A sense of immensity pervades any cross-country tour of Canada. Slightly more than 37 million people live in a vast space of 3,855,102 sq mi/9,984,670 sq km. About a third of the population lives in three major cities—Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal—which are all perched along the southern border with the U.S.
But the country is far from empty. If you're traveling along Canada's excellent road network, you may have trouble concentrating on your driving because of the abundance of natural beauty beyond your windshield. And you'll be tempted to park your car for days as you enjoy the neighborly hospitality of its world-class cities.
From friendly, foggy Halifax to sophisticated Montreal, the historic ramparts of Old Quebec, and the international vibrancyof Toronto, the eastern half of the country can easily occupy the span of a multiweek tour.
But the wide-open spaces of the west and the vistas of a wild northern frontier will satisfy the appetite of anyone in search of an adventure in an untamed, magnificent wilderness. From the prairie heartlands of Winnipeg and Saskatoon to the awe-inspiring Rockies surrounding Calgary and Edmonton, Canada's west will elicit the cowboy in even the staunchest city dweller.
Across the Great Divide, the rain forests of the West Coast meet the shoreline of the Pacific at the beautiful city of Vancouver and the Southern Gulf islands, before the Trans-Canada highway ends on Vancouver Island. Regardless of where you venture, you'll welcome the opportunity to lose yourself in Canada's vastness.
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