6 of New Canada’s Lesser-Known Treasures

From soaring jagged mountains to aquamarine lakes and endless coastline, Canada is a motorhome explorer’s dream. But what if you’ve already ticked off the phenomenal Moraine Lake, Horseshoe Falls, and Icefields Parkway? Well, then it’s time to uncover some of the hidden gems of Canada.

Here are six of Canada’s lesser-known treasures that don’t get nearly as much attention as the major hotspots.

Joffre Lakes

Joffre Lakes has all the mountainous magic and other-worldly gemstone hue of Moraine Lake - only without the hordes of tourists. There are three lakes in total - the first is a few minutes from the carpark, while the second is another 90 minutes uphill, and the third is another 20 minutes on from there. You will need some fitness to make it to the top, but every step will be worth the view as soon as you set eyes on the second lake. It’s a 2.5-hour drive north once you pick up a Vancouver motorhome rental, and be sure to arrive earlier in the day as the parking lot is quite small.

L’Anse aux Meadows

Image: Michael Rathwell (Own work), CC-BY-SA-2.0, via Flickr

You might not immediately think of Canada when you think of Vikings, but that’s exactly what you’ll find when you visit L’Anse aux Meadows - or at least, an ancient Viking village. It’s the farthest known point of exploration for the Vikings, and it is believed this tiny town was established somewhere around AD1000 (which is several centuries before Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue to the Americas). When you visit the village, you’ll find eight basic buildings crafted from sod and earth. These buildings are exact replicas of the originals found on site, which were buried for preservation by the Canadian government. It still makes for a spectacular visit, and you may even see whales and icebergs floating past the coast in mid-summer. You’ll find it at the northern tip of Newfoundland when you’re exploring the island with a motorhome rental from Halifax.

Othello Tunnels

In 1914, a series of tunnels were commissioned to be built through the Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park to be part of the Kettle Valley Railroad. The location proved to be extremely challenging for workers, who dealt with suspension bridges, ropes, and ladders to carve out a series of tunnels through solid rock. Today, the Othello Tunnels have been abandoned by the trains they were designed for, but lovingly adopted by hikers and bikers who admire the rugged beauty of the canyon. Winning their name from the chief engineer and Shakespeare fan who built the tunnels, this attraction is closed each winter but open throughout summer. You can simply hike along the old railway, or rent bikes to take through. You can easily reach this spot in an hour’s drive with your RV rental from Abbotsford, BC.

The Grotto of Bruce Peninsula

Image: GoginkLobabi(Own work), CC-BY-SA-4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pick up a campervan in Toronto and head straight out of town to the Bruce Peninsula. In three hours, you’ll reach the hidden world of a small cave grotto, a site carved out by thousands of years of erosion and still somewhat tucked away from the crowds, thanks to its secluded location. The startlingly blue waters flow into the cavern, where you can explore the rocks or jump in for a dip - although, this coastline is known for being rather cold, so stick a toe in to test it out first.

Cheltenham Badlands

Up until the 1930s, the Cheltenham Badlands were nothing more than a normal farming region. That is, until overgrazing and negligent farming practices effectively destroyed the land, creating an alien-like landscape of bare, red hills shot through with lighter streaks. The red comes from iron oxide, while the lighter greenish bands are caused by groundwater. You’ll need to be careful not to colour all your clothes red when you explore, and it’s best not to walk on the hills when they’re sodden after rain as it can damage them. You can make your way to the Badlands from Hamilton, Ontario, which is just an hour away.

The Val-Jalbert Ghost Town

In the 1920s, the small town of Val-Jalbert was a typical French Canadian village, centred around a paper mill that was powered by a waterfall, and had a school, houses, and a general store. Residents had the luxury of electricity and running water before anywhere else in the province, but today it’s nothing but a ramshackle ghost town. When the paper mill was closed in 1927, residents fled town, leaving it to decay for decades. It’s now an incredible site where you can see the falling buildings and the massive waterfall that’s larger than even the Niagara Falls. Now a park, it’s less than three hours from Quebec City, so you can visit with a Montreal RV on your road trip north.