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02-18-2017, 03:29 PM
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#1
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4 Rivet Member
2006 25' Safari
Signal Mountain
, Tennessee
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 450
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Summer Trip to Canada
We finally settled on our big summer RV trip. We were looking at going the northern route to Montana going by Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands, or doing a loop around eastern Canada. Canada won out, so leaving is set for sometime in June. The plan is when travelling to drive 6 to 7 hours a day. The areas we plan to spend some time in are with friends around Bar Harbor, Me; Nova Scotia; Ottawa; friends in Ontario; Niagra on the Lake; Mackinac Island, MI then directly down I-75 to home. We will allot about 6 weeks for the trip.
__________________
Don
'06 Safari 25 LS
'18 GMC 2500HD Duramax/Allison
TN,”Greenest State in the Land of the Free”.Davy Crocket
" America is not a place;it's a road." Mark Twain
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02-18-2017, 04:13 PM
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#2
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.-. -...
2017 25' International
Niagara-on-the-Lake
, ON Canada
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 1,836
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Canadian Sesquicentennial
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tn Traveler
We finally settled on our big summer RV trip. We were looking at going the northern route to Montana going by Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands, or doing a loop around eastern Canada. Canada won out, so leaving is set for sometime in June. The plan is when traveling to drive 6 to 7 hours a day. The areas we plan to spend some time in are with friends around Bar Harbor, Me; Nova Scotia; Ottawa; friends in Ontario; Niagra on the Lake; Mackinac Island, MI then directly down I-75 to home. We will allot about 6 weeks for the trip.
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It is the 150th anniversary of Confederation in Canada this year. The government has issued a free National Parks pass (not including camping fees). We expect camping spots will be at a premium.
__________________
Ray B.
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02-18-2017, 05:12 PM
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#3
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4 Rivet Member
2006 25' Safari
Signal Mountain
, Tennessee
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 450
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Adventure.AS
It is the 150th anniversary of Confederation in Canada this year. The government has issued a free National Parks pass (not including camping fees). We expect camping spots will be at a premium.
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Thanks for the heads up, Ray. This is good info that could drastically alter our plans.
__________________
Don
'06 Safari 25 LS
'18 GMC 2500HD Duramax/Allison
TN,”Greenest State in the Land of the Free”.Davy Crocket
" America is not a place;it's a road." Mark Twain
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02-18-2017, 05:23 PM
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#4
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Rivet Master
2005 30' Classic
Burlington
, Ontario
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 2,743
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Adventure.AS
It is the 150th anniversary of Confederation in Canada this year. The government has issued a free National Parks pass (not including camping fees). We expect camping spots will be at a premium.
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Ray,
Maybe I am missing something, but if you camp at a provincial park, doesn't your camping fee automatically include park entry anyway? If that is so, why would demand on camping spots in provincial parks be any greater this year than normal if no savings to campers?
As I say, maybe I am missing something here!
__________________
Brian & Connie Mitchell
2005 Classic 30'
Hensley Arrow / Centramatics
2008 GMC Sierra SLT 2500HD,4x4,Crew Cab, Diesel, Leer cap.
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02-18-2017, 05:54 PM
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#5
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4 Rivet Member
2010 27' FB International
Deforest
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 306
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tn Traveler
We finally settled on our big summer RV trip. We were looking at going the northern route to Montana going by Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands, or doing a loop around eastern Canada. Canada won out, so leaving is set for sometime in June. The plan is when travelling to drive 6 to 7 hours a day. The areas we plan to spend some time in are with friends around Bar Harbor, Me; Nova Scotia; Ottawa; friends in Ontario; Niagra on the Lake; Mackinac Island, MI then directly down I-75 to home. We will allot about 6 weeks for the trip.
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Just a heads up: Part of southbound I-75 south of Detroit is closed.
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/new...tion/94999080/
Not sure if you were planning on going completely on I-75, but there are other routes that might be less trouble. If you take US-23 south from Flint MI, you can reconnect with I-75 south of Toledo.
