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Banff National Park, Alberta -

Canada's oldest park, established in 1885 originally as the Rocky Mountains Park, is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia -

Set on Cape Breton Island, this park is served in part by the world-famous Cabot Trail, one of the most scenic drives in North America.

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Jasper National Park, Alberta -

The largest park in the Canadian Rockies, Jasper is one of the nation's most celebrated protected spaces. It's situated north of Banff National Park, and like its equally prestigious neighbor, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Fundy National Park, New Brunswick -

Located on the Bay of Fundy, this national park showcases the highest tides in the world and regales visitors with no less than 25 waterfalls.

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Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland and Labrador -

Soaring fjords and majestic mountains characterize the landscape of Gros Morne National Park, which UNESCO has also declared a World Heritage Site.

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Georgian Bay Islands National Park, Ontario -

The Georgian Bay Islands National Park comprises 63 small islands and islets buoyed up in Ontario's Georgian Bay near Port Severn.

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Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba -

Riding Mountain National Park is where British-born Archibald Belaney (1888–1938), better known by his First Nations identity Grey Owl, became established as the "caretaker of park animals" and, later, one of Canada's first conservationists.

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Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan -

Grasslands National Park preserves one of Canada's few remaining areas of undisturbed dry mixed-grass and shortgrass prairie land. Around 300 plains bison roam freely through the park.

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Pukaskwa National Park, Ontario -

Located south of the town of Marathon, Pukaskwa protects part of the longest undeveloped shoreline anywhere on the Great Lakes, most of it verdant boreal forest.

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Prince Edward Island National Park, Prince Edward Island -

Appreciated for its red cliffs and wind-sculpted dunes, Prince Edward Island National Park is set along the island's north shore, facing the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Its beaches provide nesting habitat for the endangered piping plover.

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Forillon National Park, Quebec -

Located at the outer tip of the Gaspé Peninsula, Forillon was the first national park in Quebec, established in 1970. The tallest lighthouse in Canada, Cap-des-Rosiers Lighthouse (34 m or 112 ft), stands in the park.

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Kluane National Park and Reserve, Yukon -

Kluane National Park and Reserve is another UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed as such for its First Nations ancestry and natural wonders including Mount Logan, Canada's highest mountain, and the impressive Donjek Glacier.

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Auyuittuq National Park, Nunavut -

Located on Baffin Island's Cumberland Peninsula within the Arctic Circle, Auyuittuq, which in Inuktitut means the "land that never melts," is noted for the formidable Akshayuk Pass.

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La Mauricie National Park, Quebec -

Quebec's La Mauricie National Park contains at least 150 lakes. It's named for the nearby Saint-Maurice River, one of the most important tributaries of the St. Lawrence River.

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Nahanni National Park Reserve, Northwest Territories -

A designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Nahanni National Park Reserve is noted for its four distinct canyons, through which churns the turbulent South Nahanni River.

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Mont-Tremblant National Park, Quebec -

Named for the town of Mont-Tremblant, this park and its thick, near impenetrable forest is timber wolf territory. The revered species has long since been the emblem of the park.

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Kejimkujik National Park, Nova Scotia -

Named after Kejimikujik Lake, the largest lake in the vicinity, this park is a National Historic Site of Canada for the petroglyph sites and other locations that testify to Mi'kmaq occupancy of this area for thousands of years. The Mi'kmaq are a First Nations people, and still have a population of about 170,000 in the region.

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Kootenay National Park, British Columbia -

British Columbia's stunning Kootenay National Park falls within the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Notable attractions include Marble Canyon (pictured).

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Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick -

A collection of barrier islands, sand dunes, lagoons, salt marshes, and forests constitute the fragile environment that is Kouchibouguac National Park. The park is especially recognized for its rare flora and fauna.

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Mount Revelstoke National Park, British Columbia -

One of the smallest of Canada's national parks is nonetheless big on scenic grandeur. Mount Revelstoke is located deep in the Selkirk Mountains, not far from Glacier National Park.

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Point Pelee National Park, Ontario -

An important wetland and waterfowl habitat, Point Pelee National Park extends into Lake Erie, while Point Pelee itself is the southernmost point of mainland Canada.

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Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan -

Saskatchewan's Prince Albert National Park is one of the oldest of Canada's national parks, established in 1927. The aforementioned Grey Owl lived in the park and wrote several novels themed around environmental protection. The 1999 movie 'Grey Owl' is based on his life and work, with Pierce Brosnan in the lead role as the conservationist.

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Terra Nova National Park, Newfoundland and Labrador -

Terra Nova National Park takes its name from the Latin name for Newfoundland; its is also the original Portuguese name given to the region. The landscape includes vestiges of the Appalachian Mountains chain.

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Thousand Islands National Park, Ontario -

Another one of the nation's smaller national parks, Thousand Islands in fact numbers around 21 islands plus numerous islets and rocky outcrops. Much of the park is only accessible by boat.

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Torngat Mountains National Park, Newfoundland and Labrador -

Torngat Mountains National Park contains the highest mountains in Mainland Canada east of the Rockies. Its name comes from the Inuktitut word Tongait, meaning "place of spirits."

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Wapusk National Park, Manitoba -

Remote subarctic Wapusk National Park protects one of the largest polar bear maternity denning areas in the world. Cape Churchill is renowned as the best location on the planet to view and photograph wild polar bears.

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Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta -

Waterton Lakes National Park is unusual for straddling the border between Alberta and the United States. Waterton shares its geography with America's Glacier National Park in Montana, with both collectively known as Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.

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Yoho National Park, British Columbia -

A Canadian Rockies superstar, Yoho National Park is deserving of its UNESCO World Heritage credentials. The word Yoho is a Cree expression of amazement or awe.

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Sirmilik National Park, Nunavut -

Isolated Sirmilik National Park is bordered mostly by water, and is composed of three regions: Bylot Island, Oliver Sound, and Baffin Island's Borden Peninsula.

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Wood Buffalo National Park, Alberta -

Established in 1922 to protect the world's largest herd of free-roaming wood bison, Wood Buffalo National Park later became a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its wildlife and the biodiversity of the Peace-Athabasca Delta.

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Glacier National Park, British Columbia -

Glacier National Park in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia features a collection of truly impressive mountains, among them Mount Sir Donald (pictured), Mount Macdonald, and Uto Peak.

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Quttinirpaaq National Park, Nunavut -

Truly remote Quttinirpaaq National Park is the second largest park in Canada, after Wood Buffalo National Park. It's also the second most northerly park on Earth after Northeast Greenland National Park. Its extreme polar environment makes it one of the least visited of the nation's parks—but also one of the most compelling! 

Sources: (The Canadian Encyclopedia) (Parks Canada) (National Park Service)

See also: Discover 60 extreme points of Earth

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