Marlis Butcher is an environmental conservationist, author, and photographer. She is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and of The Explorers Club, an international organization promoting field exploration.

Marlis is the first visitor to have “bagged” (visited) all 48 of the Canadian national parks, a third of which do not have road access. Her photographs and articles have been published in:

• Canadian Geographic Magazine,

• Explore magazine,

• The Explorers Club’s “Far Afield” magazine,

• CBC News on-line,

• CTV News on-line,

• Canadian Encyclopedia, and

• the travel brochures of various wilderness outfitters and travel bloggers.

Her book “Park Bagger - Adventures in the Canadian National Parks” made Amazon’s “best seller” August 2022. The movie “Park 33,” a short thriller, was inspired by her adventures. 

Marlis volunteers as a director on the board of the Royal Botanical Gardens, and has served on the board of the Bruce Trail Conservancy, protecting the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. Marlis is also an Ambassador for Canadian Geographic Adventures, “Making Canada better know to Canadians and the rest of the world”.

Upcoming book:

The Ladies’ Guide to Backpacking (Secrets Men Didn’t Tell You, And Don’t Even Know About)

Women have been backpacking, carrying heavy overnight supplies through the wilderness, since the beginning of time. Yet somewhere, someone decided that “ladies” should not be partaking in such physical, risky activities. Still, there have always been women who continued to backpack - we found ways of adjusting the equipment to better fit our physique, and methods to accommodate our uniquely female requirements.

In her new book, Marlis documents some of the unique adaptations and procedures that allow women to backpack comfortably: What backpack features to look for, how to carry a backpack, what type of boots to select, clothing requirements, and how to manage your menstrual period. With fun anecdotes and examples, Marlis shares what she’s learned through trial and error in the Canadian wilderness, so that “ladies” too, can enjoy backpacking.

Available in 2026.

Visit Marlis' website

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