Best Of Canada

Canadian geographic presents the winners of our 34th annual photo competition

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ACTIVE OUTDOORS | WINNER

Mike Crane

A backcountry skier ascends into a mountain paradise for an overnight ski adventure in the Cerise Creek area of Duffey Lake Road near Pemberton, B.C. The roughly 100-kilometre Duffey Lake Road between Pemberton and Lillooet is renowned for spectacular scenery and year-round access to parks and trails.

The Milky Way rises over the Alberta badlands. A northern pygmy-owl fixes its challenging yellow gaze on the photographer who has dared to enter its forest on northern Vancouver Island. A kayaker dips her paddle in an Ontario lake as dawn paints the sky vivid shades of turquoise and pink. The following 15 images are the best of the best of Canadian Geographic’s 34th annual photo competition, chosen from among more than 5,100 entries by our panel of judges: Photographers-in-Residence Michelle Valberg and Scott Forsyth, Explorer-in-Residence George Kourounis and freelance photographers Zach Baranowski and Gary Cummins. These images are a testament to the nation’s incredible geographical and biological diversity.

ACTIVE OUTDOORS | RUNNER-UP

Catherine Page

A paddleboarder enjoys the serenity of a late summer morning on Two Jack Lake in Banff National Park, Alta. Just 12 kilometres from the Banff townsite, Two Jack Lake, with its panoramic view of Mount Rundle, is one of the park’s most iconic spots for picnicking and paddling.