Jetsettersblog

Quietly dreaming of crossing off more items each year, we’ve all got a bucket list. Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson have big buckets to fill as stars of The Big Year, a film which premiered October 14, 2011. Witness the trials and tribulations of the trio as they compete in a prestigious bird watching tournament, attempting to spot the rarest birds in North America. Portraying avid birders bound and determined to sight and tally the best of the bird species, the comedians are sure to bring barrels of laughs to the big screen and competitive bird watching to the red carpet!

Always camera ready, the bird is the word, and bird watching is worthy of the spotlight. Like true to life birders, the cast and crew of The Big Year found themselves in various exotic locations; peacefully, patiently, pursuing their next magic moment, waiting for it to take flight. The most exciting of moments for a bird watcher, occurs during a Rare Bird Alert.

The North American Rare Bird Alert (NARBA) is a subscription reporting service for rare birds occurring in the continental United States, Alaska, and Canada. Rare birds are defined by the NARBA as birds who are infrequent visitors, or birds that are difficult to find due to their habits or duration of stay.

This alert sourced inspiration for a song and the title of Steve Martin’s latest bluegrass album, Rare Bird Alert.

Amazing, abundant, and awesome, are the birds in the Grand Canyon State of Arizona. Bring your binoculars, an identification book, and have the NARBA hotline on speed dial, while in hot pursuit of your own Rare Arizona Bird Alert. Arizona is an exceptional destination, ranking as a top revenue generator in the Mountain States for wildlife watching. Diverse wildlife and spectacular scenery make Arizona a premier destination for birders and nature enthusiasts.

Just over an hour south of Tucson nestled between Kartchner Caverns, Tombstone, Bisbee, and Arizona’s wine country, discover Sierra Vista, the hummingbird capital of the United States. Sierra Vista’s, Ramsey Canyon is surrounded by the Huachuca Mountains of southeastern Arizona, and the live oak foliage canopy, internationally renowned among birders.

Here fifteen species of hummingbirds are known as well as dozens of species whose geographical ranges lie also in Mexico. This 380 acre property provides excellent birding opportunity year round and is home to the Nature Conservancy’s Preserve as well as the the Arizona Folklore Preserve. The steep rise of the mountains from the surrounding arid grasslands, create “sky islands,” which harbor tremendous habitat diversity. Be sure to see Madera Canyon and the San Pedro Riparian Conservation Area, to set your sights on the birds that call this home.

Joining the snowbirds, nearly 400 species of birds make Yuma, Arizona a seasonal stop or year round home. West Wetlands and Gateway parks and the East Wetlands restoration area provide wonderful wildlife watching. Kofa and Cibola national wildlife refuges and Mittry Lake offer thousands of acres of diverse desert, mountain and riparian habitat to discover.

Oak Creek Canyon among red rocks of Sedona, offers a bird watchers paradise and desert oasis in a beautiful riparian area. See four species of hummingbirds, the Anna’s, the rufous broad-tailed and black-chinned. Orioles, tanagers, woodpeckers and the delightful sounds of the Gambel’s Quail make for a memorable Sedona retreat.

Awaken your inner birder. Inspire yourself as you see the excitement of a Rare Bird Alert. Imagine experiencing an adventure all your own while watching The Big Year. The surprising variety of elevation, scenery, and natural life across Arizona make it an outstanding destination for birding and watchable wildlife. Enjoy the natural beauty of the desert, the mountain landscapes, lush pine forests and the fascinating flora and fauna which make the Grand Canyon State so vibrant. Time to revamp the bucket list; Add an Arizona visit to enjoy your biggest year yet!

About Arizona

For more information on this topic and others see the official Arizona travel and vacation guide from the Arizona Office of Tourism at www.arizonaguide.com  or on your smartphone at mobi.arizonaguide.com 

Find in-depth AZ visitor information and videos about visiting the state of Arizona, including comprehensive directories of Arizona hotels, dining and shopping, as well as things to do and places to visit throughout the Grand Canyon State.

