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One of those is Trinity, Newfoundland – easily one of the most scenic locations on the island.  Trinity Bay is thought to have been named by Gasper Corte Real, a Portuguese explore who it is said, sailed into the bay on Trinity Sunday in 1501.

Over the centuries European settlers came to the area and by the 1700s Trinity had become a key fishing and mercantile centre along the east coast of North America. While the fishing industry has declined and with it the population of Trinity and neighbouring communities, it continues to thrive in other ways.  Today tourism is a key industry in the community.  The New Founde Lande historical pageant performed by the local Rising Tide Theatre, is one of the most popular summertime attractions of the region.  The pageant re-enacts the history of Trinity as the audience follows the actors through the town. Since its first performance in 1993 over 140,000 thousand people have enjoyed the pageant.  The theatre company also performs several other productions, filling the calendar from mid June through mid September. Make sure your road trip from St. John’s west around Trinity Bay and north along the Bonavista coast includes Trinity.  It will satisfy anyone’s appetite for spectacular scenery, history, and culture.

Topography

Fairmont Kenauk is located within the Canadian Laurentians or Laurentides as they are often referred to in Canada. The region is part of the Canadian Shield and extend into the United States where the mountain range is referred to as the Appalachians. The mountain range is one of the oldest in the world.

Fairmont Kenauk – An Accessible Wilderness Oasis

Fairmont Kenauk is home to  over 200 species of birds and 50 different mammal species.  Topographic maps detail many of its more than 70 lakes containing trout and other species of fish.  Over the years it has accommodated a wide variety of guests including heads of state, royalty and celebrities.

Fairmont Kenauk is a great place to get away and relax.  There are 14 cabins within the entire Kenauk preserve that can be rented through Chateau Montebello, 8 of which are the only cabin on their lake.  The cabins are fully equipped, ranging in size to accommodate groups from 4 through 18.  Summer activities include kayaking and canoeing, fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing and general relaxation on your own private lake.  Some of the cabins are maintained for winter activities including cross country skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing.

Formerly known as “Reserve de la Petite Nation”, Kenauk is associated with Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello, a historic luxury resort with a legendary red cedar log building that has welcomed guests from around the world since 1930. It is easily accessible from both Ottawa and Montreal.

Create your own maps of the Fairmount Kenauk region with MapSherpa. Search for Montebello, Quebec and it will bring you to the region where you can navigate the map to get your own personalized map of the area.

Geography of Foymont

The town is fairly isolated, but surprisingly still kicking, even with the school closed down and the base closed. The building footprints on the map are fairly accurate of what is there, not much seems to have changed in a long time. The exception being, of course, the buildings that were the property of the military. Since they were military property, they seemed to have efficiently boarded up the buildings and torn down the radar stations.The barracks in the photo below have boarded up doors and windows on the main floor and each balcony door on the second floor has a oven pushed up in front of it so that no one can enter the buildings.

The height of the town that originally made it useful for radar made it useful for things like CBC to have a radio repeater up on the hill where the radar used to be. The following are two photos of the highest point of the town, one of the towers and remnants of a building.

From an outdoor recreation standpoint, the Park offers many options from summer activities such as canoeing, cycling, hiking and fishing to winter activities including downhill skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling.  Famous communities such as Lake Placid provide a great base for activities throughout the park.

Among the many Adirondack attractions are what’s known as the Adirondack High Peaks, a group of 46 mountains in the region originally believed to be over 4,000 feet in elevation.  Aside from personal satisfaction, climbing all 46 peaks allows one to become a member of the Adirondack Forty-Sixers.

In the near future MapSherpa will be introducing complete data coverage for the United States given visitors to the Adirondacks the opportunity to create their own custom maps for climbing one of the High Peaks or a variety of other outdoor activities.

Sites along the Columbia and Western Trail

The trail offers great vistas, tunnels, historic sites.  Beginning just west of Castlegar, the trail includes three trestle bridges that provide spectacular views of the valley below.  Along the way there are also five tunnels, including Bulldog Tunnel which at a length of 912m is one of the oldest railroad tunnels in excess of 500m in the world.

The C&W line was not built without drama.  Approximately 53 km from the Castlegar trail head there is a memorial to Peter Verigin, spiritual leader of the Doukhobors who was assassinated in 1924 when the train he was traveling on was bombed.  To this day details of the RCMP investigation are shrouded in mystery.

