Canadian info please - driving across the Maritimes to St. Johns

[gfh77665]

Has anyone here on BITOG done this? I am nearing retirement and I had a random thought to do this road trip once I am "off the clock". I could cross from Maine into NB, then NS, then take an auto ferry to Newfoundland to the Argentia ferry terminal, then drive to St. Johns and stay there 2-3 weeks. I have travelled a lot internationally but just a little bit in Canada, at Niagara Falls - Fort Erie.

Would this be interesting and worth it? Or not really worth it? How is the driving scenery in the Maritimes? Any opinions, positive or negative are appreciated. Time is not a factor, I would have a month or more if needed to drive up from SE TX, and make other stops along the way. It IS a long haul but I would be very casual and unhurried. I appreciate all thoughts. Thanks.

 

[Oro_O]

I haven’t done this recently but…

I did this when I was young with my grandparents; the three of us. I loved it. The scenery is wonderful and it’s far enough off the beaten path that the crowds are much, much less than we all are generally used to. The distances are BIG and a lot of people underestimate that, though you likely won’t, being from Texas. We did not go as far as Newfoundland, just NB and part of NS. Great scenery, nice people, great driving/viewing. Sounds like a great plan and you should do it.

If you are not in a hurry to get there, an option is that once you get to CT, go north into VT and NH and then easterly back to Maine (Rt. 2 I think). A lot more scenic than going through Boston and the coastal communities, unless you’ve never been there and want to see some of that. You will miss some of coastal NH and ME, but you will get a fill of coastal views in NB, NS, etc. I lived in Boston several years and travelled in Maine a lot, and I also lived in northern VT several years and got to know that northern part of NE well. If you have a “fun” car to drive, and you play your cards right, you could spend a bit of time on VT Rt. 100, which is a fabulous road to drive. I would do that, personally, if the historic sites in MA have been seen before.

 

[stormgol]

Newfoundland island is nothing like New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. nor Prince Edward island. it is enormous and nature is wild and primitive. and there is not much people save for the St-Johns metro area. i have done the pilgrimage to the Norse settlement of l'Anse au Meadows. when you leave the St-Johns area, it becomes extremely remote and scarcely populated.

 

[gfh77665]

I haven’t done this recently but…

I did this when I was young with my grandparents; the three of us. I loved it. The scenery is wonderful and it’s far enough off the beaten path that the crowds are much, much less than we all are generally used to. The distances are BIG and a lot of people underestimate that, though you likely won’t, being from Texas. We did not go as far as Newfoundland, just NB and part of NS. Great scenery, nice people, great driving/viewing. Sounds like a great plan and you should do it.

If you are not in a hurry to get there, an option is that once you get to CT, go north into VT and NH and then easterly back to Maine (Rt. 2 I think). A lot more scenic than going through Boston and the coastal communities, unless you’ve never been there and want to see some of that. You will miss some of coastal NH and ME, but you will get a fill of coastal views in NB, NS, etc. I lived in Boston several years and travelled in Maine a lot, and I also lived in northern VT several years and got to know that northern part of NE well. If you have a “fun” car to drive, and you play your cards right, you could spend a bit of time on VT Rt. 100, which is a fabulous road to drive. I would do that, personally, if the historic sites in MA have been seen before.

Great info. I flew into NY and drove a rental car up Mt. Washington, the official "worst weather" place in the US. On another trip we spent 3 days in Boston, but another day we drove up the coast and spent the day in Gloucester eating lobster and bisque right off the boats on the wharf. I love to get out of the cities as you describe and see the off the beaten path places.

 

[gfh77665]

Newfoundland island is nothing like New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. nor Prince Edward island. it is enormous and nature is wild and primitive. and there is not much people save for the St-Johns metro area. i have done the pilgrimage to the Norse settlement of l'Anse au Meadows. when you leave the St-Johns area, it becomes extremely remote and scarcely populated

Thats OK! The cities are fine but after 40 years of a hectic high stress career, unwinding in remote locals sounds excellent!

l'Anse au Meadows sounds fascinating to me. Thank you!

 

[Oro_O]

Great info. I flew into NY and drove a rental car up Mt. Washington, the official "worst weather" place in the US. On another trip we spent 3 days in Boston, but another day we drove up the coast and spent the day in Gloucester eating lobster and bisque right off the boats on the wharf. I love to get out of the cities as you describe and see the off the beaten path places.

I spent a few years looking across to Mt. Washington from my “office.” . I worked as a ski patroller at a big Vermont resort a while and from our station at our peak, we had a great view east to Mt. Washington and could watch the storms hit it and mewl and swirl. Pretty neat.