Whistler, B.C. – Tourism Whistler has launched the most exciting contest in the history of the resort, with an ultimate prize package that cannot be purchased: an invitation to experience the Whistler dream.

Launching this week is the Whistler Sabbatical Project: One month in Whistler. Expenses paid. Airfare, accommodation, lift passes, ski/ snowboard equipment, plus a series of extraordinary experiences.

Who wouldn’t want to spend a month at North America’s premier ski destination? It might seem like a no-brainer but Tourism Whistler recognizes that, for most people, there are many obstacles that make it impossible to un-plug from day-to-day life for an entire month. The Whistler Sabbatical Project aims to remove those barriers, by providing the grand prize winner with a four-week Whistler experience plus a salary (to a maximum of $4,200 CDN) to help offset the expenses of taking a month off work.

Each Tuesday for the next 15 weeks, the Whistler Sabbatical Project will showcase unique and exciting Whistler experiences online – and ask the question: Would you do it? How contestants respond will set the stage for building an itinerary of adventure in Whistler that includes some activities you’d expect from this mountain town, while others you’ve never dreamed possible. From slicing the tops off magnums of champagne with a sabre (in a 20,000 bottle wine cellar) and access to a world-class spa facility to on-mountain adventures that are bucket-list worthy – this collection of Whistler experiences will create a lifetime of bragging rights.

“We’re encouraging people to go to the site every week, think about the question and answer whether or not they’d do that particular activity,” explained Kirsten Homeniuk, Tourism Whistler’s Senior Manager of Marketing Services. “Share the link with your friends, post it on Facebook, Tweet it … dare people to enter the contest,” she said.

The contest entry for the Whistler Sabbatical Project is available at www.whistler.com/wouldyoudoit.

To participate in the conversation thread on Twitter use #wouldyoudoit

Visitors to the microsite get a special glimpse of each experience through Tourism Whistler’s 45 second videos. “These vignettes not only highlight elements of the Whistler Sabbatical,” adds Homeniuk, “they showcase many of the activities that help define what makes the resort such an amazing place to visit.”

This week’s question is “Would you dance in your ski boots until midnight?” Response options include:

□ I’ll do it
□ Been there, done that
□ I’ll need a little more time with that (and likely some good tequila)

In addition to the Whistler Sabbatical Project, contestants can enter to win each of the highlighted experiences as a weekly prize via Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/GoWhistler.

For this week’s prize, the winner receives a $600 Whistler Blackcomb gift card towards new ski boots and a tab at the Garibaldi Lift Co. Bar & Grill.

The Whistler Sabbatical Project and the weekly prize contests are open to residents in North America, the United Kingdom and Australia. Contest rules and conditions apply. Weekly prize winners will be drawn randomly.

The Whistler Sabbatical Project contest closes January 31, 2012 with 10 randomly-selected finalists drawn between February 1-10, 2012 and the grand-prize winner notified on February 13, 2012.

The Whistler Sabbatical prize must be redeemed between March 1 – April 30, 2012.

The microsite for the Whistler Sabbatical Project is featured on the whistler.com website – which has just been redesigned to coincide with the launch of the winter season and Tourism Whistler’s winter marketing campaign.

Featuring stunning imagery, additional content and enhanced functionality, the whistler.com website is a leading destination marketing organization site and the source for Whistler information and reservations.

 Whistler and Blackcomb mountains are scheduled to open November 24. Last winter was the resort’s second snowiest on record, with Whistler and Blackcomb mountains accumulating more than 51 feet of powder. This year, meteorologists are calling for another La Nina weather pattern which means cooler temperatures and consistent heavy precipitation.