Custom Maps of the Columbia and Western Trail

MapSherpa is an ideal tool for creating a custom map of either the entire C&W trail or specific sections you choose to explore.  The following map shows GPS derived trail data overlain on the MapSherpa base map.

Check out these resources for further information about the C&W trail.

TrailsBC
Trans Canada Trail

Continuing on our series on Waterton National Park are two hikes that start from Cameron Lake. The lake with its deep blue water is very sheltered making it a popular destination for families. Most of Cameron Lake itself is in Canada but the southern tip extends into Glacier National Park in the United States.

Getting to Cameron Lake

To reach the lake from the Waterton townsite take Range Road 11 – also called the Akamina Parkway. It will end in a parking lot at Cameron Lake. Once you exit the parking lot, you’ll be at the northern end of the lake. There is a little shop there that will rent out canoes and sell water and some snacks. Canoeing the lake can be relatively relaxing and will allow you to get closer to the southern end of the lake and the chance to see bears along the slope of Mount Custer.

Cameron Lake Trail – Bear Country

This is an area where bears tend to gather, so look for warnings.  In some instances the Cameron Lake trail may be closed as a safety precaution. August, in particular, is the time of year when the saskatoon berries are in season, drawing the bears closer to where trails and campgrounds are located.

Hike along Cameron Lake Trail

If you are looking for a relaxing, short hike, head down the path on the west side of the lake. This will take you on the Cameron Lakeside trail, which is about 1.6 km to the end. You will get a clear view of Mount Custer at the end of the lake, which is in Glacier National Park in the United States. This trail is relatively flat with very little elevation change as it runs alongside the lake. There are a few places where you can step out of the trees and take photos or eat your lunch.

Challenging Hikes on the Andrew Carthew Lakes Trail

If you are looking for a more difficult hike, take the path heading to the east side of the lake. Like the Tamarack/Rowe Lakes trail, this trail has a few different places that you can stop and turn around at. It’s officially the Andrew/Carthew Lakes trail, but you can stop at Summit Lake about 4 km along the trail. You switchback part of the way up the mountain, so it is not surprising that there is a 300m rise in elevation.  If you are feeling up for a longer hike, you can continue on to Buchanan Ridge, which will give you a great view of Andrew and Carthew Lakes, after a 650m rise from Cameron Lake. Continuing along this trail will take you to both Andrew and Carthew Lakes and eventually to the townsite.

Custom Topographic Maps of Cameron Lake

With MapSherpa you can create your own custom maps of Cameron Lake. Just search for Waterton Lakes, select the first result and you can start mapping your area of interest.

See a Previous post on Hiking Rowe Lakes and Tamarack Trail at Waterton Lakes.

As far as history is concerned, the west shore’s Port Royal and Annapolis Royal represent the first permanent settlement of Europeans in Canada and is the oldest continuous European settlement north of St. Augustine Florida.

The Mi’kmaq, part of the Algonquin peoples who lived in northeastern North America, lived in the valley when Europeans first arrived in the area.

Samuel de Champlain first landed there in 1603 and then returned in 1604 with Samuel de Champlain and Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons at which time Port Royal was established as a French settlement and the point of entry into Canada for the French fur trade.

In the early 1700’s Port Royal was abandoned for Annapolis Royal which was under British rule.  There are many preserved historic buildings and sites in the Annapolis area that will be fascinating for history buffs.  Check out the town of Annapolis Royal website for more information about what to see and do in Annapolis and the surrounding area.

Creating Maps of Annapolis Royal

MapSherpa provides excellent tools to create a custom map to guide you on your tour of the area.

The areas of interest are not limited to Annapolis Royal.  Other locations along the Annapolis Basin including Clementsport and Digby offer plenty to see and experience.

This year the festival runs from May 7th until May 24th, with most events running along the Rideau Canal. The area around Dow’s Lake features numerous tulip beds throughout the month, with certain types of tulips being more prone to open later in the month. This means that visiting the same place twice during the festival is fine, as different beds of tulips will be on display.

Sussex Drive to Dow’s Lake Walk

One particularly nice way to spend the day is to start on Sussex Drive and start walking towards Dow’s Lake. Cross the Rideau Bridge and follow the canal to Dow’s Lake. This will take you along the majority of the tulip beds, as well as being a beautiful walk. The Rideau Canal will be filled before then and boating season will be starting on the last weekend of the festival.