It’s no secret – every year Canada blushes from head to toe.

Get the wetsuits ready—the surfers are ready to make a serious splash. The O’Neill Coldwater Classic Series surf tour barrels into Tofino, BC on Saturday (Oct. 9).

Pemberton, BC, is just one train stop beyond Whistler, but the two are leagues apart in sensibility. Pemberton’s the place Whistlerites move to when they grow up.

The nip in the air is your first hint. Winter? Yup, she’s a-coming. But before the snow falls and the heavy coats come out is the season that Canada does better than anyone out there. Leaves changing colour and warm breezy days ease us out of the scorching days of summer and give us a treat for the eyes. So of course we’ve got unique ways to savour it.

In the spring, all minds might turn to flowers; but in the fall, the focus is on food. Canada’s glowing landscape shifts to produce some of the body fillers we’ll covet in the months to come: top-class wines, delicious seafood and meats, plus root veggies perfect for soups and cold nights in front of a fireplace. And when the hard work of the harvest is done? We party.

It’s no wonder Canadians love autumn. The bugs are gone, the heat and humidity have evaporated along with the summer crowds, the forests are turning red and gold before your eyes, farmers’ markets are bursting with produce. 

Here’s how to make the most of the season outdoors in Canada:

When summer turns to fall in Canada, rural folks turn to fall suppers. It’s a time to celebrate the harvest; though most of us no longer spend long days bringing in the crops, we still like to give thanks for autumn’s bounty. (Canadian Thanksgiving falls on Oct. 11 this year.)

Canadians love to party and just about any excuse will do: the changing of the seasons, wildlife migration, anniversaries of historical events. You name it, there’s probably a festival to celebrate it in Canada. No matter the season or the region, we’ve got festivals and events going on across this great big land.

Summer

On my first trip to Long Beach, BC—before the road was paved and it became Pacific Rim National Park Reserve—I stayed in a cabin with a leaky roof, which cost 75¢ a night for a bed and

If you think the depths of winter are the only time to see the aurora borealis, banish the thought! And if you think autumn’s parade of colour is the exclusive offering of those leafy, east-coast deciduous forests, you’re in for a pleasant surprise.