Six armed Vikings perched on a wooden platform atop a rocky hill at the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula in Newfoundland, all but one facing southeast to symbolize how this place was once a base camp for Norse explorations.

A ban on wood and charcoal fires took effect in Olympic National Park on Friday due to heightened fire danger.

A festival that celebrates the iconic Atlantic salmon debuts this weekend in Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Fishtival runs Aug. 18 to 20 in the Nova Scotia park.

As the M/V Ocean Endeavour pushed cautiously through a challenging patch of sea ice on route to clearing customs in Resolute, a couple of harp seals frolicked in the water of Lancaster Sound just off the ship’s bow. Their heads popped straight up so they could playfully stare us down for a few seconds before disappearing briefly and then bobbing to the surface in a never-ending loop.