Canadian National Parks are way cooler...

1. Banff National Park Banff, Alberta

Banff National Park is a hiking wonderland, containing over 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) of trails, more than any other mountain park. Your dog’s list of favorites will include...

* Fairview Mountain Lookout Trail. This healthy climb up a forested trail with a steep descent to the South shore of fabled Lake Louise is a good trail to get away from the crush of people you will find in the parking lot. This wide and soft dirt trail narrows as it jaunts along the lake with excellent water access for your dog.
* Johnston Canyon. This popular tourist walk is paved over early sections with boardwalks clinging to canyon walls; it leads to Lower Falls and Upper Falls and can go further up Johnston Creek into woodlands and meadows.
* Moraine Lakeshore. An easy, flat walk along the north shore of Moraine Lake stares into of the Valley of Ten Peaks. The trail stays right on water most of the way. You can also take the dog on the Rockpile with large boulders to scramble on at east end of lake.
* Mistaya Canyon. This short paved descent into a limestone gorge sculpted by rushing meltwaters of Mistaya River is worth having to navigate your dog through the tourists.
* Parker Ridge. This is a steep, open climb through rocky tundra that switches 800 feet up the mountain to a treeless ridge with spectacular views of Saskatchewan Glacier. The rocks scattered along the trail contain fossil corals indicative of an ancient seabed.
*Sunshine . This is a ski area accessed by shuttle bus. You can walk your dog up the road to the ski lodge and pick up the trails from there. Save this effort for athletic dogs ready for a long, rewarding day on the trail. These trails skip over ridges of the Great Divide, completely above the treeline with flower-filled meadows, eventually leading to Rock Isle Lake and loops around for a trip of several miles.

2. Jasper National Park Jasper, Alberta

Dogs are allowed throughout this magnificent park - even crowded trails, such as the dirt Maligne Canyon footpath up the limestone gorge carved by the Maligne River. Canine hikers can bypass the multitudes by crossing the gorge on roads at either end and using an unblazed trail on the opposite side.

Mountain climbing dogs will pant over Whistlers Trail, a steep and narrow route that gains 4,000 feet in elevation to unobstructed views of the Miette Valley and Athabasca Valley high above the treeline. Near the town of Jasper is an extensive trail system leading to Pyramid Lake and Patricia Lake; a wide climb from the back of the town leads to overlooks from Pyramid Bench, and another convenient canine hike is the Valley of Five Lakes. After walking through a lodgepole pine forest and across a boardwalk through Wabasso Creek wetlands, this trail loops around a series of secluded bluegreen lakes, each a different depth and hue.

South of the park, and on the road to Banff, is Athabasca Glacier, the most accessible glacier in North America. A short, barren walk on theForefield Trail will take you and your dog to the toe of the glacier in the Columbia Icefield. The Columbia Icefield is the hydographic apex of the continent where water flows to three different oceans from a single point.

Athabasca Glacier...