With opening day only five weeks away, and snow already accumulating on the mountain tops, Whistler is buzzing with pre-winter anticipation. To view the alpine webcams visit www.whistler.com

Note: Media can request access to b-roll from the vignettes by submitting a request here. Learn more about the Whistlerites showcased in the videos by visiting Tourism Whistler’s online media room for local personality profiles. This week’s video has a cameo appearance by Mike Varrin. Reverend, story-teller, and man about town, Mike is also Whistler Blackcomb’s Director of Bars.

Whistler is Canada’s premier year-round leisure and meeting destination located in the Coast Mountains 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Consistently rated the top ski resort in North America, Whistler was the Host Mountain Resort of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The resort offers an extensive range of accommodations totaling 10,000 bedrooms among 24 hotels as well as townhomes, condos, B&Bs and chalets. Whistler also boasts more than 100 restaurants and bars, 200 retail shops, 25 spas and countless activity options from world-renowned skiing and snowboarding, mountain biking and golf, to hiking, rock climbing, and watersports. The Resort Municipality of Whistler is home to a diverse community of more than 10,000 permanent residents.

Tourism Whistler is the member-based marketing and sales organization representing Whistler, operating the Whistler Conference Centre, Whistler Golf Club, Whistler Visitor Centre, as well as 1.800.WHISTLER and www.whistler.com – Whistler’s official source for visitor bookings and information. As the convention and visitors bureau for the Resort Municipality of Whistler, Tourism Whistler represents more than 7,000 members who own, manage and operate properties or businesses on resort lands including hotels, restaurants, activity operators and retail shops.

Two dozen fantastic handcrafted lighthouses, entries three to six feet tall and with working lights, will be found throughout the Norwalk Aquarium galleries from November 12 through January 16, 2012. Many entries will be crafted from unexpected materials.

Along with wood, metal, stone and papier-mache, creations in past years have ranged from paper and string to candy and paper clips. The winner of the $1500 first prize will be chosen by visitors, who vote for their favorite creations. Cash awards are also given to the next five favorites.

The galleries also are filled with unique family-pleasing exhibits from adorable meerkats to Africa: From the Desert to Sea, featuring amazing fish, turtles and snakes from the Nile River, Red Sea, and lakes of Africa’s Great Rift Valley.

For more information, see www.maritimeaquarium.org

Amazing Legos

All Aboard with Bill Probert and Friends II brings back the creator of a 2008 Lego display that was the best-attended exhibition ever at the Stamford Museum. Probert, a train and Lego lover, puts together his two passions to create an amazing 365-square-foot Trainscape that will fill the Museum’s entire Leonhardt gallery.

The scene includes several moving trains and a constantly evolving whimsical town, all created with Lego blocks. The exhibit runs November 12 to January 2. See www.stamfordmuseum.org  for details.

Creative Crafts

Original talent also will be on display at the Silvermine Arts Center in Norwalk, where the juried exhibition Craft USA 2011 from November 13 to December 23 will showcase original works of art made by hand by over 400 artists from throughout the U.S.

The triennial competition draws over 1000 entries, in a mix of mediums including ceramics, fiber, glass, jewelry, metal, paper, wood and basketry.

The Arts Center is also an excellent place to find original gifts. It is home to the Silvermine Guild of Artists, founded in 1922, a community of over 300 professional artists working in all visual art media. The Gift Shop offers a variety of beautiful handcrafted items specially designed and made by guild Artists and artists from across the U.S. Jewelry, ceramics, sculptures, paintings, prints and photographs are among the offerings. See www.silvermineart.org for details.

Original Gifts

More original gift ideas will be found at several arts centers. The 17th Annual Holiday Gift Show at the Rowayton Arts Center will show the work of 30 talented local crafters from November 19th December 22nd. The choices including cards, sweaters and other hand knits, ornaments, jewelry, pottery, and paintings. www.Rowaytownartscenter.org

To prove that big gifts can come is small packages, “Smallwork” at The Carriage Barn Arts Center in New Canaan November 20 to December 30 will offer paintings and art works in several media, none measuring larger than 20 inches, including the frame. www. carriagebarn.org

Holiday House Tour

For inspiration on displaying new gifts as well as ideas for holiday decorations, the popular annual Antiquarius Holiday House Tour to benefit the Greenwich Historical Society will be held on Wednesday, December 7.th Described as “a handbook for high style,” the tour will include five fabulous Greenwich homes, contemporary and classic, from the shore to the back country.

