Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of many sites in North America named for George Vancouver, a British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794.

Vancouver Island is arguably Canada's most well-known and beautiful island. Over the steep mountaintops, swaths of pine forest peak. The capital of British Columbia and a city with a vibrant wine culture, Victoria, is also located on Vancouver Island.

Driving up the coast will present you with a rugged maze of woods and roads, allowing you to explore the island at your leisure. Or, for awe-inspiring vantage points, try sailing around it—floating along the northern shoreline to where the ocean and mountains meet, you can envisage the first journey to Desolation Sound. Circumnavigate the island to Pacific Sands Beach Resort, where you may also rent bikes for touring.

Area: 31,285 km2

Location: British Columbia, Canada

The Magdalen Islands (or Les Iles de la Madeleine) are a string of red clay cliffs and undulating green meadows that stretch across the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, including eight large islands and one small island. Lagoons have been cut into the islands' shores, and peaceful sea coves await those who dare to explore them. Wherever you walk in this town, you'll find a proud Acadian and maritime culture, which is often portrayed through the local art and food scene.

Traditional seafood delicacies like lobster pots and fish pies are served by Madelinots (locals of the islands), but you can also try your hand at bartering for lobster down by the wharves and preparing it yourself. Summer is the best weather, autumn is filled with local festivals, and winter is a spectacular contrast of colors when snow blankets the red cliffs.

Area: 205.53 km2

Location: Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Quebec, Canada

Manitoulin Island is an island located in Lake Huron on the Laurentian continental shelf. The island lies within the borders of the province of Ontario, Canada. With an area of 2,766 square kilometers, this is the largest lake island in the world. The island is so large that the island alone contains more than 100 inland lakes. Manitoulin Island itself contains several lakes within it. By size, the three most prominent lakes on the island are Lake Manitou, Kagawong, and Mindemoya. These three lakes all contain small islands within them. The largest of the three is Treasure Island of Lake Mindemoya, at 0.3 square kilometers, located in the center of Manitoulin.

Take a lighthouse tour from the western tip of Manitoulin to the southern perimeters, stopping at Misery Bay along the way. Today's visitors, on the other hand, can expect nothing but pure rivers and aromatic wildflowers. A stay here would be incomplete without a view of the lake and an island.

Area: 2,766 km2

Location: Ontario, Canada

The Thousand Islands, a North American archipelago of 1,864 islands that straddles the Canada–US boundary in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario, is one of Canada's most beautiful sights. These islands are a hybrid of the two countries.

Canada owns Wolfe Island, the largest of the Thousand Islands and home to a corn maze. Despite the fact that Wellesley Island, which is home to the Lake of the Isles, is a US settlement, a peaceful sailing adventure is the ideal way to get to know the area. Wind your way through narrow watery passages, listening to the lovely silence of lapping waters and wildlife cries as you gaze out to isolated dwellings perched sadly on the shoreline. The Woodview Inn is a great spot to stay just down the road from the Thousand Islands National Park.

Location: Ontario

The archipelago of Haida Gwaii is located 55–125 kilometers off Canada's northern Pacific coast. The small Hecate Strait separates the islands from the mainland to the east. The disputed Dixon Entrance separates Haida Gwaii from the Alexander Archipelago in the United States state of Alaska to the north.

Haida Gwaii, located north of Vancouver Island, is one of Canada's most remote archipelagoes. This kite-shaped group of islands is the north's monument to the wild, known as the "Canadian Galapagos" because of its likeness to the Ecuadorian islands due to their rich species.

Cross the Hecate Strait's rough waters to reach its forested coastlines, which are home to unusual subspecies like the Haida Gwaii black bear, the world's largest and oldest spruce trees, and the Haida First Nation, one of the world's oldest traceable human communities. The Haida culture is mythical and enduring, so stop by Old Massett and Skidegate to see local Haida performers and sample traditional specialties like steaming fish stew. Because of the remoteness of this mostly roadless environment, kayaking is the greatest and most immersive mode of transportation, allowing you to forget about the stresses of the day while you paddle around one of Canada's last frontiers.

Area: 10,180 km2

Location: Pacific Ocean, British Columbia