Three Canadian parks rank among the world’s top 10 autumn walking destinations

Three Canadian parks made Icelandair’s top 10 list of the world’s most colourful destinations for autumn walks. The airline assessed the five predominant colour palettes at 50 renowned fall walking destinations, scoring them for their alignment with autumn colours, diversity of shades and overall vibrancy.

Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario ranked fourth with a score of 9.06 out of 10. Known for its sugar and red maples, the 7,000-square-kilometre park has 1,500 lakes, 14 designated hiking trails and more than 2,000 canoe routes. Parts of its forest are already showing red, orange and yellow hues.

La Mauricie National Park in Quebec ranked ninth with 8.78 out of 10. Near the Laurentian Mountains and the Saint Lawrence River, the 536-square-kilometre park contains 150 lakes and small ponds, and forest covers about 93 per cent of its area. Experts recommend visiting in early October, when fall colours are typically at their peak.

Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia rounded out the top 10 with a score of 8.77 out of 10. Established in 1936, the 950-square-kilometre park has cliffs rising as high as 300 metres above the Atlantic Ocean and 26 hiking trails, including the 6.5-kilometre Skyline Trail. The Aspy Trail is another option for viewing fall colours in late September and early October. Acadia National Park in Maine ranked first, while Spain’s Irati Forest also appeared on the list.