3 days ago
Looking for National Park ‘Dupes'? Try Canada.
For national park lovers, the recent staff and budget cuts to the U.S. National Park Service threaten to bring long admission lines, shuttered campgrounds and overflowing garbage cans.
If you're seeking to avoid the potential chaos, there's a set of parallel parks just north of the border, in Canada's park system. American visitors are second only to Canadians in park visitation, said Guy Thériault, the chief spokesman for Parks Canada, which oversees 48 national parks.
It could be a big year for Canadian parks, with politics and the economy driving visits. Canadians are canceling trips to the United States to protest President Trump's tariffs and threats to Canadian sovereignty, while also dealing with a weak Canadian dollar (the U.S. dollar is worth about 1.38 Canadian dollars).
'I think it's going to be very busy, with domestic travelers staying at home and busy with international travelers,' Mr. Thériault said. Dropping gas prices may help. 'We rely on a big U.S. drive market,' he said.
Whether you drive or fly, the following Canadian alternatives offer similar appeal to certain American parks.
Instead of Acadia National Park, in Maine
Fundy National Park, in New Brunswick
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