Winnipeg is home to the largest mature urban elm tree forest in North America

Winnpeg, Manitoba - Winnipeg is home to the largest mature urban elm tree forest in North America. Forming a canopy over many streets and sidewalks, the city features about 160,000 of stately elms. More than 100,000 of them are on public boulevards. According to the Public Works Urban Forestry Branch the value of Winnipeg's elms is estimated to be $594 million dollars not including property values. About $3 million a year is spent to control Dutch Elm Disease. Winnipeg actually has about 8 million trees, and there is even a dedicated Twitter site @TreesWinnipeg and website. The number of species of city's trees is limiited because of the harsh climate. In addition to Elm you'll see ash, maple, oak, poplar, basswood, birch, willow, spruce, cedar, pine, and some shrubs and fruit trees.

More cool sites in Winnipeg: While in Winnipeg be sure to take a look at the new Canadian Museum for Human Rights. It's due to open in 2014. Also visit: The Royal Canadian Mint - coin producer to the world. And, in Assiniboine Park there is a statue to the children's storybook character 'Winnie the Pooh' who was named for Winnipeg, and the park is the site of the new Polar Bear Conservation Centre. Read about the centre and veiw Winnipeg Sun video here. Photo by Aimee Betker

Canada’s Coolest:

Welcome to a new feature on Canada Cool. I'll be presenting different 'Coolest' lists with my favorites and I encourage you to nominate suggestions from your own experiences. You can Twitter @CanadaCool or email [email protected]. Let me know what makes your suggestion exceptionally cool. Remember, by contributing your comments you are giving Canada Cool permission to quote you. Only a selection of submissions will be included, but all comments and submissions are greatly appreciated!

The first feature is: Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives

Here are some of my favorites...

The Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park, Alberta - This 229 km (142 mi) Rocky Mountain route from Banff/Lake Louise to Jasper passes 100 frozen rivers and nudges the base of the Athabasca Glacier - the most accessible glacier in the world. You can stop and explore it. It spills down from the Columbia Icefield, an area of ice so massive that you could fit the entire population of North America on it with each person getting at least a square metre of space.

The Corridor, Algonquin Park, Ontario – this 56-km stretch of Hwy 60 cuts through the southwest section of Algonquin Park. Less than three hours north of Toronto the park is a nature-lover's paradise with 7,725 km of lakes, rivers, forest, trails, camping, comfortable lodges and 2000 km of canoe routes. Offers hiking trails to stop and enjoy, but what makes it really cool is that it’s one of the best places in North America to spot moose (especially in May and June). And, on Thursday nights in August up to 600 cars will gather to listen to wolves howl.

The Cabot Trail, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia – Driving this 303 km (187 mile) route is like riding a roller-coaster: the road snakes around hairpin turns, rises to heights over 365 metres (1200 ft), weaves around headlands revealing spectacular coastal scenery, and plunges down to sea level taking you into the heart of small fishing communities. The most dramatic scenery is between the Cape Breton Highlands National Park entrance near Cheticamp and Pleasant Bay, so go slow. And, plan some flexibility into your schedule, so you can drive it on a clear day.

And here are some of your nominations for 'Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives'...

More from Canada’s Coolest

'Canada's Coolest' topics we'll be publishing in the future:

• Golf Course Features
• Haunted Hotels
• Hotel Special Services

Send your suggestions to [email protected]

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