Northern Park is Unspoiled Attraction

Every year, only about 1,000 people make it up to the Nahanni National Park Reserve of Canada in the western part of the Northwest Territories.  OK, so it’s not all that easy to get there. Fort Simpson, the town closest to Nahanni, is itself some 600 kilometres from Yellowknife, the territorial capital.  But the reserve is definitely worth a visit. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its stunning beauty thrills the few who make it that far into the northern wilderness.

It’s the mountains, the lakes and the rivers that take your breath away in Nahanni.  On the South Nahanni River (or Naha Dehé) Nailicho, or Virginia Falls, is twice as high as Niagara.  The mountain peaks are incredible, and serious climbers can attempt the Cirque of the Unclimbables, accessible from a small mountain lake.  The Ram Plateau, which blends high grasslands with deep canyons, offers challenging hiking.  (There are sulphur hotsprings to help you relax after your efforts.)

 

You can canoe or kayak on your own, or let someone else do the heavy lifting and take a whitewater rafting expedition down the river – there are several options for trips.  And if you’re not into working up a sweat, you can charter a helicopter for a bird’s eye view of attractions.

A visit to this part of the world takes planning. Visit the Northwest Territories tourism website for information.  There are several daily scheduled flights into Yellowknife from Edmonton and Calgary; Yellowknife is the jumping-off point for access by air to other Northwest Territory communities.  Fort Simpson and Nahanni Butte, the community closest to the park entrance, are also accessible by road.

Daniel Drolet is an Ottawa-based writer and president of Éclair Communications. He is a member of Travel Gay Canada.

New Gay-Owned B&B Opens in Kelowna, B.C.

Wilbur Turner is living the dream.  He recently traded the bustle (and rain) of Vancouver for a quieter life in the heart of what he happily describes as “the Sonoma Valley of Western Canada.”  At the centre of his new life is Clarance House, the bed and breakfast he opened earlier this year in the Okanagan Valley city of Kelowna. 

He now divides his time between his day job as vice-president of a software company (he works from home), the B&B, and active involvement in Kelowna’s gay community.  Turner says he’d been coming to Kelowna regularly for about a decade and fell in love with the area.  He decided to move there and open a B&B aimed at the LGBT market.

The Okanagan, in south-central British Columbia, has a dry, almost desert-like climate.  “We do get rain, but the summers are pretty warm. It’s usually in the high 30s, and I’ve seen the temperature up into the low 40s,” he says.  The climate has made the Okanagan the centre of B.C.’s thriving wine industry.  There are vineyards all over, and they are major attraction. Many, notes Turner, have excellent restaurants.

The hilltop location of Clarance House gives it an excellent view of Okanagan Lake, another big attraction. Anyone for the beach? There’s also a range of other outdoor activities, including kayaking, cycling and hiking.

Clarance House’s ‘public’ space includes three bedrooms and a family room with a TV. There’s also a saltwater pool, a hot tub and a large backyard for guests to enjoy.  Turner is hoping to attract people looking for quality accommodation in a tasteful setting.  He had never run a B&B before opening Clarance House, but has been a fan of B&Bs for years.  “I usually stay in B&Bs when I travel,” he says, explaining that he sees them as way of meeting people and discovering the communities he visits.

He is happily connecting his LGBT visitors to the local LGBT community.  There are no gay bars in Kelowna, he explains, but there is an active gay community that centres on the Okanagan Rainbow Coalition. There are regular community dances, and an annual pride festival every year in mid-August.

Daniel Drolet is an Ottawa-based writer and president of Éclair Communications. He is a member of Travel Gay Canada.