Maine via Canada - Trip planning

[Reprise]

(I'm hoping our Canadian brothers / sisters will offer suggestions, and if this thread is better served via PM, I'd be more than happy to create one - just let me know. I expect this thread will be ongoing. And, yes, I have a valid passport.)

I'm planning on visiting the New England states this summer, entering via Maine.
Now, I could just take the US interstates through IN > OH > PA, etc., etc. - but I've driven those so many times (and I'll spend a small fortune in tolls with a two-axle trailer in tow).

Rather, I'd like to cross over, say, near Detroit > Windsor, ON, and then make my way across via the Trans-Canada (but I'm very open to alternate routes, as long as I can easily find gas along the route (26gal x 9mi/gal - figure it out) Yes, I'll carry 5-10 gal of fuel in jerry cans, for emergencies (as long as it's legal...and maybe if it ain't!)

Things I (potentially) want to do / see:

- City of Windsor

- Stay in the best-regarded provincial parks (and if early reservations need to be made, that's one reason to start this thread now, rather than later. Besides, I'm tired of thinking about snow...)
Side note on the parks - I can definitely 'rough it' (boondock), as I have solar & lots of amp-hr capacity. My limiting factor is water (not necessarily the 'drinking' variety, as I can haul bottled (& beer, of course!)

- Ottawa (and if possible, I'd like to visit Parliament, if in session)

- Hockey HOF (so, yeah, I'm stopping in Toronto). And a Jays game, if they're in town.

- Montreal

- NB / PE / NS / NL - and I'm willing to drop the trailer and just drive / ferry through these as needed, as well as metro Montreal / Toronto.

(The below two things aren't set in stone, but for sake of planning...)
Length of trip: Probably two weeks, but I can extend that. I probably should, with as many places as I've listed.
When: Probably early June(ish).

I don't need anyone to play 'tour guide', 'host' me in their home (that's why I have a trailer!), etc. If any of you want to meet while I make my trek across the eastern portion of your country, well, of course that can be arranged! But that's not the point of this post. For now, I'm just looking for suggestions of places to visit (even if it's some little roadside place that has the best poutine in the province - that type of thing).

So...what say you, those north of the 49th?

 

[Mooseman]

For your Ottawa leg of the trip, you might be a tad early for the tourist season. Parliament might still be sitting but they usually break for the summer in mid-June, and the Parliament Building itself is closed for the next 10 years for renos. Parliament is sitting in a refitted West Block. Not sure if they have tours there but there are the public galleries if they are sitting. The changing of the guard usually doesn't start until late June, as well as the RCMP Musical Ride's Sunset Ceremonies leading up to July 1st, Canada Day, which is the big party on the Hill. I'm not up on trailer info however there is a park just a couple of blocks from my place although I don't know if they have spots for travellers (it's called Hither Hills). Don't think we have a Provincial Park around here with trailer facilities. We have lots to see, museums, sites, Gatineau Park.

I wouldn't mind hanging out with you and also help you get your supply of Maple Whiskey

 

[Reprise]

and the Parliament Building itself is closed for the next 10 years for renos.

WTF! 10 years! I'll prolly be dead by then!
It probably didn't take 10yrs to build it, originally!
(ok, I looked it up - 17yrs (1859-1876 for the buildings main; a little longer for the grounds design)
Actually, they've been rehabbing that place since...2002? You meant "10 more years! And my surprise is not out of line - 17yrs to build it, 26 to renovate it?

I know that near the population centres, the Prov Parks are probably non-existent. That's OK. I know there will be privately-owned RV parks along the way (and like I said...in certain areas, I expect to have to drop the trailer a ways out from the really big cities.) I will look up 'Hither Hills' - TY.

I remember when the wife and I were driving down through YT / BC on our way back home years ago from Alaska (in a rented RV), we stopped in a private park. I'll tell you a story about that, if we meet (and TY for the offer. I'll definitely look to pick up a supply of Sortilege, et al, when I'm up there...I've got a bottle of Jim Beam Maple (yeah, I know it's bourbon) that's sitting idly in my fridge, b/c it tastes like crap, compared to that stuff you shared with us last summer.)

Ok - sounds like I've got a good start on Ottawa & environs

 

[Mooseman]

Actually, that was West Block that they just finished. They basically took it down stone by stone, removed the asbestos and built it back up. They also closed in the outdoor centre courtyard to accommodate the House of Commons while the Centre Block gets the same treatment. It will likely take longer than 10 years.

Montreal also has a few attractions, including the Old Port. Quebec City has a lot to offer. Basically the oldest city in North America and you can see it in its architecture. Beautiful and charming city.

And if you want to include the Atlantic Provinces, you will need more than 2 weeks.

