I am from PEI, however we do have several repeat customers (we own a campground) who stay at Wayside Campground then come over to PEI and stay with us at Bayside RV Campground... must be the rhyme thing
Not sure what your trip length is planned for, but if 2 weeks or more, and driving up and around, as apposed to the ferry from Bar Harbor consider the bridge to PEI and a couple of days + on the north shore of the island. Come off the island via the ferry to Picton. I say this because there is little to see or do between Amherst and Picton but drive. On Pei You have Ann of Green Gables and sea foood to make the trip worth wile. If You go to PEI check with the locals to find when and where there will be a Ceilidhs pronanced Kay-leis. I won't explan but if you have blood flowing in you you will enjoy it.
There is Graves Island Prov. Park just south of Halifax and it will put you at the southern end of the loop road to Peggys Cove, a Must.
If you have the time and really want to see Nova Scotia do the northern island. Louisburg Nat. Historic Site is Great, the Alexander Bell Museum in Baddeck, and the road around Cape Breton, car only leave the trailer, and the coal mining museum in Sydney are worth the trip.
If go north and see the signs for Mother's Restrant on 104 near Antigonish it is worth the stop
There is a KOA just north of Halifax that is pretty nice.
Are you planning on crossing the border in Houlton or Calais?
If you go the Houlton way, be aware that from there to about Monckton, there is spotty cell coverage in case there is trouble, but the drive is beautiful!
Oh, and watch for the RAILROAD TRACKS that cross the highway - strangest thing I've seen in a long while!
If you go by way of Calais, the road is two lane and pretty hilly but also very beautiful!
Enjoy your trip!
__________________ Steve&Susan 2005 28' CCD, 2002 Silverado-C1500, Equal-I-Zer Empty Nesters - spending our money on OURSELVES for a change!
Drive slowly in Nova Scotia because the roads are terrible. Halifax is a very nice city. There's a maritime museum we enjoyed. You'll also learn about the ammo ship that exploded during WWI and leveled a large section of the city. Peggy's Cove is the model for all fishing villages, and worth seeing, but a lot of tourists. Being from Massachusetts, you've probably seen a lot of fishing villages, so don't expect it to be all that different. As I recall it's probably better to park the trailer before you drive around Peggy's Cove and Halifax—narrow, winding roads along the coast and Halifax streets are narrow too. Halifax has one of those world class harbors—large, deep and well protected—right up there with NYC and St. Johns, Newfoundland. A lot of inland Nova Scotia is forest. Most people live along the coasts. The Bay of Fundy, partly dividing Nova Scotia and New Brunswick has enormous tides—40 or 50'—and don't camp on the beach. The tidal bore at Moncton, NB, is interesting as the tide comes up the river in a wall of water several feet high, but I understand they built a bridge downstream and substantially reduced the high of the wall.
And once you get to Cape Breton Is., you can take the ferry to Newfoundland. It's a lot bigger than you might think because the road maps always stick it in a little box in the corner and make it look small. It's a unique part of Canada, full of very friendly people, and the roads are bad, but not as bad as Nova Scotia. You'll be closer to Europe than anywhere else in North America.
From Newfoundland, of course, there are ferries to Labrador. I don't know if the road is finished, but when it is (or was) you can drive to Goose Bay, then west to Quebec. This may be more than you were thinking of doing.
We are planning a trip to Nova Scotia and would appreciate recommendations for campgrounds, preferrably close to Halifax.
Would you supply the amount of time you are going to be in Canada?
I ask this because of the suggestion you go to Newfoundland. I planned a trip to PEI, NS and Newfoundland 3 years ago. When I inquired about the ferry and mentioned I only expected to spend a few days on Newfoundland I was advised I needed a min. of 3 weeks to see it. I did go to PEI and NS that year for 2 weeks and returned the following year for 3 weeks in Newfoundland and only saw the western half and 2 days in Labrador.
I would highly recommend a trip to Newfoundland but would strongly suggest you plan at least 3 weeks to do it from Mass. and plan on driving directly there and home to have the bulk of your time on the island.
Unless you have a very high adventure coefficient I would not suggest Labrador. The first 40 or 50 miles are paved but after that it is gravel. Travel within Labrador is as Alaska was 25 years ago.
Now having given these limitations my wife considers Newfoundland the best trip we have made to date. We only have New Mexico, Kentucky, Road Island, and the Northwest Territory left to unseat that opinion.
I mentioned Newfoundland just to plant the idea. We took 10 days (no trailer) and that was hardly enough, but as confirmed road warriors, we went a lot of places including the Northern Penninsula, St. John's and a bunch of other penninsulas. One of the things we did notice (besides the roads) was the water in some motels or places that would be considered a few cabins out back, was not too good. I think some was from unfiltered creeks or wells, and spring run off made the water silty. Having a filter or bottled water is a good thing. We know someone who stopped at an RV campground on the Alaska Hwy and got giardia. They did not filter it. The campground water supply was a hose in a creek. Water in some places is a concern. Tourist season is short in Newfoundland and we were there in May. It was quiet, but a lot things weren't open.
We've been hoping to get back, but had to take the second Alaska trip which also included NWT, aurora borealis (can be seen in September), end of the road to Inuvik and a plane flight to the Arctic Ocean, and the Akaska State Ferry all the way back to Canada from Haines Alaska with many stops. This is probably more places than you want to do on a trip to Nova Scotia. I therefore, recommend Northwest Territories and pretty much any place remote. They are always rewarding and good therapy after spending too much time driving on expressways.
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