Have a great trip...sounds like a lot of fun. Check out White Lake Provincial Park, just west of White River on Hwy 17. Made an annual fishing trip there for years with my dad until he passed away.
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02-18-2017, 06:06 PM
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#6
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3 Rivet Member
2008 34' Classic S/O
Arnprior
, Ontario
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 231
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trip to Canada
The 150th deal is on the National Parks like Fundy and Cape Breton Highlands. It doen not effect the Provincial Park System.
Have a great trip and dont worry about the 'free entry' into the national parks. They are usually full anyways. Start now to book into the parks you want as they fill up quickly. Kind of like Florida State Parks , but not!
P.M. me if you need any help in the Ottawa area or anywhere on Prince Edward Island.
Pete
__________________
Pete Crook
"Put it all behind you!"
S/OS#88
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02-18-2017, 11:42 PM
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#7
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Len and Jeanne
2005 16' International CCD
2015 19' Flying Cloud
Creston Valley
, British Columbia
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,793
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It's Freebie Year for admission into Canada's national parks-- the provincial parks are their own separate systems. Sort of like state parks in the US.
The national parks we're familiar with (in western Canada) do take reservations for camping, so if you start now, you should hopefully find some room in the campgrounds.
There are numerous threads for Americans going through Canadian customs and back again. These should be helpful if you're not familiar with crossing the border.
It's great that you've got 6 weeks.
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02-19-2017, 04:37 AM
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#8
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4 Rivet Member
2017 27' Flying Cloud
London
, Ontario
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 250
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Some people are confusing "free entry to the parks" with "free camping". You will still be paying full charge for camping. Just start booking your sites ASAP and have fun! We'll be happy to greet you.
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02-19-2017, 05:34 AM
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#9
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Dazed and Confused
Currently Looking...
1983 31' Airstream310
Hillsburgh
, Ontario
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,805
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Enjoy your stay in Canada and welcome.
Cheers
Tony
__________________
Per Mare, Per Terram and may all your campaigns be successful.
“It’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it’s a depression when you lose your own.” "Harry S Truman"
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02-19-2017, 05:58 AM
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#10
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Rivet Master
2017 30' Classic
Loretto
, Ontario
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 507
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wingeezer
Ray,
Maybe I am missing something, but if you camp at a provincial park, doesn't your camping fee automatically include park entry anyway? If that is so, why would demand on camping spots in provincial parks be any greater this year than normal if no savings to campers?
As I say, maybe I am missing something here!
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You are not missing anything. Camping fees include entrance, but don't confuse provincial parks with Federal Parks.
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02-19-2017, 05:58 AM
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#11
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Rivet Master
Commercial Member
2019 27' Tommy Bahama
London
, Ontario
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,343
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It will be a great trip, people in eastern Canada and Maine are the best! Don't miss the coal mining museum in Sidney Nova Scotia or the Cabot Trail, I would say add in Prince Edward Island and leave Mackinaw for another trip.
King Neptune Campground near Peggy's Cove about 30 minutes from Halifax. The place across the bay will take your order for a fresh steamed lobster.
Andrew T
__________________
Andrew Thomson London, Ontario
"One test is worth a thousand expert opinions." Tex Johnston, Boeing 707 test pilot
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02-19-2017, 06:02 AM
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#12
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Rivet Master
2007 Interstate
League City
, Texas
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 6,139
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Philip Jones
Some people are confusing "free entry to the parks" with "free camping". You will still be paying full charge for camping. Just start booking your sites ASAP and have fun! We'll be happy to greet you.
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That camping is fairly pricey, too. In the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, I believe it's about CAD$45 per nite for full hook-ups, and at one of the main park campgrounds, which is Broad Cove in Ingonish, the hook-up area is bare bones, totally open, no shade, and not private - you don't get much for your money. But at least the USD - CAD exchange rate is pretty good right now.
