Explore: A Canadian Geographic podcast

What do endless prairie highways, a runaway tour bus, a hockey stick used as cruise control, and one of the greatest Canadian rock bands of all time have in common? Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman have the stories. From overpacked motel rooms on the road, to their tour bus almost going off a cliff in B.C., to witnessing polar bear attacks in Churchill, to revealing the real inspiration behind hi...

In this episode of Explore, host David McGuffin sits down with lawyer, conservationist, former senior aide to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and one of Canada's most accomplished Arctic paddlers, Ted Johnson. For more than two decades, Johnson and a remarkable group of friends, including diplomats, journalists, cabinet ministers, and occasionally Pierre Trudeau himself, set out each summer to cano...

"There's a humility in this kind of travel. You don't pretend to adapt the world to you. You adapt to the world." — Bruno Forest In the summer of 2025, Bruno Forest and his team of five others pushed their canoes into the waters of the Saguenay Fjord, setting out on an extraordinary 1,200-kilometre journey, paddling from Tadoussac on the St. Lawrence River to Waskaganish on James Bay. But this was...

“There’s something really profound in being in such a vast landscape with nobody else around… You feel like such a diminutive thing in the landscape, really insignificant. Putting you in your place in the world.” - Louise K. Blight In this episode of Explore, host David McGuffin sits down with Louise K. Blight for a live conversation recorded at the Ottawa International Writers Festival about her...

“Even in the most peaceful village, you’re surrounded by fresh graves… and you know the war is still there.” What does it mean to explore a country at war? In this episode of Explore, host David McGuffin speaks with Laval St. Germain, a Canadian explorer who has just returned from a journey deep into the Carpathian Mountains of western Ukraine. Travelling overland into the country, St. Germain set...

What’s happening beneath the ice of Canada’s lakes? Home to roughly two million lakes and covering nearly nine per cent of the country’s surface, Canada boasts a great reputation, holding more than half of the world’s freshwater lakes. But until recently, what goes on beneath Canada’s frozen surfaces has been largely unexplored.  In this episode of Explore, podcast host David McGuffin dives into t...

What if life isn’t just “out there”, but closer than we think? For the first time in more than 50 years, humans have left Earth's orbit, marking a significant point in history. And as NASA’s Artemis II mission makes its historic journey around the moon, we explore the thought-provoking question driving this return to space: are we alone?   From pioneering techniques to study distant worlds to lead...

"The thing about desert expeditions that really takes you by surprise is how quickly things can go off the rails. It goes from good to bad almost instantly. In those moments, I remind myself: I chose to do this." We’re excited to be joined again by Ray Zahab, an ultra-endurance athlete, public speaker, author, and RCGS Explorer-in-Residence, among other things.  In this thrilling episode of Explor...

Raised on Newfoundland’s west coast, Jenn Thornhill Verma grew up immersed in the life and lore of fishing communities and the rhythms of the North Atlantic. She is the author of the bestselling book Cod Collapse: The Rise and Fall of Newfoundland’s Saltwater Cowboys, a contributor to Canadian Geographic, and a fellow with the Pulitzer Center’s Ocean Reporting Network, where she recently reported...

Ahead of her the new documentary The Berg, underwater explorer and RCGS Explorer-in-Residence Jill Heinerth reflects on diving beneath icebergs, working with James Cameron, and the science of exploration

The renowned English comedian reminds us why travel, humility, humour, and listening matter now more than ever

For the first time in more than 50 years, humans are returning to the moon, and Canada is playing a central role

How one explorer is using film to connect people with place, history, and culture — plus, one-of-a-kind insight into the world of underwater archaeology and more

Recalling a memorable Christmas along the trail to the Klondike in the 19th century with an annual reading of Charles Camsell’s Arctic explorations by podcast host David McGuffin

A look inside the Hudson’s Bay Company Royal Charter, now returning to public spotlight, and its enduring role in Canada’s colonial past and Indigenous displacement

Canada’s former Environment Minister reflects on the personal challenges, political battles and moments of resilience that shaped her journey to the front lines of global climate action

Inspiring the next generation through education, endurance and the power of exploration

The 2025 Nat Gillis Adventure Photography Expedition Grant recipient discusses her journey leading a groundbreaking team in Canada's North

Fifty years after the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, bestselling author John U. Bacon revisits the tragedy that changed Great Lakes history

Through extensive reporting for his new book, RCGS Explorer-in-Residence Adam Shoalts discusses the story of Hubert Darrell, the legendary Arctic explorer who vanished in 1910

From summiting Kilimanjaro 18 times to re-shaping The Explorers Club, Richard Wiese discusses inclusivity, conservation and the next era of global discovery

“On a paddleboard, you‘re vulnerable to tides and winds. You don‘t fight them—you learn to fit into natural rhythms.” Journalist and author Dan Rubinstein joins the Explore Podcast for the second instalment in our annual canoe/paddling series to share the story of his epic three-month, 2,000-kilometre paddleboarding journey, which took him from Ottawa to New York City and back via the Ottawa River...

The award-winning author shares his thoughts on the importance of rivers, why they deserve legal rights and the deep connection between humans and water

This special live episode of Explore features a thought-provoking conversation about the deep importance of our relationship with water between host David McGuffin and acclaimed Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg scholar, writer, and musician Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, recorded at the Ottawa Writers Festival in May. Leanne discusses her latest book, The Theory of Water: Nishnaabe Maps to the Times Ahead,...

The Beaverton, Canada's Leading Satircal News site, is turning 15. A conversation with Editor in Chief Luke Gordon Field.