Campgrounds through Canada

rinshin · 08-26-2011, 02:23 PM

Has anyone gone on extended trips across Canada? I would like to start in Victoria if I can (not sure about ferry travel if trailmanor is allowed) or Vancouver to Lake Louise. Then from Lake Louise to Montrel, Quebec, and into Halifax and back down US. Have you found good campgrounds? What site(s) have you found to plan your trips? Thanks so much!!

ELM-JLM · 08-26-2011, 03:33 PM

Hi rinshin,
We were traveling cross country in Canada in July! We crossed the border in North Dakota and followed hwy 16 all the way to Alaska! The campgrounds were plentifull and Provincial Parks were everywhere! Depends if you need hook-ups or not! All the campgrounds that we visited were quite nice and the folks, friendly. We were traveling by the seat of our pants, without reservations, and never once had to search for a campsite! The rates for camping were reasonable but everything else was very high! Fuel prices were considerably higher than the US and my fuel economy dropped by two mpg's! Food was also very high as were all the restaurants we stopped at, including McDonalds! LOL! Needless to say, We stocked up when at Wal-Mart and had dinners and breakfast at our campsites. Be prepared to search for ice and pay a premium for it, 2 1/2 lbs for $3.00 was a good price lol!

Traveling through Manitoba, Saskachewan and Alberta became very monotonous. The scenery never changed and was as flat as Kansas! The Canadian Rockies were a real treat and our trip through British Columbia on The Cassier Hwy was an experience we will never forget! Never ending beauty and adventure!

The Ferry's that we came across but didn't go on appeared to be able to handle any type of vehicle!

I hope this gives a little insite for you! As for me, I will never again travel cross country through Canada!

**Kwantau** · 08-26-2011, 05:04 PM

No problem crossing the BC Ferry system with the TM. Took our maiden voyage in July to Vancouver Island and crossed over at Horseshoe Bay in Vancouver to Departure Bay Nanaimo. The ferries take anything as they are huge and the trip takes about 1hour and 40 minutes. It is a little pricy as it cost me for a 35 ft long rig (TV & TM) about $160 Canadian. Gas ranges from $1.25 Canadian on the Island to $1.14 at the moment in Alberta and the farther east you go the more expensive it is. No one in Canada can figure it out why the gas is more here than in the US especially when the oil comes from here. From Vancouver to Calgary Alberta is beautiful trip through the Rockies and you will be crossing two mountain passes, the Rogers and the Kicking Horse Pass. From Alberta where you come out of the Rockies its becomes as flat as a pancake till Ontario. Heh that is where all the wheat etc comes from.The trip will become more interesting when you leave Manitoba and enter Ontario around the Lakehead. As ELM-JLM said campsites are plenty full from Provincial to National all the way across Canada. Enjoy your trip.

rinshin · 08-26-2011, 06:27 PM

Thank you both ELM-JLM and Kwantau! We have actually gone the same route from Port Angeles to Victoria and Nanaimo into Horshoebay into Lake Louise and down to Glacier National Park twice. But that was when both of us were younger and we stayed in tents most times. BC is beautiful and I certainly want to stay several days in Lake Louise again. We have also drove around eastern maritime Canada 6-7 years ago and fell in love.

Glad to know it's not hard to find camp grounds with trailmanors - that was one of my concerns (you know, I never used to worry or think things through like this when I was younger), just go mentality then. hahaha I noticed restaurant prices were higher even then. It must be the taxes. Gas too, most likely all the taxes.

Any place that stands out we should see? BTW, I was amused by number of fellow campers that approached us at our campground in Eagle Lake (Lassen) area several weeks ago asking about trailmanor. We showed 4-5 different campers the inside of ours. They never saw anything like it.

ELM-JLM · 08-26-2011, 07:38 PM

When we were checking in at most campgrounds, I would get a confused look from the counter person when I told them I needed room for a 26' trailer. I'll bet I explained the bi-fold effect 40 times in 50 nights! LOL! Joan & I got a lot of giggles from it! If I were checking in and took a few minutes longer, she would look in and see my left hand swing into a wide arc and then the right hand do the same, she knew why! She laughed at me but not long after that I saw her talking to a neighbor and all of a sudden there went the left hand then the right! We made it home in better shape than we left and can hardly wait to be "On The Road Again"!!!!

**Joesjunk** · 09-22-2011, 06:41 AM

For our second trip to canada in the TM, we toured Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI. Expensive. First trip was through Glacier NP and into Canada. Lake Louise, Banff, and down to Vancouver. If you need more info cantact me.

T and C · 09-22-2011, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rinshin

Has anyone gone on extended trips across Canada? I would like to start in Victoria if I can (not sure about ferry travel if trailmanor is allowed) or Vancouver to Lake Louise. Then from Lake Louise to Montrel, Quebec, and into Halifax and back down US. Have you found good campgrounds? What site(s) have you found to plan your trips? Thanks so much!!

We went up through Victoria to Jasper and down through Glacier Park a few years ago. At the time the us dollar was valued at about 1.25 Canadian.
Sadly, that is no longer the case.

At Victoria we stayed in the KOA. Nice. There is a rail line that runs through the KOA. There is a passenger pickup kiosk in the campground! One morning I got up and there was a Budd Railcar parked there! (train buffs will understand this)

At Jasper we stayed in a National Park campground. The first night we had to stay in an overflow area. No hookups but there were vault toilets. The next day we got a site though.

They have all the stores we have. Walmart, Safeway, etc. One girl asked me, "Do you have Safeway in the US?"

That particular store had a Royal Postal Service office in it. When we went over there to buy some stamps, one of the service windows was closed. The sign said, "This wicket is closed".

I guess they had a sticky wicket.

Enjoy your trip.

Tom