Most of those extreme activities available in Canada entail navigating your way through the various landscape—exalted mountains, rushing rivers, gorgeous lakes, and far-reaching forests—but there are also urban adventures that will test your mettle. Here are a few of the most extreme activities available in Canada.
1. CN Tower EdgeWalk, Toronto
Simply staring down from the CN Tower’s sky-high glass observation decks is enough to make some people nervous. The CN Tower EdgeWalk, the world’s highest full circle hands-free walk on a 1.5 m (5 ft) wide ledge encircling the top of the Tower’s main pod, 356m/1,168ft (116-storeys) above the ground, is available to those seeking an even more profoundly stratospheric thrill.
This 90-minute exercise in keeping your heart in your chest is both terrifying and exhilarating, with participants walking around the 360-degree perimeter of the tower while strapped to a track. Enjoy unrivaled views of Toronto by leaning back or over the side.
2. West Coast Trail, Vancouver Island
The West Coast of Canada has some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. Much of it, thankfully, has been conserved as Pacific Rim National Park, including the famous West Coast Trail, a 75-kilometer (47-mile) hike through forests, bogs, up and down ladders, rugged and sandy shoreline, and more. A brief boat journey or cable car ride is required at several spots. The week-long trek is not for the faint of heart; it requires physical strength and stamina, so don’t take it lightly. Because you will likely see few people on your walk, everything you need, from supplies to meals, is carried on your back.
The West Coast Trail is open from May to September and only allows 52 hikers each day, so reserve your spot early.
3. Whales, Newfoundland
With its extensive coastline, Canada offers numerous opportunities to watch whales on their migratory routes or in quest of food. The bulk of passengers boards a huge ferry or a smaller, more maneuverable Zodiac. The genuinely daring, on the other hand, dive directly into whale-infested waters and swim alongside the majestic creatures.
It’s best to schedule this kind of trip with the pros, and Ocean Quest Adventures in Newfoundland, Canada’s most easterly (and perhaps friendliest) province, is one of the best.
Rick and Debbie Stanley have a long history with whales. They enjoy hosting visitors and educating them about whales, as well as marine conservation and tourism sustainability.
4. Ice Hotel, Quebec
Sleeping in an ice hotel could be lovely and comforting, or it could be completely insane. Make your own decision by booking a room at the Quebec Ice Hotel. As the temperatures drop in January, this arctic shelter is rebuilt each year.
Your adventure starts with a drink in the bar, which, like the rest of this freezing architectural wonder, is made entirely of… you got it… ice. The temperature in the hotel is between -3 and -5 degrees Celsius.
Guests are invited to relax in the outdoor hot tubs and sauna before retiring for the night.
Finally, nestle yourself into your solid ice bed for a restful night’s sleep, hoping you won’t need to get up to use the restroom.
5. Bobsleigh on an Olympic Track, Calgary
Calgary, Alberta, which is famous for its yearly stampede, hosted the Winter Olympics in 1988. Calgary Olympic Park aims to draw thrill-seekers who want to speed down its bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton tracks.
Calgary Olympic Park includes bobsleigh runs with a qualified expert directing the cart along with the more intense luge run, which sends people hurtling down the slick track at speeds of up to 60 km/h.
The thrills of folly are available all year at Calgary Olympic Park.
6. Wonderland’s Leviathan, Toronto
The country’s largest amusement park, Canada’s Wonderland in Toronto, Ontario, is home to this incredibly steep and narrow roller coaster. Leviathan is Canada’s tallest and fastest roller coaster, measuring 5,486 feet (1,672 m) long, 306 feet (93 m) tall, and reaching a high speed of 92 miles per hour (148 km/h).
The Leviathan’s engineering is sound, to be sure. There are still no accidents, and driving a car on a Canadian highway is far riskier than riding a roller coaster at Canada’s Wonderland… but something about willingly boarding this skinny combination of steel and fiberglass, even for three and a half minutes, seems wrong.
But that’s a minority viewpoint—the coaster’s wait is notoriously long, and some visitors ride it a dozen times per visit.
7. Bungee Jump in Nanaimo
Jumping 150 feet from a bridge with nothing but a long elastic cord linked to your ankle qualifies as “extreme.” Although Canada does not claim ownership of bungee jumping, it does have some excellent locations, including this one in British Columbia.
The bungee jump at WildPlay Elements Park in Nanaimo, British Columbia, encourages brave visitors to free fall 150 feet off a bridge and brush up against the Nanaimo River before rebounding up and down.
Visitors on a budget In February, visitors to Nanaimo will be interested to learn that WildPlay Nanaimo offers huge bungee jumping discounts as part of a mental health fundraising and awareness event benefiting the British Columbia Schizophrenia Society. You must, however, jump naked. There appears to be no scarcity of interested parties. Tickets for spectators are also available.
8. Tidal Bore Surfing in the Bay of Fundy
The legendary Bay of Fundy tides (the world’s highest) generate the tidal bore phenomenon. As the tide comes in, the outflowing Petitcodiac River surges back upstream, generating a tremendous, lengthy, continuous wave. Surfers have noticed.
Many courageous individuals take to the water in the hopes of catching one of the exceptionally long waves. According to rumors, some surfers rode the same wave for 25 kilometers (15 miles).
However, if you don’t dare to surf the tidal bores, simply viewing the tidal bores is a spectacular sight. It’s incredible to watch the wave run up the river and the river rise so swiftly with the tide. For information on when the bores will occur, inquire at the tourist office or look up the schedule online. Outside the tourist information office in Moncton, there is a great viewing platform.