Among the homes are the ultra-elegant residence of a sought-after interior designer; a Victorian restoration, a shingle-style family home and a gentleman’s European-inspired stone residence as well as a bachelor’s sophisticated backcountry abode. The homes are even lovelier dressed in holiday finery.

The Antiquarius Holiday Boutique at 19 Doubling Road in Greenwich will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. showcasing over 30 specialty vendors with unique gift ideas from fine jewelry to antiques. The shop will also be open for preview shopping on Tuesday evening December 6, when hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar will be available. For details and reservations, phone 203-869-6899 or see www.greenwichhistory.org

Pose with Santa and his Reindeer

Santa and his live reindeer will be in residence at McArdle’s Florist and Garden Center in Greenwich from November 25 to December 24 for the 2011 Greenwich Reindeer Festival and Santa’s Workshop presented by Mercedes-Benz of Greenwich to benefit Kids in Crisis. Santa and the reindeer will be ready and willing to pose for photos with kids and families, with all proceeds benefiting Kids in Crisis.

Reindeer feeding times will be at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily. Check www.greenwichreindeerfestival.com for hours and information.
For more information about these and other holiday events and a free copy of the Fairfield County Getaway Guide, contact the Western Connecticut Visitors Bureau, PO Box 968, Litchfield, CT 06759, (860) 567-4506, www.visitwesternct.com

The Beverly Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau’s has announced the return of “And to All a Free Night,” available at 10 hotels in the city.

Depending on the property, guests at participating hotels receive a free night with the purchase of the first two or three nights. The offer is valid through Jan. 8.

This year, hotels are adding extras like restaurant or spa credits, access to a personal shopper and free transportation. In addition, each package includes a shopping card, courtesy of Two Rodeo Drive, with deals at restaurants, art galleries and boutiques. And the first 200 guests to book the package and complete their stays will receive The Helix Pendant — a Swarovski Elements necklace inspired by the crystal display illuminating Rodeo Drive for the holidays.

Participating hotels offering a third night free during the promotion are the Avalon Beverly Hills (with nightly room rates from $290), L’Ermitage Beverly Hills (from $425), the Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel (from $309), the Peninsula Beverly Hills (from $665, and the Thompson Beverly Hills (from $219).

Hotels offering a fourth night free are the Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows (from $665), the Beverly Hilton (from $285), the Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel (from $420), the Montage Beverly Hills (from $595) and the Mosaic Hotel (from $340).

For more information, call 800-345-2210 or visit www.lovebeverlyhills.com

Crystal Cruises will feature political and world affairs pundits during its Ocean Views program on Crystal Serenity’s March 31 voyage from Osaka to Los Angeles. Among those scheduled to take part are James Carville, Mary Matalin, former Ambassador Marc Ginsberg, and four-star Gen. Hugh Shelton.

British foreign correspondent Ken Rees will moderate the debate. As a buildup to the debate, all commentators will also present individual lectures in their area of expertise.

Ocean Views brings together experts from both sides of the aisle in a moderated debate of global issues and news items, followed by live Q&A. New to the 2012 Ocean Views program is interactive technology that will allow audience members to anonymously share their own opinions during the debate via individual electronic polling keypads.

The Experiences of Discovery theme will bring other experts together on four additional sailings throughout 2012, including international economics expert Robert Warne, counter-terrorism analyst Farhana Qazi, former Los Angeles Times editor Shelby Coffey, Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin, and Maj. Gen. Pat Brady.

March 31’s “Great Northern Adventure” overnights in Osaka, Japan, before calling in Petropavlovsk, Russia; Dutch Harbor, Kodiak, Seward and Ketchikan, Alaska; Vancouver and Victoria, B.C.; and San Francisco and Los Angeles/San Pedro, Calif.

