Two people and a black and tan dog pose for a selfie in front of a turquoise alpine lake, with a dramatic jagged mountain peak and forested slopes in the background under cloudy skies

Bohdan Dryhval

Co-founder · Routes & Logistics

Bull elk with large antlers standing beside a cow elk grazing near a lake surrounded by coniferous forest

Anna Dryhval

Co-founder · Stories & Photography

About Anna

I’m Anna, co-founder of Explorer Canada and the one behind most of the photographs and stories you’ll find here. While Bohdan plans the routes and tracks the kilometers, I’m usually the one out of the car first — looking for the light, the small details, the moments that don’t make it onto maps.

I grew up in Ukraine, where my favorite trips were never about reaching a destination. They were about everything that happened along the way — the way the road smelled after rain, the small bakery in a town we didn’t plan to stop in, the conversation with a stranger that lasted longer than the coffee. When we moved to Canada in 2023 with our dachshund Nika, I worried that vast distances and quiet highways might feel empty. They didn’t. They turned out to be exactly the kind of slow that I’d been missing.

On Explorer Canada, my role is to capture how a place feels, not just how to get there. I write about quiet mornings at Lake Louise before the tour buses arrive, the way Manitoba’s prairie storms build for an hour before they break, the dachshund chasing her shadow on a beach in Hecla Island. I take most of the photos for our posts — usually with cold hands and a coffee balanced on the car roof.

If you’ve ever felt that the best part of a trip isn’t the famous viewpoint but the gas station you stopped at on the way back, you’ll feel at home here. I cover travel stories, photography, slow mornings, and the side of road-tripping that’s harder to plan but easier to remember.

Find me on Instagram for photos that didn’t make it into posts, or write to us with your own road trip stories — I love reading them.

Why trust my routes

My favorite journey

Can You Have a Campfire During an Ontario Restricted Fire Zone? What We Learned After the Trip

A gas-station employee told us campfires were banned. Our accommodation owner told us one was allowed. We checked Ontario Regulation 43/26 afterward, and the real answer was more complicated than either sentence.

Anna's stories

Forested shoreline with tall evergreen and deciduous trees framing a view of calm water visible through the canopy, fallen logs in the foreground, and cloudy sky above
A gas-station employee told us campfires were banned. Our accommodation owner told us one was allowed. We checked Ontario Regulation 43/26 afterward, and the real answer was more complicated than either sentence.
Twilight view of a calm lake framed by evergreen trees and silhouetted pine branches, with distant forested shoreline and mountains under a blue evening sky
Four hours from Winnipeg — and five days when we barely used the car. Our route to Nestor Falls, our stay on Pinus Lake, canoeing with Nika, Caliper Lake, the campfire and what we actually spent.
Caliper Lake Provincial Park sign with blue text and lake illustration on wooden board surrounded by forest
We passed the turn for Caliper Lake for several days before finally stopping for an hour. It turned out to be less of a hiking park and more of a quiet campground built beneath remarkable old pines.
Two Explorer Canada branded insulated water bottles sitting on a log overlooking a lake with coniferous trees and a canoe in the background
We arrived in the rain, saw the old log cabin and spent the first ten minutes wondering whether we had made a mistake. Five days later, we felt very differently. An honest account of Cabin #2, the lake, sauna, canoeing, our dog, mosquitoes and what to know before booking.
Waterfront park with a turquoise bench on a gravel path overlooking a river, rocky shoreline, small waterfall, forested banks, cottages across the water, and stormy sky above
A small Highway 71 stop that is easy to drive past: a waterfall under the bridge, float planes on the lake, old logging stories and one gas station we returned to several times.
Sunset over a calm river with golden light reflecting on the water, trees lining both shores, and dramatic clouds in the sky
A former gravel quarry turned into a quiet park of lakes and trails, 20 minutes from Winnipeg. Free entry, dog-friendly, and full of geese.

Share your Canada story

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