 

[Redbeard]

WTF! 10 years! I'll prolly be dead by then!
It probably didn't take 10yrs to build it, originally!
(ok, I looked it up - 17yrs (1859-1876 for the buildings main; a little longer for the grounds design)
Actually, they've been rehabbing that place since...2002? You meant "10 more years! And my surprise is not out of line - 17yrs to build it, 26 to renovate it?

Maybe they'll have indoor plumbing this time

 

[Mooseman]

One problem is there aren't enough stone masons to do this painstaking work. Literally have to take it down, stone by stone, cataloguing each one, cleaning and restoring them, and those that are too damaged, reproduce them with the same limestone, then build it back up.

Sorry we can't do it any faster

 

[Reprise]

They basically took it down stone by stone, removed the asbestos and built it back up.

One problem is there aren't enough stone masons to do this painstaking work. Literally have to take it down, stone by stone, cataloguing each one, cleaning and restoring them, and those that are too damaged, reproduce them with the same limestone, then build it back up.

Sorry we can't do it any faster

Well, if the Government had hired the Property Bros., it'd be done by now.
Every episode they did in Canada had them doing asbestos abatement and knob & tube upgrades. And they always finish on time...LMAO

 

[Mooseman]

Or get Mike Holmes

 

[Reprise]

Him, too. Although he doesn't have 1/10th the exposure that the Scott boys do, here in the States (who are almost *overexposed", one might argue).

I wanted to make the analogy to 'Love it or List It', but couldn't remember the name of the one Alberta MLA I wanted to use for the 'List it' half. Trudeau woulda been the 'Love It' half.

HGTV - where half of America wastes its weekends, binge-watching Canadian properties...lol.

 

[Bow_Tied]

I can help a bit with Ontario:

Detroit/Windsor - unless you have a local guide, I think there isn't much to see there. Windsor isn't a tourist attraction for the most part. London (where I live) is nice city (forest city it's called) but doesn't have a huge amount of tourist attractions either. Both places have a casino but the
Windsor one is much better than London. London has Budweiser Gardens which is a great place to see a concert.

Toronto. The largest city in Ontario (~2.4M people, but many associated cities on the periphery make it 2-3 times that effectively). Lots to do here, check out the CN tower, see the Blue Jays play... the Toronto Maple Leafs play here of course but seeing an NHL game here is likely one of the most expensive NHL tickets there is. Better to watch a game in Detroit most likely. If Junior hockey is your thing all the cities I have mentioned have teams i believe. Toronto has neat burbs that are very... how does one say, ethnically homogenous. This is mostly good. There is art/theatres galore. The main drawback of Toronto is traffic. If you have a truck and trailer, you’d likely be better to explore it without your trailer. Oh, If you are strong into Shakespeare let me know and I have another option not in Toronto.

Roads:
Crossing into Canada @ Detroit/Windsor puts you on Hwy 401. London is almost 2 hours east of Windsor on highway 401. The 401 runs all the way to Ottawa in Ontario.

Port Huron, MI and Sarnia, ON are North/NE of Detroit. Crossing into Canada here, even though a further drive if you are coming from south of Detroit, is virtually the same drive time to London. Hwy 402 from Sarnia intersects with 401 at London. I mention this as many people refer to the 401 Windsor to London as a boring drive, mostly flat terrain.

The 401 heads from London to Toronto. Kitchener/Cambridge is a medium city about an hour east of London. There is on-going construction in this area and traffic will be slow especially at peak times.

The 401 goes through Toronto. Although many lanes, it will be very slow at peak times. A bigger accident will have it crawling. There are collector lanes that can be used as an alternate. The app Waze is decent for commuter reporting of issues and slowdown times etc.

There is a toll road that bypasses the bulk of slow traffic in Toronto, Hwy 407. It is high quality but a very expensive toll road and works only by fully automated camera system / bill in the mail. If you are considering it I encourage you find its website and read about the account set up and fees. Our idiot government had to sell the ownership to this toll road to help pay for the even bigger idiot previous governments overspending. Now a foreign company owns it and it aint cheap; it'll make US toll costs look like chump change. Once through Toronto (1-2 hours depending on time of day) you have reasonably smooth sailing to Ottawa. Keep an eye on transport trucks on the 401, there are a lot!

Fuel - on the 401 there are regular fuel stops at road side places called "en route" and you'll find fast food/washrooms here too. If you have a decent size camper you'll want to park backside with the big rigs. In general, the 401 signage is decent. For the most part, the area from Detroit through Ottawa is well enough populated that you should have no issue with fuel/food. The en routes are situated between cities typically.

