities-kayaking, biking etc.

Check out http://www.sepaq.com/pq/hgo/index.dot?language_id=1

and http://www.parcmarin.qc.ca/1508_an.html

and http://www.tourisme-charlevoix.com/en/
(this seems to be highlighting the winter activities-it is beautiful in the summer

Well continuing with the wildlife viewing theme and back to Atlantic Canada, if you think Whalewatching would be of interest, in addition to tours from the top of Cape Breton which I believe target smaller species like Pilot and Minke whales, there are locations in the Bay of Fundy where potentially spectacular whalewatching is possible for larger species. On a tour out of Grand Manan Island (New Brunswick), we had Humpbacks come alongside our boat, peer at us, dive under and come up the other side. Sea birds are also a draw and visits to a small island breeding colony of Puffins is offered in season as well as other pelagic birds. Grand Manan is quiet but charming and "yesteryear"-like with some quite dramatic scenery in some areas (towering basalt cliffs overlooking the sea). Brier Island in Nova Scotia offers similar whale tours and has some similar attributes. These may be something a little different and would work well for a couple of days in combination with a tour of Nova Scotia. How much time would you be taking?

As mentioned by irecommend, there is good whale-watching in the Tadoussac area of Quebec in the Saguenay-St. Lawrence National Marine Park. Belugas and Minkes can sometimes even be seen from shore here. (Whalewatching tends to be seasonal, so check on this - also it's often best to reserve tours well ahead).

Another option for something a little different: Algonquin Park in Ontario is a huge scenic area of forests, granite hills and lakes. A rare subspecies of wolves live here and in August the Park organizes weekly evening "Wolf Howls" - the Naturalists locate the wolves then lead participants to a spot where they howl and the wolves answer. This park is also known for an abundance of moose as well as many other animals (lots of beaver, deer, we've seen Black Bears, Red Fox, River Otters, Martens and many bird species). Very excellent nature and hiking trails, canoeing is popular and is in fact necessary to access a large proportion of the park, but the one highway offers access to trails, excellent Visitors Centre, canoe rentals, food, camping, accommodation (limited within the park but lots closeby) and services so no absolute need to get into a boat. You would fly into Toronto - it's about 2 1/2 hours drive north. Perhaps not quite as "dramatic" as some of the other destinations discussed, but still very nice and rather unique.

"We've also been to Cape Breton, but it was rainy and foggy at the time, so I wouldn't mind returning"

Well, you can have bad weather anywhere in Canada. We certainly had a lot of nasty weather in Western Canada in summer (have relatives in BC). I would second the recommendation of Nova Scotia. The whale watching is amazing! Take the Lighthouse Route this time and then head to the Bay of Fundy (the world´s highest tides). The best whale watching spot is Digby neck on the Bay of Fundy. The best tide watching is from the Wolfville/Truro area or around Parrsboro. Hopewell Rocks in NB is also amazing.

I've been to Churchill Manitoba twice. The last time I actually did see a polar bear in the wild. I didn't spend the big bucks to go out in a tundra buggy. I would have seen several at closer range if I had.
It takes a day and a half from Winnipeg by train or a couple of hours by plane to get to Churchill.

Thank you all SO much for all the suggestions. We are both in our late 60s and my husband has some back problems, so strenuous hiking and canoeing are probably not going to be a part of the trip.
One reason that this trip is still at the early planning stages is because grandson (15) has been saying he wants to go somewhere like New York City. Now, all of a sudden, he tells us that he wants to go somewhere to see wildlife. We don't know what caused this change, but we're not questioning his decision. His dad is a wildlife biologist, so that likely has something to do with it!
To answer your question mat 54, we plan to be gone about a week.