For reservations by Dec. 31, “Book Now” fares for the 22-day sailing start at $13,060 per person, double occupancy, and include free air from 24 North American cities (or air credit), airport transfers, and $1,000 per person shipboard credit. Limited space is available.

The transformation started in 2007, when the Government of Canada announced a five-year, $516 million investment to strengthen passenger rail services. Another $407 million was added in 2009 through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the Government’s economic stimulus program. It adds up to $923 million – the biggest capital investment in VIA Rail’s history.

Transforming Passenger Rail

We’re laying down new track, revamping our locomotives and passenger cars, and renovating train stations. We’re even building a few new stations as well!

VIA is making sure that every dollar we spend gets a result that counts. You’ll notice changes like:

-safer and faster intercity travel, with more trains and connections every day
-equipment and facilities that give you a more relaxing ride and let you travel in comfort and style
-more reliable services across the board
…and services that are more environmentally friendly than ever before.

TRACKS – Expanding capacity in the Ontario – Quebec Corridor

We are expanding and improving track and infrastructure in the Ontario – Quebec corridor, particularly in the Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto triangle where the demand for service is highest. This means upgrading track to carry faster trains, building more “passing” track so we can pass slower freight trains with fewer delays, and adding sections of third track along major parts of the Montreal-Toronto line to completely separate passenger and freight traffic. When the work is complete, we will have the capacity to serve an estimated 650,000 additional passengers per year.

More trains, more options

As track improvements are completed in the Corridor, we are adding more trains, offering faster service between destinations, with more frequent services every day.

For example, we plan to reduce the average trip time between Montreal and Toronto, and add more weekday trains – including new express and semi-express services.

We’ll double the number of trains between Ottawa and Toronto, add new express services, and reduce the average trip time.

We’ll also be adding new express trains between Montreal and Ottawa.

TRAINS – Rebuilding our trains

We are renewing the equipment we use across the network, from Halifax to Vancouver. Locomotives and passenger cars – most of them in service now for more than 20 years – are being renovated or stripped down and rebuilt from the ground up. The result is better-than-new equipment that delivers more accessible, efficient, and reliable service, and of course, a more comfortable ride.

The “green” travel option

Passenger rail is the most environmentally friendly public transportation available, and we are making it better. New technologies used in rebuilding our locomotives will ensure that they meet current environmental standards for emissions, and improve fuel efficiency.

Many of our passenger cars are going to be more environmentally-friendly as well – new designs will be more efficient in terms of heating, cooling and ventilation systems and will be equipped with other upgrades that reduce power consumption. Completed equipment already in service has shown exceptional results – reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions even more than expected.

STATIONS Better stations

We are upgrading and modernizing more than 50 of our passenger stations in communities across the country. That includes interior and exterior renovations, new roofs, better boarding platforms, more efficient building systems and improved signage. In some cases, it means building completely new stations to meet today’s operational requirements and customer needs.

A portion of this funding is also upgrading systems behind the scenes, like new, more efficient technology supporting ticketing and customer services.

Traveling in comfort

When you arrive at our stations, you will find improved facilities: more comfortable lounges, more efficient ticketing and boarding, a more relaxed and welcoming environment. You will get on trains that are modern, clean and spacious, with interiors and facilities designed to make your journey a great experience. With better equipment, service will be more reliable – and you will get to your destination faster than ever.

BENEFITS

More accessible travel

As we upgrade our equipment, we are building in features to make travel more convenient and comfortable for people with restricted mobility.

These include enhanced sleeping accommodations on the eastern and western transcontinental services, along with larger washroom facilities, improved tie-down areas for those with wheel-chairs, and accommodation for service animals.

All of our trains in the Ontario – Quebec Corridor will have washrooms, seating and facilities designed to enhance accessibility. We are also making the equipment we use for service in remote and northern communities more accessible.