We do a lot of boondocking and staying with family plus I own a piece of land in Nova Scotia, so we don't have to pay the likes of that every night. Dump sites are rare in sparsely-populated areas of eastern Canada, however. Last summer we booked one night in Broad Cove campground just so that we could dump. They charged us that full hook-up camping fee and we were there for 15 minutes. It was the most expensive dump of our entire Airstream ownership experience.
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02-19-2017, 06:55 AM
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#13
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Rivet Master
1984 34' International
Toronto
, Ontario
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 1,499
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If you're set up for boondocking, i.e you've got solar and know how to make the most of your tanks (this is why I love our composting toilet) then there is ample opportunity on Eastern Canada to just stay on private or Crown land - we've asked many a farmer if we could park for the night on a field, or off a little laneway. Many small towns also have completely undocumented municipal campgrounds stashed away that can be a great place to stay for a day or two.
If you just need a place for the night, then pulling up next to a church and making a $10 contribution has always been successful. In small towns, this can be a great way to spend the night.
See a fairground? Often these are on the outskirts of settlements and lovely and green, often a simple ask will get you another place for a day or two. My profile pictures was taken on a fairground.
There's also a fair bit of crown land, but the documentation is atrocious.
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02-19-2017, 11:23 AM
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#14
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4 Rivet Member
1967 26' Overlander
Haute-Aboujagane
, New Brunswick
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 255
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Just a quick heads up on booking a National park. They are booking up real fast. I was looking at booking online for 2 days in August (I was looking for Fundy,Kouchibouquac or PEI). Most serviced sites were fully booked. If you are boondocking you would still have options.
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02-19-2017, 11:40 AM
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#15
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4 Rivet Member
2005 25' Classic
Austin
, Texas
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 393
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In 2016 we traveled into Canada from Maine through New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, Quebec, and Ontario and back into the US at Sault Ste Marie, Ontario. In Nova Scotia, we stayed at a campground near Baddeck which is a good central point for traversing the Cabot Trail and going to Sydney. In Baddeck there is the Graham Bell Museum. We enjoyed PEI where we had time to walk and bike on the Federation Trail. Quebec City is a really awesome experience for history buffs. We stayed at a campground across the river and took the Levis Ferry avoiding a parking hassle in the city. We used Passport America for some campgrounds and found some reasonable prices at some small town campgrounds.
Dennis
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02-19-2017, 12:12 PM
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#16
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4 Rivet Member
2006 25' Safari
Signal Mountain
, Tennessee
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 450
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Well, certainly great info here, and thanks for the welcoming to Canada. We have been there a couple of times before, so are familiar with border crossing requirements. I just renewed my passport, and the pup has his shots. The vet will give a certificate when requested.
We are set up for boon docking with 1 portable solar panel and 2-2000 watt inverter generators. If needed we can stretch our tanks to about 10 days. We have an outdoor shower tent that could even stretch it a little longer. Of course, we would have to shuttle some fresh water on day trips. We have a Big Buddy propane heater and a 1500 watt portable electric radiator style heater. This is in addition to the propane fired furnace and heat pump.
We did Quebec City last trip. We want to do Ottawa this trip. We'll probably make a little detour to get up to Campellsford for a stop at one of our favorite bakeries. http://doohers.com/ It'll blow the diet for at least a year.
We will take into consideration doing the PEI instead of Mackinac. However, I may be overruled on that one. She got cheated out of that on the last trip to Michigan. She is a little higher pay grade than me.
Thanks all for your contribution to our trip. All worthy comments.
__________________
Don
'06 Safari 25 LS
'18 GMC 2500HD Duramax/Allison
TN,”Greenest State in the Land of the Free”.Davy Crocket
" America is not a place;it's a road." Mark Twain
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02-19-2017, 12:28 PM
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#17
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Toaster Life
2010 23' International
Tucson
, Arizona
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 245
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We drove all throughout the Maritimes a couple of years ago, in thorough Main to New Brunswick (hint do not miss Kouchibougiac (sp?) NP it was our favorite), over to PEI (amazingly beautiful, great parks and scenery) and all around the Gaspe. It was fabulous - would repeat it in a heartbeat. We mostly stayed at the national parks, and also provincial parks (called national parks in Quebec, even when they are provincial) and enjoyed every moment. Take bug spray and wet weather clothing. Mackinac island is a no vehicle island, so the closest you will get with your vehicles is the ferry parking lot, Manitoulin island does have a beautiful coastline and is close relatively speaking to Mackinac
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02-19-2017, 06:40 PM
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#18
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Rivet Master
2015 25' Flying Cloud
2016 30' Flying Cloud
Blenheim Ontario
, Ontario
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 1,263
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ALL OF THE ABOVE.