Newfoundland island is nothing like New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. nor Prince Edward island. it is enormous and nature is wild and primitive. and there is not much people save for the St-Johns metro area. i have done the pilgrimage to the Norse settlement of l'Anse au Meadows. when you leave the St-Johns area, it becomes extremely remote and scarcely populated.

That sounds pretty neat. I’ve read a bit about that and it is interesting that you went to visit the site.

 

[MSCH]

Has anyone here on BITOG done this? I am nearing retirement and I had a random thought to do this road trip once I am "off the clock". I could cross from Maine into NB, then NS, then take an auto ferry to Newfoundland to the Argentia ferry terminal, then drive to St. Johns and stay there 2-3 weeks. I have travelled a lot internationally but just a little bit in Canada, at Niagara Falls - Fort Erie.

Would this be interesting and worth it? Or not really worth it? How is the driving scenery in the Maritimes? Any opinions, positive or negative are appreciated. Time is not a factor, I would have a month or more if needed to drive up from SE TX, and make other stops along the way. It IS a long haul but I would be very casual and unhurried. I appreciate all thoughts. Thanks.

going to do it next year... I know one person who did that trip, he really loved it..

I say go and find out .

 

[IndyIan]

We went 20 year ago now, but I would go again for sure. All the east coast folks are pretty nice and we found especially the Newfoundlanders. Do you camp? We mostly tented and stayed at a few bed and breakfasts which was good to get the local knowledge on what to see in the area.
In newfoundland we did some mackerel and cod fishing, bird watching at Cape St Marys, had a hump back whale swim under our kayak in Bay Bulls, did lots of hikes, ate lots of fresh seafood, hiked around Gros Morne, toured L'Anse aux Meadows. Then we took the ferry north to Labrador to Happy Valley/Goose bay and toured the Labrador military museum, they used to do lots of low level flight training and they have a good selection of airplane parts with spruce branches jammed in them... We then drove over to Churchhill Falls and Labrador city on a gravel road, and down to Baie-Comeau in Quebec. That trip was a busy 4 weeks and we should've left more time to enjoy Labrador and Quebec. Every pond and stream in Labrador had hungry brook trout in them and it would've been good to spend a few days just fishing there.

 

[stormgol]

i am actually going back in October. first, i have a trip to New England this week, then i go to Newfoundland island. but i am not going in the St-Johns area. i go to Port Aux Basques and i come back from Port Aux basques.

 

[stormgol]

We went 20 year ago now, but I would go again for sure. All the east coast folks are pretty nice and we found especially the Newfoundlanders. Do you camp? We mostly tented and stayed at a few bed and breakfasts which was good to get the local knowledge on what to see in the area.
In newfoundland we did some mackerel and cod fishing, bird watching at Cape St Marys, had a hump back whale swim under our kayak in Bay Bulls, did lots of hikes, ate lots of fresh seafood, hiked around Gros Morne, toured L'Anse aux Meadows. Then we took the ferry north to Labrador to Happy Valley/Goose bay and toured the Labrador military museum, they used to do lots of low level flight training and they have a good selection of airplane parts with spruce branches jammed in them... We then drove over to Churchhill Falls and Labrador city on a gravel road, and down to Baie-Comeau in Quebec. That trip was a busy 4 weeks and we should've left more time to enjoy Labrador and Quebec. Every pond and stream in Labrador had hungry brook trout in them and it would've been good to spend a few days just fishing there.

Goose bay to Baie Comeau is now all paved road save for about a 200 kilometers stretch of road near the Manicouagan reservoir. and Goose bay to Blanc Sablon is also all paved road.

 

[atikovi]

Always wanted to drive to France while visiting Newfoundland one of these days, just to see all the oddball french cars. Well, not exactly France, but St. Pierre or Miquelon a few miles off the coast of NFL by ferry.

These tiny islands off Newfoundland are crowded with oddball French cars

Just off the coast of Newfoundland, Ford F-150s and Citroen C3s share the roads on St. Pierre and Miquelon

driving.ca

 

[k1xv]

I did the exact same route in 1978. The Newfies are the best people I have ever met in my 76 years. The roads are much better now, especially the highway up to St Anthony. Do it!!