The safest passenger service

We are committed to providing the safest passenger service in Canada.

All of our capital projects make the safety of our customers, and the communities we service, a top priority – from the design of our stations, to improved computerized traffic control and signalling, to upgrading track for safe operations at higher speeds.
As we upgrade track and infrastructure, we are taking measures to improve safety by installing new security fencing at key locations, improving rail-road crossings and, wherever possible, eliminating at-grade intersections between rail lines and roads.

The Bottom Line? Better Service, Better Value

The Capital Investment Projects are transforming virtually every aspect of VIA’s passenger rail service in Canada. Each project is making a difference that matters – delivering better service and more value to our customers, and to Canada.

About VIA Rail Canada

As Canada’s national rail passenger service, VIA Rail Canada’s (www.viarail.ca ) mandate is to provide efficient, more environmentally sustainable and cost-effective passenger transportation, in the country’s two official languages. Every week VIA operates 503 intercity, transcontinental and regional trains linking 450 communities across its 12,500 kilometers route network.

The demand for VIA services is growing as travelers increasingly turn to train travel as a safe, hassle-free and environmentally responsible alternative to congested roads and airports. Follow VIA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/via_rail.  Check out VIA’s new Facebook page at www.facebook.com/viarailcanada

Company proves there’s lots of Christmas cheer across the river from Rockefeller Center

Brooklyn, NY – “Rockefeller Center? FUHGETTABOUDIT!”

That’s the slogan of “A Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tours” as they prepare for their fifth annual “Christmas Lights and Cannoli Tour” this December.

The three and a half hour tour, which includes cannoli and cappuccino at one of Brooklyn’s favorite Italian pastry shops, starts in Manhattan and highlights the festive homes of Dyker Heights, the Italian-American section of Brooklyn made famous in the PBS documentary “Dyker Lights” which is the area’s nickname during the month of December.

Each year, over 100,000 people flock to the area to see dazzling lights, thirty foot tall wooden soldiers, animatronic figures, glowing nativity scenes and much, much more. Some of the homes featured on the tour are so over-the-top that they’ve been featured on The Learning Channel’s “Crazy Christmas Lights.”

Started in 2006 by native Brooklynite Tony Muia, the tour was a labor of love as well as the natural next step after launching the wildly popular “A Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tour” in 2005.

“I wanted to create an easy way for visitors to hop on a bus in Manhattan and experience the holiday displays of Brooklyn from a native’s perspective” says Muia, who was dubbed “Mister Brooklyn himself” by NBC’s Today Show.

“In fact, when I started doing the Christmas tour five years ago, nobody was bothering to go pick people up in Manhattan and bring them to Brooklyn. So I took it upon myself to be its official ambassador for the holidays.”

Tony and his “Christmas Lights & Cannoli Tour” have been featured on Samantha Brown’s “Holidays in New York” special as well as GMTV in the UK. Muia, whose tour is the only Brooklyn guided bus tour of the area, is amazed but not surprised at all the press coverage the tour has received.

“As Brooklynites, we never went to Rockefeller Center to see the tree. We’d drive around Dyker Heights to see the most amazing displays in the world and then go for cannoli and cappuccino. We always knew Dyker Heights was special. It’s great to see those same families, homes and displays still going strong after all these years. It’s even more rewarding showing people from around the country, and around the world, what Brooklynites have known for over twenty years.”

Adds Muia, “Each year the decorations get bigger, brighter and even more elaborate than the year before. It’s great to see the homeowners trying to outdo each other. But I gotta be honest with you. The best part is hearing folks say ‘Rockefeller Center? FUHGETTABOUDIT!’ at the end of every tour.”

This year the “Christmas Lights & Cannoli Tour” will operate every night of the week during the entire month of December from Friday, December 2nd to Friday, December 30th, 2011.

