SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Reluctant to travel abroad? Vacation budget a little tight? Consider a trip to the Great White North, where natural beauty never ends and the exchange rate gives you more bang for your travel buck.
Canada offers a vast assortment of adventure and sightseeing possibilities ranging from lobster boat trips and kayaking in the backcountry to fine dining and museum-hopping in some of North America's nicest cities, said Barbara Radcliffe Rogers, author of "The Adventure Guide to Canada's Atlantic Provinces."
Many Americans are staying close to home this year due to the struggling economy and the war in Iraq. The mysterious SARS outbreak also is playing into fears. To be sure, Canada's seen the biggest SARS spread outside of Asia, with the Toronto area taking the lion's share. The number of probable or suspected cases nationwide is 253, according to Health Canada.
But travelers eager to cash in on trip deals and dreaming of a place both exotic and familiar may look no further than Canada, travel experts said.
Anyone in a hurry for a cross-border getaway might consider the capital city first, Rogers said.
"The time to go to Ottawa is about now when the tulips are blooming," she said, noting that the Dutch royal family continues to send Canada flowers in gratitude for sheltering them during World War II. "All around the city and around the capital building, every park is solid with tulips. It's just stunning."
For visitors who prefer something more active, the city also offers a bucolic outdoor sport, she said. "There's a canal that runs through the middle of town and people ice skate on it. You can skate the whole length of winter."
Stretching the dollar
Of course, travelers unimpressed with its physical attractiveness may appreciate Canada's more mercenary appeal, Rogers said.
"In the Atlantic provinces, there are a lot of very nice small inns and (bed and breakfasts,)" she said. "It's not unusual to find a pleasant B&B room and full breakfast for $30, $35 a night for two."
One U.S. dollar is worth $1.45 Canadian as of Thursday, meaning that Americans pay 69 cents for every Canadian dollar they shell out.
The exchange rate isn't quite as favorable as it was in 2001, when it averaged $1.59, but it's still a good deal for U.S. travelers, said Guy Desaulniers, spokesman for the Canadian Tourism Commission.
Three out of four of Canada's foreign leisure travelers are American, and Canada-bound travel from the U.S. is expected to grow 2.1 percent this year, he said.
Travelers looking for a taste of Europe in North America with less terrorism fears can visit Montreal and Quebec City, which are about 125 miles apart, said Don George, global travel editor for Lonely Planet, publisher of "Lonely Planet's Canada Guide."
"People who want to visit France without crossing the ocean can go to Quebec City," George said. "There's a lot of French spoken, and it's an old city with cobblestone streets."
In fact, the entire old town is on the United Nations' world heritage list, he said. The French began building Quebec City in 1750, and it's home to a fort called the Citadelle as well as Chateau Frontenac, a picture-friendly hotel.
Attractions include the Museum of Quebec and the Museum of Inuit Art, as well as a great underground mall that connects a network of entertainment centers beneath the cold, snowy surface of the city's winter. Quebec has 672,000 people compared with Montreal's 3.4 million.
As a bigger city with more immigrants, Montreal is known for its culinary and cultural delights, Rogers said. "It is a really cosmopolitan, sophisticated city and a very friendly place.
"Dining in Montreal is outstanding," she said. "They have a Chinatown, a strong Italian district and a Portuguese community. All these have their neighborhoods where you find a concentration of restaurants in those ethnicities."
The four maritime provinces of eastern Canada are New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland/Labrador.
Just north of Maine, New Brunswick offers a host of day adventure programs that let families and individuals test activities such as kayaking without committing to long overnight trips, Rogers said.
The province also features low or no cost cultural programs and nature hikes with trained guides, she said. "You can learn local crafts or wood skills from native Canadians."
New Brunswick's Kouchibouguac National Park boasts "beautiful barrier beaches, warm water and white sand," she said. The area offers campgrounds, trails, and voyager canoe trips. Fur trappers used to use the voyager canoes, which carry up to 12 people.
But the jewel of the Maritimes may be Prince Edward Island. PEI, as it's called, boasts one of Canada's best climates because the Gulf of Mexico current that cuts northward out to sea at Cape Hatteras, N.C., finally winds landward again on PEI's north coast. It has stunning white sand beaches and "the warmest water north of Virginia on the East coast," Rogers said
Part of Nova Scotia faces the Bay of Fundy, home to the world's highest tides and the largest variety of whales, Rogers said. Winters are mild there as well, and the port of Halifax never freezes, she said.
North of PEI and Nova Scotia lies Newfoundland, which has dramatic coastal cliffs and fiords similar to those in Norway, Rogers said. Travelers often enjoy watching whales and sea birds follow the icebergs as they meander their way up Viking Trail on the West side of Newfoundland, she said.
Road-tripping through the Rockies
Travelers up for exploring Canada's more rugged terrain might consider flying into either Edmonton, Alberta or Anchorage, Alaska and renting an SUV or sturdy RV to pick up the 1,500-mile Alaska-Canadian Highway, the only land route through the Yukon Territory to Alaska.
Also known as the Alcan, the road runs from Dawson Creek, British Colombia to Fairbanks, Alaska, through the saber-toothed Kluane Mountains and some of the continent's most gorgeous wilderness. Gas, food and lodging is available generally every 20 to 50 miles.
Those game enough to take this trip will traverse a one-time Gold Rush territory three times the size of Texas, with a population of only 31,000.
About half of those people live in the territorial capital, which gets 19 hours of daylight in July. "Whitehorse still has something of a frontier scene. It's a mix of escaping artists and writers, government workers and grizzled old-timers."
And if you're looking for outdoor adrenaline rushes, you'll find a wild one not far from the capital, George said. "They have good white water rafting on the Tatshenshini River."
Anyone looking for a little less roughing it might consider dropping by Alberta in July for the Calgary Stampede, a rodeo and country line-dancing hoedown known as the greatest outdoor show on earth.
And just a few hours away is Banff and Lake Louise, a mountain resort retreat offering horseback riding, hiking, natural hot springs and even spa treatments and high-end luxury for those so inclined.
The West coast: Vancouver and Victoria
For giant Douglas firs and lots of green open spaces sprinkled amid a cultured, urban environment, nothing tops Vancouver, British Colombia, Rogers said.
"It's a very upbeat and lively city with a British accent. Its beginnings were with British settlers."
Summer activities never cease at Stanley Park for kids and adults alike, and nearby Victoria on Vancouver Island is accessible by ferry, she said. Outside Victoria are the Butchart Gardens and hotels perched on cliffs, which make perfect posts for watching raging storms drive the surf high and violent.
Those who prefer more urbane attributes will find museums and delectable seafood, George said.
"It's a great eating town with a nice art gallery and bookstores. You can walk down to waterfront," he said. "It's a very charming and easy to navigate city."