I might have a new hat by then but I will bring the new one anyway, it's at the end of it's life after being soaked in the rain, sun-baked, sat on, packed and unpacked for the last 5 years, it's in rough shape by now, time for it's retirement but it's a must have in our territory good all-weather protection since we can experience all 4 seasons in one day out here! It's not really a Canadian trend, only in Alberta, the rest of Canada laughs at it but it's quite practical. I love the beach, grew up near beachland but they are nothing compared to yours.

Staying in a tent is cheap cabins are expensive for the most part unless off season. Staying in near by small towns and driving into the park is generally a much cheaper option. It's very touristy but people only do the quick get out take some pics of stuff near the road and on to the next but they miss the most beautiful parts that may only be a few kilometre hike away so the trails tend to be quieter. I'm always happy to give tips and locations to anyone looking to visit my landscape, knowledge like that has to be shared! In reality, I love my land and love being helpful to others visiting. We always get hit-up for local info by tourists and take their family pictures for them every trip, it's almost a highlight for us to see foreigners enjoying themselves on their vacation, gives us a sense of pride about our land. A truck is an asset around here to get to some spectacular views, some roads are a bit sketchy and will make your heart skip a beat. Even tho it's touristy, it's still pretty remote locations with limited access and no amneties for long periods including cell reception.

Nice to have friends in different countries for that sort of info. I never left Canada yet but I do have a friend in Belgium that want me to go visit and another in the Philippines that I also have yet to visit. When I go to Aus, I know who to hit-up now for the quiet beach secrets (I still want to see the busy ones tho), lol. Europe looks amazing too, so many places I want to see, I need to win the lottery or something! It gets pretty costly to travel around although I would mostly only have to worry about airfare.