TRY KAWATHA LAKES REGION. (Central Ontario) BEAUTIFUL AREA.
FENELON FALLS CAMPGROUND, JUST NORTH OF TOWN, AND 'LOG CHAPEAU' CG A LITTLE FURTHER NORTH.
SOUTH in LINDSAY AREA ARE SOME NICE CGs BUT NOT FAMILIAR WITH THEM.
FENELON FALLS HAS A CAMPGROUND IN TOWN, BUT ONLY 30 AMP AND NO SEWAGE. (GOOD SHOWERS THOUGH)
TRENT CANAL GOES THROUGH TOWN, (LOCK 34); GREAT EATERIES TOO.
TRAILER TRASH, formerly from Fenelon Falls.
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02-19-2017, 08:25 PM
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#19
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4 Rivet Member
2016 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Charleston
, South Carolina
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 389
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If you drive into Canada, go to St. Andrews by the Sea and stay at Kiwanis Oceanfront Camping. St. Andrews has a nice town. Next, I recommend taking the ferry from St. John to Digby. Rockwood Park in St. John is good camp. Stay in Digby at Digby Campground and Funpark. It’s a minute to town where you can eat scallops at the Fundy Restaurant and Bar. Annapolis Royal has a nice town also . Depending on how much time you have, either drive south and view the two magnificent churches, Eglise Saint Marie and Eglise Saint Bernard on your way to Yarmouth. This is a great drive during afternoon hours when the sun is highlighting the beautiful architecture. If you like art, Rob Buckland-Nicks may have something for you in Bear River at Flight of Fancy Arts. The go-to restaurant in Yarmouth is Rudders Seafood Restaurant and Brewpub. Now for the or: leaving Digby, head for Lunenburg and plan to spend some time walking around. Lunenburg is a must. You can stop at Peggy’s Cove on your way to Halifax. In Halifax, go to the Maritime Museum and learn about the Titanic and the Halifax explosion. In Halifax, eat at The Bicycle Thief and The Five Fisherman. You may enjoy reading about the history of The Five Fisherman. Maybe you’ll shop on Spring Garden Road. If you are in Halifax, and the Tattoo is in town, you WILL want to see this show. If you are headed North, stop in Baddeck and see the Bell Museum. Keep going North, and you’ll see the Cabot Trail. Check out the Keltic Lodge and try to see Cyril MacPhee.
Should you get to PEI, Charlottetown has good food on Richmond St. If you decide to tour the island, I would go to the East side. Maybe check out the racing at Red Shores in Charlottetown.
Now to Michigan, a MUST is The Henry Ford and Greenfield Village. If you go to Mackinac Island, take the jet boat; it’s faster. The Grand Hotel is closer to town, and Mission Point is also nice but further. Mission Point has terrific food at Chianti. Also, go to The Woods Restaurant on the opposite side of the island. Mackinaw moves at a slow pace. If you get to Mackinaw City, a must for dinner is the Chippewa Room.
Did you think about Door County in Wisconsin?
In Nova Scotia, don’t miss Lunenburg, and in Michigan, don’t miss The Henry Ford.
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02-20-2017, 01:57 AM
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#20
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Len and Jeanne
2005 16' International CCD
2015 19' Flying Cloud
Creston Valley
, British Columbia
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,793
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Oh, and don't forget that US dollars are worth a lot more in Canada. One Canadian dollar is currently worth about 76c US. This takes some of the edge off those pricey campgrounds.
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