Celebrating the country we love.

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Winnipeg

At sunset in #‎beautifulcanada‬, Winnipeg shows that winter can stun—in the good way, too.

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Whistler Blackcomb

This morning in ‪#‎beautifulcanada‬, the skies sunny and crystalline blue over North America’s No.1 ski resort, Whistler Blackcomb.

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Salmon Arm

As day subsides to dusk in ‪#‎beautifulcanada‬, B.C.’s Lake Shuswap ignites with colour.

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Vernon

Last night in #beautifulcanada, dusk steals orange upon Lake Kalamalka, near Vernon, B.C.

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Toronto

In #beautifulcanada, it’s early morning on the shores of Lake Ontario.

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Edmonton

Last night in #beautifulcanada, an apocalypic sky above Edmonton, Alberta.

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Banff

Yesterday in #beautifulcanada, the clear glacial depths of Moraine Lake, Alberta.

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Cowichan Lake, B.C.

Last night in #beautifulcanada, the star-littered firmament above Cowichan Lake, B.C.

Originally named ‘The Warm Land’ by First Nations peoples, Cowichan rests within Canada’s only maritime Mediterranean climatic zone. That gives it Canada’s balmiest year-round weather—averaging 23°C in summer,  6°C in winter—and the country’s longest growing season.

[More at Pinterest/London Drugs]

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Maligne Lake, Alberta

This morning in #beautifulcanada, playing the blues in Maligne Lake, Alberta.

Hard to believe that so pristine a place takes its name from malin (French for malignant or wicked), but it does. Maligne Lake is fed and drained by the Maligne River. The name, which describes the lake’s turbulent spring outflow, arrived in the mid-19th century with the Belgian priest Pierre-Jean De Smet.

[More at Pinterest/National Geographic]

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Petrie Island, Ontario

Last night in #beautifulcanada, sunset’s charred autumnal hues in Petrie Island, Ontario.

Petrie Island, which sits in the Ottawa River, at the city’s east end, was formed by clay and sand deposited at the end of the last ice age. The City of Ottawa now owns the island, and operates it as an ecological reserve.

[Courtesy of Flickr/Peter Polgar]

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ALL-TIME MOST POPULAR

7) “OMG.”

Yesterday in #beautifulcanada, day subsides to Technicolor dusk over Lake Bennett, in the Yukon Territory. | 11,586 views

Lake Bennett lies in the wintry latitudes of the B.C.-Yukon border, not far from the Alaska Panhandle. During the gold rush of the late 1800s, it was where Alaskan gold-seekers purchased or built rafts to float down the Yukon River to the gold fields of Dawson City. A large temporary city sprang up on its shores, numbering tents in the thousands and offering all the services of a major city.

[Courtesy of Pinterest/London Drugs]

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6) “Es ist eine wunderschöne aufnahme.”

Last night in #beautifulcanada, moonrise over Whistler, B.C. | 11,857 views

Translation, from the German: “It’s a gorgeous shot.” Indeed. Whistler’s legendary beauty is prized by many beholders—a competition reflected in local property values. With detached homes selling for an average of $1,600,000, the area is home to Canada’s most expensive real estate.

[Courtesy of Flickr/James Wheeler]

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5) “We live in paradise.”

Last night in #beautifulcanada: The sky above Galiano Island, B.C. | 17,294 views

If Vancouver city living has you down, the maritime climes of Galiano Island are never far away.  Named for Spanish explorer Dionisio Alcalá Galiano, who explored the area in 1792, Galiano is an hour’s ferry from the suburb of Tsawwassen. British Columbia’s second most populous Gulf Island (after Salt Spring), it is home to 1258 people.

[Courtesy of Flickr/James Wheeler]

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4) “In my opinion, the most beautiful place ever.”

Today in #beautifulcanada: Room with a staggering view, the Chateau Lake Louise, Alberta. | 18,180 views

Lake Louise may well be Canada’s most beloved lake. Pictured here is the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, which opened its doors  in 1890, albeit in radically simpler form. Then owned by Canadian Pacific, the hotel was designed to lure wealthy travelers, adventurers, and alpinists to Louise’s emerald shores—by rail, of course.

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3) “The place takes my breath away.”

Last night in #beautifulcanada, the swirling cosmos above Lake Louise. | 19,226 views

This photograph—the lakefront bleeding light, the sky coruscating with stars—shows how gorgeous a long exposure can be. Lake Louise gets its emerald colour from rock flour carried by melt-water from the glaciers that overlook the lake.

[Courtesy of 500px.com]

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2) “Oh Canada…how I love thee!”

Today in #beautifulcanada, the Three Sisters of Canmore, Alberta. | 21,243 views

Think sisters in a convent, not sisters in a family. Left to right, the trio of peaks near Canmore are known as Big Sister (Faith), Middle Sister (Charity), and Little Sister (Hope). Albert Rogers—nephew to the discoverer of Rogers Pass, in the Selkirk Mountains—named them for the three Christian theological virtues, in 1883.

[Courtesy of Pinterest/Katy McLeod]

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1) “The colours are astounding…”

Last night in #beautifulcanada, the smouldering sunset over Quadra Island, B.C. | 21,598 views

Quadra Island runs 35 kilometers, tip to tip, and at its narrowest point is less than 2000 meters wide. Named in 1903 for the Spanish navigator Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, Quadra belongs to B.C.’s Discovery Island chain, and is home to 2,472 residents.

[Courtesy of Pinterest/Carrie Cole]

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