Issue link: http://read.canadatravelguides.ca/i/651528
TRAVEL GUIDE TO CANADA C anadians, on the whole, are modest folks who don't typically indulge in drum- banging, fl ag-waving displays of patriotism. Nevertheless, we're extremely proud of the vast land we call home—and understandably so. From sea to shining sea, there are many reasons why Canada rocks. IDYLLIC ISLES: BRITISH COLUMBIA The remote Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Heritage Site includes 138 islands rich in both bio- diversity and human history. The name, meaning "Islands of Beauty," is apt. Mountains and rainforest meet water fi lled with bobbing seabirds and breeching whales; mystical totem poles, meanwhile, stand as a legacy of the ancient Haida people. As if that wasn't enough, the archipelago to which it belongs (Haida Gwaii) is dubbed "The Galapagos of the North" due to the unique subspecies it supports ( www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/bc/ gwaiihaanas/natcul.aspx). ICY ATTRACTIONS: ALBERTA Covering an area fi ve times larger than Manhattan in New York City, and up to 120-stories deep, the Columbia Icefi eld is one of the Canadian Rockies' crowning glories. Meltwater from it feeds the Pacifi c, Arctic and Atlantic oceans. Not surprisingly, the icy expanse creates gorgeous glaciers, too—including North America's most visited one, the Athabasca Glacier. You can get an up-close look at it by boarding a specially-designed Ice Explorer vehicle or stepping out on the Glacier Skywalk: a curving glass-fl oored deck that projects 280 m (918 ft.) above the Sunwapta Valley ( www.brewster.ca/rocky-mountains). CANADA ROCKS BY SUSAN MACCALLUMWHITCOMB REASONS WHY GLaCier SKYWaLK, aB • KriStina CaJiPe HaiDa GWaii, BC • SHUtterStoCK/CHriS HoWeY CANADA ROCKS