 

[gfh77665]

We went 20 year ago now, but I would go again for sure. All the east coast folks are pretty nice and we found especially the Newfoundlanders. Do you camp? We mostly tented and stayed at a few bed and breakfasts which was good to get the local knowledge on what to see in the area.
In newfoundland we did some mackerel and cod fishing, bird watching at Cape St Marys, had a hump back whale swim under our kayak in Bay Bulls, did lots of hikes, ate lots of fresh seafood, hiked around Gros Morne, toured L'Anse aux Meadows. Then we took the ferry north to Labrador to Happy Valley/Goose bay and toured the Labrador military museum, they used to do lots of low level flight training and they have a good selection of airplane parts with spruce branches jammed in them... We then drove over to Churchhill Falls and Labrador city on a gravel road, and down to Baie-Comeau in Quebec. That trip was a busy 4 weeks and we should've left more time to enjoy Labrador and Quebec. Every pond and stream in Labrador had hungry brook trout in them and it would've been good to spend a few days just fishing there.

I don't camp or fish, but that won't deter me at all. I love seeing places and cultures that are different that my home. I have been to Barrow AK, or Utqiagvik if you prefer. That was an outstanding 3 days. Never in my life did I ever think I would see snowfall in July or stand on a small iceberg. Barrow is the "northernmost" tip of north America, and incidentally St. Johns is the easternmost. I am very flexible with whatever I will encounter. Riding the ferries sounds great. We have one that connect Galveston Island with Bolivar peninsula.

 

[gfh77665]

i am actually going back in October. first, i have a trip to New England this week, then i go to Newfoundland island. but i am not going in the St-Johns area. i go to Port Aux Basques and i come back from Port Aux basques.

I am deciding traveling from Port Aux Basques all the way around (9+ hours) to St. Johns, OR, I could take the longer ferry to Argentia-Placentia port for a short drive (1.5 hr) to St. Johns. I am leaning for the longer drive to see more of Newfoundland.

 

[gfh77665]

I did the exact same route in 1978. The Newfies are the best people I have ever met in my 76 years. The roads are much better now, especially the highway up to St Anthony. Do it!!

I bet they would get a kick out of seeing Texas plates on my truck!

 

[Patman]

My girlfriend and I did a road trip to Nova Scotia last month and on the way there we travelled through Quebec and then down through New Brunswick and stopping in Lower Sackville NS. On the way home we travelled through New Brunswick but stopped for the night in St Andrews and then crossed over into Maine and then drove through Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and NY State (we stopped in Sturbridge Village, Mass, which was really cool!) The roads in NB and NS have amazing scenery, lots of mountains and the main highways are mostly 110km/h which is nice. The roads have a lot of hills to climb and descend and lots of nice curvy bits too. I must say when the rain gets heavy (and it did at times) those roads aren't quite as much fun. I would not want to do that trip in colder weather, those long downhill curvy sections would not be fun with any ice or snow on them. Yikes.
The Maritimes isn't really my speed (I don't like seafood and I can only see so many lighthouses before I get bored) but I'm still glad I did the trip (sort of like Vegas, glad I went once, don't need to go again)

As a side note, I put 5000km on the Honda and averaged 5.3L per 100km. I'm glad we didn't take the Corvette (because of the forementioned heavy rain, as well as a lot of terrible dug up roads on some parts of the drive, plus it would have cost way more on gas)

 

[tcp71]

A lap of Cape Breton would be awesome.

The Cabot Trail – Nova Scotia | Destination Cape Breton

The Cabot Trail is a breathtaking 298km scenic drive with stunning beauty and quaint fishing villages. Come and enjoy an experience of a lifetime.

www.cbisland.com

Don't forget to stop off for some single malt:

Glenora Distillery

Home of Canada's First Single Malt Whisky, Glen Breton Rare. Located on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada

www.glenoradistillery.com

 

[OVERKILL]

We made that trip 4x when I was a kid and I lived out east from '94 to 2000.

Crystal Palace (an indoor amusement park of sorts) was fun when it existed, but they shutdown a few years ago. The Hopewell Rocks are worth seeing, outside of Moncton, then you can work your way east. I'd recommend going up through Cape Breton and seeing Fort Louisbourg:
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site (canada.ca)

Once in Cape Breton, you can do the North Sidney to Port aux Basques ferry, which gives you a nice scenic drive.

 

[Blueshound]

Watch out for bike thieves if you stop in Moncton. Stolen right off the back of the car, cut the cable lock. My law partner had all their control cables cut.

 

[JHZR2]

Newfoundland island is nothing like New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. nor Prince Edward island. it is enormous and nature is wild and primitive. and there is not much people save for the St-Johns metro area. i have done the pilgrimage to the Norse settlement of l'Anse au Meadows. when you leave the St-Johns area, it becomes extremely remote and scarcely populated.

I need to do this!