Hello to my fellow campers in Eastern Canada.

prairiecamper · 04-06-2015, 01:38 PM

Wife and I are tentatively planning a trip early summer from home all the way to Newfoundland. We are looking for camping related info, campgrounds, roads/routes, low bridges, scenic sites, and generally all things camping!

Most of the info we are looking for will be east of Toronto. We are interested in the thousand islands, Ottawa, Montreal and best way to bypass it, along the south shore of the St. Lawrence, around the Gaspe/Gaspesie thru New Brunswick, Nova Scotia (been to NS a couple of times, not camping) up to Sydney across the ferry on to the rock.

We plan on going north to L'anse aux meadows, across to St. John's and then start our return home. Your suggestions will be much appreciated!

itat · 04-06-2015, 02:28 PM

Sounds like fantastic trip.

I'm originally from the 1000 Islands area. What are you interested in seeing in that area? For a boat tour of the islands, I recommend Rockport Boat Lines. They have smaller boats and start in the middle of the islands. If you'll have Passports, you can do the stop at Boldt Castle.

I suggest you stay at a central CG as a base and visit Kingston, too. Lots of history there and outstanding architecture.

If you like KOAs there is one just east of Gananoque but it's very expensive. There's also one in Mallorytown but it's getting pricey, too.

There aren't many CG choices in the Ottawa area but you could try Ottawa's Poplar Grove or Sleepy Cedars Family Camping in Greely.

derek6669 · 04-07-2015, 04:38 PM

Hello Prariecamper,
We have been making the trip to Maritimes for a few years. East of Toronto, I would suggest Presquille Prov Pak near Brighton. Nice park on Lake Ontario with lots of od walking trails. When you continue east, be sure to take HWY 30 near Dorion, it will bypass Montreal totally. In NB, I would recommend Fundy National near Alma and Kouchibouguac National Park on the Northumberland Coast is also very interesting. In Mainland Nova Scotia, Kejimkujik National Park is a great park and of course Cape Breton Highland is also very nice. If you go to Newfoundland be sure to reserve ahead as the ferry gets very busy by mid June. Marine Atlantic does offer a Military Discount for current and former service personal. We have rented a cabin the last couple of times and this works out well for over night crossings, JT Cheeseman Prov Park is 15 KM from the Ferry Dock and offers interesting trails and shoreline. A time to the Tablelands is must on your way to St Anthony. The West Brook pond cruise is also very interesting . We camped at Pistola Bay Prov CG when in St Anthony

derek6669 · 04-07-2015, 04:45 PM

The Devils Stair Case in St Anthony gives you a great view of the area. Twilengate is well worth exploring, last summer we saw hundreds of icebergs in the area, Bonavista is also interesting and while there go to Elliston there is a Puffin Colony there , we had birds at our feet and got lots of great shots. If you head into St John's stay at Pippy Park Camp Ground, this CG is in the city and while in the park you don't feel like you are in a city, from there Cape Spear is a short 20 minute drive and of course there is Signal Hill Did a Whale watching cruise from St John's as well. St Marys Ecological is a great place to go to see nesting sea birds on a 600 foot sea stack. I forgot to mention if you go to PEI, then Twin Shore Camp Ground is the place to go.... Well these 2 post should help a little with your planning

prairiecamper · 04-07-2015, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by derek6669

Hello Prariecamper, If you go to Newfoundland be sure to reserve ahead as the ferry gets very busy by mid June. Marine Atlantic does offer a Military Discount for current and former service personal. We camped at Pistola Bay Prov CG when in St Anthony

How soon in advance does one need to make a reservation on the ferry!

derek6669 · 04-07-2015, 08:08 PM

prairiecamper, I would suggest reserving now, the ships fill up very quickly as summer approaches. The sailing from St John's is 16 hours, they depart 3 times a week at 17:30 and arrive around 10:00 the next day. The Channel Port Aux Basque run is only about 6-7 hours. In both directions you have to check in 2 hours before sailing and they typically load 1 hour before sailing.

mduff · 04-07-2015, 08:18 PM

There are two ferries; North Sydney to Argentia, and North Sydney to Port aux Basques. The earlier you can make your reservations the better, especially if you are interested in a cabin; they fill up quickly. Often a trip to NL starts on one end, arriving Argentia for example to travel to St. John's, and visitors make their way to the west coast and leave via Port aux Basques. There is plenty to see and do as other posters have suggested. Spending 2 weeks in NL would be suggested. Search the forum for a post from Iggy. A group did the trip and he posted their travels.

Sent from my iPad using Forest River Forums

derek6669 · 04-07-2015, 08:34 PM

Good point Mduff, last year we did Channel Port Aux Basque to Argentia. This year we are going in at Argentia and coming home through Channel Port Aux Basque. In my previous posts, I failed to mention there is also a Ferry that goes over to Labrador at St Barbe and you can visit Battle Harbour any further than Battle Harbour you are on gravel roads and I have seen people taping up their windows and doors before leaving to go north because of the amount of dust. Pinware Prov Park is near by and has one of the best salmon rivers in Newfoundland.

prairiecamper · 04-07-2015, 09:29 PM

Thanks for the reply's, unfortunately we will have no set schedules and the plan was to get to Sydney or some place nearby (in N.S.) make the reservation and then site see or just relax for a day or two until we could board the ferry! I'm not keen on making a reservation from home at this time as that put's pressure on me along the way and pretty much makes it impossible to spend an extra day or two at some interesting spot or to see something else we were not aware off! The plan is also to arrive and depart from Port Aux Basque and no cabin required!

