Advice on Western Route thru Canada

Stay on the prairies; there's too many hills in the mountains.

Don't forget your passports!
Not so much going into Canada but getting back into the US.

Thanks everyone for your very helpful suggestions. We are looking forward to our first Canadian adventure.

Harvard wrote:
Avoid Manitoba and Saskatchewan, bad roads, expensive fuel and no scenery. IMO

Hey now, we appreciate and want tourists in Manitoba and have some nice scenery too, like our national park, Riding Mountain National Park! :) You have a point about the roads, although the two major highways, #1 (Trans Canada) and #16 (Yellowhead Route) are pretty good and a lot has been resurfaced recently. Fuel has been creeping up lately as summer approaches and of course more than US fuel. So there is my sales pitch to come to "Friendly Manitoba"!

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

I've not driven the Icefields for about ten years. I was quoting what Google Maps said. I'm glad to be wrong.

cruiserjs wrote:
A sakatchewan flatlander said " The Icefields highway is one of the few toll roads and is posted if my memory serves at 50 MPH (80 kph). Drive time at the speed limit for the 144 miles is 3 hours and 7 minutes"

That's OK DON - we all are entitled to one mistake in our lifetime LOL!!
John

From Waterton National park head north on #6 to the jct with Hwy 3 west. I think the jct with Hwy 22x is about 30 miles from Pincher Creek, could be a little more could be a little less.
Follow Hwy 22x north all the way to Hwy 1 the Trans Canada Hwy (TC) there is a large service station if you require fuel on the North side of the freeway. From the Jct with Hwy 22x and Hwy 1 your about an hour and a bit to Banff.
If you have an idea when your going to be in Banff and Jasper go into the Canada Parks web site and book reservations now, the summer in the Canadain Rockies is a busy place.
Follow Hwy 1 past Banff to Lake Luoise and then take Hwy 93 ( Ice Feild Parkway) north to Jasper. I'm not like a lot of people I find that Ice Feild Parkways one of the most beautiful drives I have ever done and I tell people to double back down the Hwy to Lake Luoise as there is a lot to see that you were other to busy to see or missed it on your way up. It is well worth the doubling back check Trip Advisror and there " travel experts" will agree.
From Lake Luoise continue south to about the 1/2 way point to Banff and you will come to Castle Jct take Hwy 93 west to Raduim Hot Springs. The park pass you bought for Waterton, Banff and Jasper National parks will also work in Kootenay National park which you will be entering shortly after you leave Hwy 1 and join Hwy 93. Check on prices but depending on how much time you are planing to spend in the parks a Year pass may be cheaper than a daily, do some checking in to that.
About 25 miles in you will come to the Kootenay National Park Center on the left hand side of the road, nice place to stop get a pop cycle or bathroom break.
On the Raduim side of the road there is a long hill use you lowest gear and use your breKs to keep you speed in check. You will see the " Break Check" area on the right hand side of the Hwy just before the hill. I pull my 35ft 5th Wheel over this route all the time to bust my kids just west of Calgary, so it is doable just need to be awear of hills putting your 4 way flashers on when going slow down the hill is a good idea as well so the people coming up behind you can see. Stay in low gear and keeping your spread in check until just after the Hwy Dept sheds at the bottom.
From Raduim Hot Springs head south on Hwy 93 /95 through Faimount Hot Springs and on I to Cranbrook, where you meet up with Hwy 3 again. About 5 minutes before the Jcy with Hwy 3 you will see on the right hand side of the Hwy Fort Steele a rebuild historical town from the 1880's. The Esso gas station on the left had side has lots of room for a big rig to fuel up, the pump closet to the Hwy has diesel.
From Cranbrook follow Hwy 3 west to Creston, which has a large amount of fresh guilt stands beside the Hwy.
From Creston take Hwy 3-A up to Crawford Bay and take the Balfour Ferry across Kootenay Lake to Balfour. The Kootenay Lake Ferry is the longest FREE Ferry ride in the world, and big RVs like yours as well as logging trucks and vehicles of every size take it daily so you will fit.
Now from here you have two choices take Hwy 3-South to the Slocan Jct and then take Hwy 6 north, or if you don't mind some windy breath taking views for the next 1.5 hrs you can take Hwy 31 west to Kalso where the dry docked paddle wheeler Moyie is which you can tour and then take Hwy 31-A over the hump to New Denver.
Both roads and good roads the 31-A is more scenic.
From New Denver take Hwy 6 north to Nakusp Hwy 23 to Revelstoke where you join up with Hwy 1 (TC) there will be another ferry ride across the Upper Arrow Lakes ( Columbia River ) it as are all Inland Ferries in BC FREE.
Once on Hwy 1 follow it west all the way to Vancouver. I'm my opinion the Frazer Canyon between Cashe Creek and Hope should not be missed as well there is a lot less traffics than Hwy 97 through the Okanogon Valley or on Hwy 5 , which is a four lane road with gaurdrails on either side of the road and higher traffics speeds. That road was built to speed up traffic from east to west and that's it.
When you go through the Fazer Canyon stop at Hells Gate .
I would also head south at Sumas crossing unless you want to take your rig into Vancouver and lower mainland traffic.

The price for everything in Canada is more exspencive than the USA, however don't forget your getting about 20% better on the exchange rate meaning your $1 is worth $1.20. Also My relatives how come up from the Portland Org area often have found that they get the best exchange rate at ATM's at Canadain Banks.

What ever route you take have a great time and do some reading up on what you can and can not bring into Canada check out the links in the fourth "sticky" down on the " RVing in Canada and Alaska " page

Good luck and have fun
Soup.

Been out that way many times and will be going again in June. We head to the UP and stay at the Michigamme Shores Campground for a day or two before continuing on. We head west at St. Ignace to 41, up 41 to Marquette and on to Michigamme Shores Campground. Then west to 28 and on to Wakefield where we join up with #2 highway. We take #2 all the way to Shelby, Montanna and then north to Sweetgrass/Coutts border crossing. There isn't a problem for fuel/gas along the way. I carry 86 gallons of diesel but still no problems getting fuel/gas. We usually stay at the same campgrounds along the way and get in early enough so we don't make reservations. From here to our destination of Waterton National Park area, we take 7 days now. So each day is not a long day of driving, maybe up to 350 miles on certain days. You'll have to make up your mind on where you want to go after entering Canada. good luck and enjoy.

Moved to RVing in Canada

"On August 26, 2014, Burger King agreed to purchase Tim Hortons for US$11.4 billion; the chain became a subsidiary of the Oakville-based holding company Restaurant Brands International on December 15, 2014, which is majority-owned by Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital."

There are many Starbucks locations.

Jim Shoe wrote:
Also, when I drove through Canada the Starbucks equivalent was Tim Horton's, but Starbucks purchased them a few years ago, so your caffeine fix is available throughout Canada. But learn the Starbucks lingo before you leave so you don't sound like a newbie. :)

When I drove my RV to Alaska, I crossed the border into Canada at Sweetgrass, MT. At the time, you could buy a U.S./Canada pass but a regular passport wasn't much more expensive than the pass and lasted longer. I got mine at a local American Express office before leaving home in Cincinnati. Don't wait until the last minute. It takes awhile for approval. And while you're at the American Express office, exchange some $US for $CN. Once you are several miles from the border, don't expect CGs, restaurants, groceries, etc. to know the current exchange rates. National U.S. banks can do the same thing, but it takes longer.
Also, when I drove through Canada the Starbucks equivalent was Tim Horton's, but Starbucks purchased them a few years ago, so your caffeine fix is available throughout Canada. But learn the Starbucks lingo before you leave so you don't sound like a newbie. :)