If you’ve ever thought that wearing a broad-brimmed hat and hollering yeehaa and yahoo at a rodeo might be fun, then Alberta’s the place to find out.

Rodeos are the high point of the annual social calendar in many Albertan towns, but the largest of them all is in Calgary.

As writer Pierre Berton once mused, “a Canadian is someone who knows how to make love in a canoe”.

Indeed, canoeing is so Canadian that one of the main canoe designs is even called a “Canadian” canoe, so paddling a pretty mountain lake should really be considered an integral part of experiencing the country.

The sense of self-reliance, freedom and adventure of a simple overnight backpacking trip is hard to match. The rewards are not only experiencing peerless scenery first-hand that would otherwise be well out of reach, but also of getting back to nature and dealing with all the practical everyday challenges.

Your camp meal, cooked under the stars and eaten by crackling flames, might be one of the most delicious you’ll taste, whatever the ingredients. Just remember to clean up after yourself or a hungry bear might come and do it for you.

The ever-expanding Fernie Alpine Resort is BC's next big thing

Ski-mad British Columbians will slide down just about any mountain with snow on it.

As well as downhill skiing and snowboarding, there's plenty of opportunities in BC for more adventurous backcountry exploration - be it heli-skiing, cross-country skiing or snowshoeing. For safety reasons, most Canadians wear a helmet when they hit the slopes.