Camping Parks:
Ontario Parks has some great parks, things to know: Popular parks are very popular. The good sites at popular parks book 5 months ahead, the maximum the online tool allows. Ontario Parks camp sites, if electrical option is selected, have can have electricity at either 15A or 15/30A. Some sites you need a lot of cord, as much as 100'. The park offices have extra extension cords to rent but better to be prepared. Some sites list this distance in the site listings. Verify the hookup before parking the trailer. The vast majority of sites do NOT have water or sewer, but there are typically good utilities for filling up your water tanks on the way in and dumping on the way out. Often these utilities are near each other so make sure you check the signage to fill your tanks with the potable water supply hose (usually blue iirc). There are water taps through each campground on the roadways. The parks I mention here all have decent comfort stations. Parks all sell wood for campfire. The wood is often low quality (good hardwood, but not dry). Parks are strict in that they do not permit wood from outside the region (locally purchased outside the park is ok though). This is to prevent invasive species migration. May 18/19/20 is a long weekend on Ontario and most parks have an outright alcohol ban that weekend, fyi. Bring bug spray, there may be mosquitos, worst at dusk, usually gone by 9pm ish.

Between Windsor and London there are two provincial parks: Wheatley (closer to Windsor) and Rondeau (closer to London). Wheatley is the better campground for nice privates sites but you need to read the campsite descriptions as they do have some open areas too. It is also close to Point Pelee National Park which is home to a massive migratory point for Monarch Butterflies and has excellent boardwalks and bird watching if you dig that sort of thing. Rondeau is an ok campground but not as nice imo. Both are right on Lake Erie. There are numerous other Provincial Parks along lake Erie but they tend to be much farther off the path of the 401.

A park that is East of Toronto that I recommend is Bon Echo. This is a very popular park, book in advance. While all parks save some sites from the reservation system for drop-ins, I would not count it especially at this park It has beautiful cliffs/great canoeing.

Other:
Handguns are strictly controlled here, leave them at home. Those of us with permits are allowed to carry them (with special provisions) only to/from a range. I don't think they permit non-citizens to have them in a vehicle.

The speed limit is 100km/hr (62mph) on 401/402/407. It's patrolled by radar traps and occasionally by airplane. Typically under 120km/hr is tolerated but you'll not likely be that fast with a trailer. Other highways are typically 80km/hr (50mph). Towns are usually 50-60 (30-35mph).

There is particular focus on distracted driving by police. Serious fines for a driver holding/using any electronic device, perhaps a GPS mounted to a holder might be excepted. They have undercover pick up trucks (for higher viewing vantage). So get your passenger to manage it all or use voice activated features only. Technically this applies to CBs as well though I have not heard of anyone getting dinged for that... yet.

If in your travels you encounter round-abouts on the roads assume the other drivers are idiots and don't know how to use them. Ontarians all believe they are above average drivers, also shows some can't do math either.

Are you into classic cars? Half way between Windsor and London is http://www.rmautorestoration.com/ which is some high end restoration place with neat stuff. Also there are lots of summer 'cruise nights' - a show'n shine at a local mall or whatever. I might be able to help dig up some info on that if interested. June 1nd has Canada's largest outdoor classic car show in London (3-4000 cars if the weather is good) and is held at the estate of a premier Cadillac collector with a truly word-class collection. The following weekend in Oakville (south of Toronto) is a decent Camaro car show (I hope to be there).

If you need a Costco for supplies the one in South London is right near the 401, easy to get to. Same area is a Princess Auto store which is very much like a Harbor Freight store. There is a flying J truck stop at the next exit over.

I am away a lot during the summer but if I am around and if, goodness forbid, you had vehicle issues in the London area I'd be glad to help, I have tools and access to a shop if needed.

Other Parks or attractions I can think of off hand are not really on your route.

Hope that helps.

 

[Reprise]

Hope that helps.

Oh, man...does it. That was so nice of you to go to that kind of detail. Lots I'd like to reply to, but will hold off. I've driven through Yukon & BC (AK > Seattle, WA), so I'm somewhat familiar with the speed limits & whatnot. And I know to not bring the guns! Not that I've ever had a bad experience w/ a Canadian customs officer (the trouble is getting back into my own country)

I may find alternate routes when approaching the more populous cities. I've been on roads in GTA once, and that was many years ago. I can imagine how busy it is, now.

Had a couple extra paragraphs describing our own excessive tolls, but deleted - not worth reading. Remember that I'd get a 30% discount, compared to the States.

 

[Bow_Tied]

Happy to help. If you have more questions fire away.
Heading to bed, I'll check back soo tho.

 

[Mooseman]

The 401 runs all the way to Ottawa in Ontario.

Just a small correction. The 401 actually runs all the way to the Quebec border and on to Montreal. You can get to Ottawa from the 401 via the 416. From Ottawa, you can go on the 417 to go on to Montreal.

Highways here have good access to fuel and food. Along the 401, there are the On Route stops but only have the usual junk foods outlets. I mostly use them for gas and coffee at Tim's. You can certainly leave the highway and stop in cities and towns like Kingston, which also has a lot to offer.

And being semi-retired, I can also hang out with you or lend a hand if anything should happen.

 

[Bow_Tied]

Thanks for the clarification on the 401, you are of course correct. Never driven to quebec, should do that someday.