“A Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tours” is the only Brooklyn-based, guided bus tour company in the NYC area that features Brooklyn’s unique neighborhoods, favorite foods, legendary landmarks and famous movie locations. All tours start and end in Manhattan.

Attractively discounted Earlybird fly/cruise prices for Alaska have just been released by cruise specialists’ ecruising.travel, when you book by April 2012.

They apply to a nine-night package which includes seven nights on board the Star Princess which will visit all the Alaskan highlights including Ketchikan, Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway and Saint John in Canada.

There will also be time at sea to enjoy the vessel’s many restaurants, lounges and bars and activities such as a nine-hole putting course, Terrace and Oasis pools, a jogging track and more.

Departing on September 16, 2012- there are single, twin, triple and quad cabins available from as little as $2729 per person including return economy airfares with V Australia from Sydney, a US$100 on board credit voucher, seven nights cruise accommodation with full board and entertainment, two nights post accommodation at the Fairmont Olympic hotel in Seattle, airport transfers, port charges and government taxes.

More details from ecruising.travel on 1300 369 848 or check-out their new website www.ecruising.travel

Grab the reins for kite skiing on Astotin Lake in Elk Island National Park. It has all the rush of downhill skiing, only you control the speed. Go from double diamond to the bunny hill in an instant. Plus, no waits for the ski lift. You can even tow the kids behind you on a toboggan.

TIP: Elk Island is a Dark Sky Preserve making it a great place to stargaze and see the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).

Five faves with a winter spin
It’s time to park the blues – here are five picks to put the wonder back in winter. And stay tuned for five more!

1. Snuggle up to polar bears, Wapusk National Park, Manitoba

Moose, wolves and caribou are all found in Wapusk National Park, but the polar bears get most of the ooh and ahhs. Book a tour, climb aboard a fat-tired tundra vehicle and go nose to snout with a mother bear wrestling her cubs.

TIP: Best time to see polar bears is mid-October to mid-December.

www.tundrabuggy.com

www.watchee.com

2. Become an Ice Road Trekker

Wood Buffalo National Park, Northwest Territories

If you’ve seen TVs Ice Road Truckers haul cargo from Yellowknife to the diamond mines of the Northwest Territories, you’re probably itching to get behind the wheel. No problem.

Just drive from Fort McMurray through Wood Buffalo National Park to Fort Smith, on an epic ice road journey crossing rivers, muskeg and portages.

TIP: Stop at Fort Chipewyan to experience one of Alberta’s oldest Aboriginal settlements.

3. Strap on your skis, and fly

Kite skiing on Astotin Lake, Elk Island National Park, Alberta

Grab the reins for kite skiing on Astotin Lake in Elk Island National Park. It has all the rush of downhill skiing, only you control the speed. Go from double diamond to the bunny hill in an instant. Plus, no waits for the ski lift. You can even tow the kids behind you on a toboggan.

TIP: Elk Island is a Dark Sky Preserve making it a great place to stargaze and see the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).

4. Dream under the dome.

Yurt stay, Forillion National Park, Québec

I love cross-country skiing except for the climbing back into my cold car part. Now you don’t have to. Book a yurt and watch the sunset from your comfy tent cottage, surrounded by sea at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula. Imagine a cozy wood stove, hardwood floor and comfy beds. Rustic, this ain’t.

TIP: In addition to more than 40 km (25 miles) of cross-country trails, the park offers dogsledding and snowshoeing.

5. Dance on frozen water

Maligne Canyon Ice Walk, Jasper National Park, Alberta

Nature puts on her ice show at the bottom of narrow Maligne Canyon every winter. Descend 50 metres where you’ll explore natural sculptures, waves, swirls, secret ice caves and waterfalls stretching like frozen claws over the canyon walls. Book a tour, strap on your steel grippers, and you’re off!

TIP: Strap-on a headlamp and try the romantic moonlight tour.

Maligne Canyon

Jasper Adventure Centre

SunDog tours

Overlander Trekking and Tours

Walk and Talks Jasper