Border to border in Canada!

**Lesherp** · 02-14-2014, 03:46 PM

We have some friends that are going to go across Canada from BC to Prince Edward Island. We are considering taking the trip with them but it seems like a long way. I tried to do a little research to see what to expect along the way and didn’t find much. Anyone ever done it? Is it a trip worth doing?

ELM-JLM · 02-14-2014, 06:19 PM

We drove from the border in North Dakota to Alaska! Manitoba, Saskatchewan and much of Alberta were as flat as Kansas! It was a beautiful drive in the summer but got monotonous and tiresome! Days and days of Yellow Canola fields! I vowed to never do it again for several reasons! 1st there Mother Natures Fuel is very expensive ($1.25 to $1.76 per liter @ 3.8 liter per gallon) along with the fact that our fuel economy dropped by 2 mpg! Our truck was "Flex Fuel" so ethanol content didn't affect it! It wouldn't hurt to investigate their fuel content ahead of time! 2nd is there grocery's prices are way up there too! At the time, Ice was $5. for a 2 1/2 lb. bag if you could find it and a pack of hot dogs was $6. Camping was great though, many CG's and Provincial Parks all along the way and reasonably priced! Check to see what credit cards can be used! MC and Visa are ok but the rest are questionable! The rate conversion will appear on your statement also! American cell phones are useless in Canada! We used "On Star" for important calls and Wi Fi for email and FB! I don't know how "Smart Phones" work so I would investigate that also!
Good Luck in whatever you decide! Remember, this is my experience and opinion, Its a beautiful trip across the upper USA to Maine! Boost "The American Economy"!

scrubjaysnest · 02-15-2014, 05:29 AM

Ditto on the above. Provincial and national parks have nice CG's but expect prices around $30per night or higher during the peak season.

a few web sites you may find of interest:

http://www.pc.gc.ca/progs/pn-np/index.aspx
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/menu-eng.html
http://www.sitesandtrailsbc.ca/default.aspx, these are free CG's but very primitive.

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/

Plan your trip carefully.

enjoy

**Lesherp** · 02-15-2014, 11:30 AM

Thanks for the information.

The last two years we have spent about 6 weeks in the spring exploring national parks out west. We have been absolutely amazed how spectacular the ones we have visited are. It has only inspired us to visit more and return to the ones we have fallen in love with.

I am having some reservations about this long trip across Canada and if we might enjoy something in the good old USA as much or more. I like to spend most of my time camping and hiking rather than driving. It looks like about 56 hours of drive time. Time to get some resources from the library and figure out what there is to do along the way and how long it will take to make it into an enjoyable trip. I would l still like to hear about any places people have experienced along the path we would take.

If you haven’t been to Bryce, Capital Reef, Arches, Zion, Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Meza Verde, Black Canyon, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, and the Tetons national parks you have some treats in store for you.

LoveToCamp · 02-16-2014, 08:08 PM

Lesherp, you didn't mention Glacier NP in your list of travels. We went a couple years ago, and loved it! Camped on the east side, in Rising Sun campground, just outside of St. Mary's. Put that on your to-see list, if you have not been there.

As far as doing your research, don't overlook GooglEarth with the photos turned on. I look at an area, then click on the pictures others have uploaded for that area, to get a feel of what there is to see. A great tool to see it through others' cameras.

wingsfan · 02-17-2014, 10:12 AM

I personally have not been to Canada, but my parents took a month long trip up there twice. Went to Banff, Glacier, Kootenay, Yoho, and Jasper National Parks, the Icefields and the Canadian Rockies. Said it was one of the best trips they have ever taken, and they have been pretty much everywhere in the US! Everything is higher priced up there, just depends on if you want to experience something new and what you are willing to spend to do it.

**Bill** · 02-17-2014, 01:44 PM

A few years ago, my wife and I made a similar trip to the Banff-to-Lake Louise area of the Canadian Rockies. As WingsFan said, it is incredibly beautiful, and one of the best trips we had ever taken. We stayed out of Banff simply because we had been there before, and instead went exploring. We found several neat clean small towns - Canmore and Waterton being our favorites - and many very nice campgrounds. A return trip is on our list.

Having found this area to be so gorgeous, last year we planned an east-west trip across the north side of Lake Superior, then through Ottawa, Montreal, then down into Vermont and over to Maine. However, as we perused the campgound books, the campgrounds in the Canadian part of this route appeared - sad, I guess. Few campgrounds, none sounding very appealing. So we changed plans, went through the UP of Michigan to Sault Ste Marie, then down through Toledo and Cleveland and home. I'm still kind of disappointed, and we may try it again next year.

Anyway, if you go into Canada, you need passports to get back into the US (when did that happen?), plus a very recent statement from your vet certifying that your pets, if any, are in perfect health. And don't even try to bring firewood!

For what it is all worth ...

Bill

**Lesherp** · 05-05-2014, 10:43 AM

We are so close to Western Canada that our plan was to make another trip out of that area another year. We figure it best to make the long trips before we get any older. We are thinking after comments here

and additional research to enter Canada above Duluth travel along Lake Superior, Lake Ontario, St Lawrence, along the coast of New Brunswick, to PEI and Nova Scotia. Bill am a bit disappointed you were not impressed with what the Lake Superior area had to offer. I too am finding it challenging finding nice areas to visit and stay in Canada. We like the outdoors and hiking. Who would have ever thought you would not find an abundance of that in Canada?

So far it looks like camping at Agawa Bay, Awenda Campground, Camping Des Voltigeurs, Sugarloaf Provincial Park, and Camping L’etoile De Mer. This is still in the planning stage and I have only begun to plan for PEI and NS so I would appreciate any feedback or suggestions.

Brittany Dogs · 05-10-2014, 07:26 AM

The passport requirement was the result of 9-11 if I recall.

**Lesherp** · 05-10-2014, 08:43 AM

Yes we got them a couple of years ago in anticipation of going to western Canada. This trip came up with friends so that one is on hold. Utah has become such a magnet for us after the first trip that we retuned there again last year on our 6 week trip. Love it so much we were going back again this spring but the weather has been great here in Oregon and there is no nicer place to be than here when it is.
I have found two campgrounds that look very promising. Agawa Bay on Lake Superior seems to be very popular and I have found a number of good reviews. There are supposed to be some petroglyphs within hiking distance from the camp. Parc National D'oka would be the next stop and just sounds ok. Camp Bon Desir looks like a great place to spend some time. It is close to the Saguenau fjord at Tadoussac and is renowned for whale watching. People say they see them close to shore at the camp and can hear them from inside their tents in the morning.

https://www.google.com/search?q=tado...=1600&bih=1042

Thanks for the info on the passports but was hopping someone had ideas on where to go.