OldCoot · 04-07-2015, 09:40 PM

Highly recommend seeing the Bay of Fundy that has the worlds highest tide of somewhere around 61 ft. When we were there it only raised 31'. We watched in come in, go out and a few hours later it repeated it.

itat · 04-07-2015, 09:56 PM

If you're going to be near Syndey, NS for a few days, definitely go to Fortress Louisburg. We spent an entire day there and DW and I and the kids loved it. We liked it much more than the Citadel in Halifax. Louisburg is about life at that time whereas the Citadel was more about military history. We had just visited the military museums in Ottawa earlier that year so maybe that's why we weren't as into the Citadel. But while in the Halifax area we had to take my eldest son by the rink in Cole Harbour where Sid the Kid played.

Also, while on Cape Breton, you have to drive the Cabot Trail. Park the 5er at a CG and drive it without the trailer. You can do it in a full day our take your time and drive it over 2 days. If you're able to do a 7 km hike, do the Skyline Trail. You'll be rewarded with a spectacular view at the far end. If you're nervous about driving near the edge, go clockwise around the trail, otherwise go in the counter-clockwise direction.

If you are going to be staying near Halifax, you'll be able to see Peggy's Cove and Lunenburg in a single day. Both are true Canadian legends.

I second the recommendation for Fundy National Park and the Hopewell Rocks.

I have some pics in my albums of our trip in 2013. We didn't have time to visit NF though.

caper · 04-07-2015, 10:00 PM

The Arm of Gold CG is the last CG before the ferry to Newfoundland. It is an open field but not a bad place as a central CG to see the sights on CB. I full time at the KOA in Mallorytown and also work on the Rockport boat lines. We offer a great tour in the summer on Sundays. A passport in need and the cost is about $100/person. The boat leaves Rockport at 10am and drops you off at Boldt Castle you spend about an 1 to 1 1/2 hours touring this castle then are pick up by the boat again to continue your day. You will enjoy a buffet lunch on board the boat as you cruise through millionaire row and enjoy the cottages for years gone by. The next stop is Singer castle (Singer sewing machine). This large castle was his summer fishing lodge. You will return to Rockport around 4pm. If you enjoy military events the Kingston fort Henry do an excellent sunset ceremony during the summer. As for the cost of the KOA in Mallorytown it is a bit more expensive the the PP campground but you have a 3 way site. The owners try to have activities for the children every day.

itat · 04-07-2015, 10:36 PM

caper, we stayed at the Mallorytown KOA in 2013 and really liked it, but the prices have gone up more than 20% since then. Do you know why?

caper · 04-07-2015, 11:04 PM

Do not know why? What type of site are you looking for?

itat · 04-08-2015, 05:31 AM

Full service pull through.

prairiecamper · 04-08-2015, 11:06 AM

All this info is great, we have all the tourist info from each of the provinces we are going to travel through. However you can't beat info from first hand experience from some one that's been there or lives there! Btw we are retired and not travelling with children!

prairiecamper · 04-08-2015, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldCoot

Highly recommend seeing the Bay of Fundy that has the worlds highest tide of somewhere around 61 ft. When we were there it only raised 31'. We watched in come in, go out and a few hours later it repeated it.

The tides are definitely on our list. Thanks

Jim in Halifax · 04-08-2015, 12:14 PM

Juneau private camp ground is only20 mins from "Old Quebec City"" WE always stay there..EXCELLENT!!!! Route 40....North side of river

Anders · 04-08-2015, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prairiecamper

Wife and I are tentatively planning a trip early summer from home all the way to Newfoundland. We are looking for camping related info, campgrounds, roads/routes, low bridges, scenic sites, and generally all things camping!

Most of the info we are looking for will be east of Toronto. We are interested in the thousand islands, Ottawa, Montreal and best way to bypass it, along the south shore of the St. Lawrence, around the Gaspe/Gaspesie thru New Brunswick, Nova Scotia (been to NS a couple of times, not camping) up to Sydney across the ferry on to the rock.

We plan on going north to L'anse aux meadows, across to St. John's and then start our return home. Your suggestions will be much appreciated!

Hi Prairiecamper,

Great trip ahead of you. We did a cross Canada trip in 2011. Victoria to Newfoundland & Labrador and back again. We did 33,000 plus km.

We have a blog (65 posts) from the trip. We drove fairly fast out east (to meet up with friends from Europe) and then did more of Ontario on the way back. Part one is from Victoria, part four is where we arrived in Ontario.

Good luck and have fun.

jmencel · 04-08-2015, 12:35 PM

Thanks Prairie Camper for opening this thread. We are headed from SW Ontario to the Maritimes starting the beginning of July. While we won't likely make it to Newfoundland ..... New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI are on our list. Does anybody have any experience on the Cabot Trail with a trailer? From what I can gather, the hills are pretty steep? Exploring Kingston, Ottawa (for Canada Day) and Quebec City on in our plans for the trip out. Anybody have any advice for must see's / where to camp in PEI? Thanks everyone for the posts so far !

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