Canada’s Parks Day Date in the current year: July 19, 2025

Thanks to its vast and diverse national park system, Canada is widely regarded as one of the world’s top destinations for nature enthusiasts and outdoor adventurers. The country offers unspoiled natural beauty, a powerful sense of wilderness, and limitless opportunities for exploration and outdoor activities, from towering mountain ranges and lush forests to crystal-clear glacial lakes and breathtaking coastal landscapes.

Canada has 37 national parks and 11 national park reserves. Banff National Park in Alberta is the country’s oldest national park, and Wood Buffalo National Park in northeastern Alberta and the southern Northern Territories is its largest. Each of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories has national parks worth visiting. Destination Canada, a government agency responsible for promoting Canadian tourism, even made a list entitled “One National Park to Visit in Every Province and Territory”:

• Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland and Labrador
• Prince Edward Island National Park in Prince Edward Island
• Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia
• Fundy National Park in New Brunswick
• Rouge Urban Park in Ontario
• La Mauricie National Park is in Quebec
• Riding Mountain National Park is in Manitoba
• Auyuittuq National Park in Nunavut
• Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan
• Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories
• Banff and Jasper National Parks in Alberta (they are actually two different parks, but they are the two most visited national parks in Canada, so it’s difficult to choose just one)
• Kluane National Park in Yukon
• Pacific Rim National Park Reserve in British Columbia

Canada’s Parks Day was launched in 1990 by the Canadian Parks Council, comprised of federal, provincial, and territorial park agencies. The initiative was supported by Parks Canada, a government agency responsible for managing Canada’s national parks, national park reserves, national marine conservation areas, national historic sites, Rouge National Urban Park, and Pingo Canadian Landmark.

Municipal, provincial, and federal parks agencies across the country celebrate Canada’s Parks Day by hosting family-friendly activities where people can learn about the benefits of parks, historical sites and thriving ecosystems, and the importance of protecting natural habitats. The holiday also offers a great opportunity to celebrate significant anniversaries of Canada’s oldest and most important parks.

The best way to celebrate Canada’s Parks Day is to head to your favorite park and spend quality time there with friends and family (or alone, if you feel like you need some solitude). You can take a hike, build a campfire (taking all the necessary precautions, of course) and make s’mores, stay until dark to stargaze, get up early to see the sunrise, take photos and share them on social media with the hashtag #CanadasParksDay. Or, you can just kick back and relax under a tree.