12 Great Wildlife Experiences for Fall in Canada
As the leaves turn colour and fall off trees, as days get shorter and temperatures cooler, you can still experience great wildlife adventures in Canada. In fact, some experiences are better in the fall.
Not all wildlife adventures involve huge, iconic predators; smaller mammals, reptiles and birds also provide memorable experiences.
Just remember, when viewing wildlife, give them plenty of space. Any photos shown here were taken from a safe distance with a large lens.
British Columbia
Bears and Eagles and Sheep, Oh My!
On Canada’s west coast, you can always count on seeing bears, bald eagles and salmon. They’re all very connected.
I’ve often watched eagles soaring over the Fraser River while sitting on my deck. If you want to see them close up in large numbers, Brackendale is one of the best places to go, from November to late January, due to the fall salmon run. A good way to enjoy them is on an eagle-rafting tour.
Further inland, you can spot them in numbers on tours along the Harrison River in October and November.
Grizzly bears aren’t as easily seen as eagles. While there are never any guarantees with wildlife, the best and safest way to see them is on a guided tour. Campbell River is a great base for bear-watching adventures.
Several wildlife adventure companies offer tours out of Campbell River including tours along the Bute Inlet and in the Toba Inlet. As a bonus, you’ll often see whales, dolphins and sea lions during the tour.
Campbell River is also a great place to see salmon. The Quinsam River Hatchery is just a short drive out of town. It has an interpretive centre and a trail along the river where you can see schools of salmon during the fall run. With a bit of luck, you’ll spot black bears fishing along the river, gorging themselves for winter.
Another BC mountain icon is bighorn sheep. One place you’re almost guaranteed to see them is Kootenay National Park. You don’t have to look hard for them. You can spot them at the entrance gate, wandering around near your campsite, and on the rocky walls on the highway leading to Radium Hot Springs.
Alberta
A Home Where the Deer and the Antelope Play
Pronghorns are one of Canada’s rarer mammals. North America’s fastest land creature is not actually an “antelope;” they’re closely related to African giraffes and okapi. To spot them in Alberta, best to head southeast. Driving from Medicine Hat to Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to see them along the TransCanada Highway and Highway 41 that heads into the park south of Highway 1. While they do exist in the park, I’ve seen far more of them outside its boundaries in the grasslands along the roads.
There’s actually a better chance of spotting elk within the park. Once extirpated, they have been re-introduced to the park, which, along with deer, provide food for the easternmost breeding population of cougars in Canada. Estimates suggest there are around 20 to 40 cougars in the area.
Elk pop up everywhere in Alberta’s mountain parks, like Banff and Jasper, and they’re not difficult to see. They often frequent townsites as well as the highway. Backcountry paddlers and hikers can also see them. When you see them, remember: males get more aggressive during the fall rut.
Saskatchewan
A Home Where the Buffalo Roam
Saskatchewan may be well-known for its wheatfields, but there are many fields where you’ll find roaming buffalo—or more accurately, bison.
One of those spots is Prince Albert National Park, located about 230 kilometres north of Saskatoon. A great place to hike and canoe during autumn, it also offers the opportunity to see one of the few populations of free-ranging plains bison within its historic range in Canada. The Sturgeon River herd contains about 120 animals.
Located on the park’s west side, you can spot them while driving along Highway 240 or Highway 263. You can also see them while hiking the Valleyview Trail network. Seeing them from horseback is another option. Just remember to stay at least 100 metres away from them, even in a vehicle.
Ontario
Moose and Squirrel, Wolves and Turtles
Not to be confused with those old cartoon characters, moose and flying squirrels are two types of wildlife fall visitors to Algonquin Park can find. In fact, once the leaves fall, it’s actually easier to spot one of the two species of flying squirrels found there.
Focus your eyes up in the trees to spot northern or southern flying squirrels.
Moose, of course, are not hard to see. Again, stay well away during the fall rut.
Spotting a moose may involve some luck. You can visit the park 10 times and not see one…or see one your first trip there. Early mornings or evenings are the optimal times to see them in the woods, a marsh, along a river or even while you’re driving along Highway 60.
Looking for slower-moving wildlife? Five different turtle species call Algonquin “home.” But there are plenty of other places to enjoy turtle experiences in Ontario.
A couple of hours south of Algonquin, the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre provides opportunities to see turtles in the wild as well as learn about programs to conserve them and how we can help them.
The centre has just completed its grand opening after a move; the indoor education centre is open, but work is still ongoing on the facility’s outdoor portion. Once completed, it will include paths taking you past ponds and wetland displays. It will also include picnic benches.
Another animal that calls Algonquin “home” is the wolf.
I first heard a wolf howl while camping in Haliburton. I’ve heard them several times since, but never spotted one in the wild. Backpackers and paddlers who have seen wild wolves consider themselves incredibly lucky.
The Haliburton Forest & Wildlife Reserve, about 75 minutes from the park, offers a better-than-average chance to see wolves. Not quite “wild,” they are “unsocialized.” You view them from inside, through one-way viewing portals. You see the wolves, they don’t see you, so they don’t become acclimated to humans. They freely roam a three-hectare site. Sightings aren’t guaranteed, as with any wildlife. Other activities at the centre help you learn about wolf ecology: wolf howls, a wings and wolves event and painting with wolves, are a few.
If you want to combine wolves and turtles in one easy trip, the Turtle Guardians facility in Haliburton, offers Turtle House Tours two days a week during the fall. Be sure to contact them in advance so you don’t show up on a day they’re closed.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Gannets Galore at St. Mary’s
The Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve, 175 kilometres from St. John’s, combines spectacular coastal scenery with amazing bird viewing.
Newfoundland’s “Bird Rock” is North America’s third largest gannet nesting site. A refreshing 1.3 kilometre clifftop walk from the visitors’ centre takes you to the rock where upwards of 30,000 gannets hang out during breeding season.
As you approach the rock, there is a good chance you’ll hear them before you can actually see them. Clambering down to the viewing area, the vista alone may take your breath away.
You’ll need to get it back since seeing that many gannets together may also be breathtaking.
While the numbers do dwindle in the fall, you can usually see them until the end of November.
