Canadian Maritimes Travel

Little Kopit is right. My parents were here for a month last year for a month. They figure they saw about 15% of the island portion of the province.

Like I said earlier, Cape Spear is the most easterly point in North America. Signal Hill is the location of the very first trans-Atlantic wireless message.

It is worth it to take the boat on Western Brook Pond in Gros Morne NP on the island's west coast. But be warned, the trip from St. John's to Deer Lake is about an 8hr drive.

We did it with a stop just outside Gander at Square Pond campground. While there check out the Silent Witness Memorial. This the location where 248 soldiers from 101st Airborne Division lost their lives on the way home at Christmas after serving overseas. Or check out the flight museum in Gander.

Each town has its own website, that lists attractions, including that town's annual festival. The 2 biggest are the Salmon Fest in Grand Falls-Windsor (July 5-7) and the Mussel Bed Soirée in Lewisporte (Aug 5-7). Both festivals have their own website.

If you do end up coming to the island of Newfoundland there are 2 ferry routes. One comes to the eastern side of the island to a town called Argentia. The other comes to the western side of the island to a town called Port Aux Basques. Book your fery ahead of time and get a berth (room with a bed). The ferry routes are long, up to a 14 hr trip to Argentia and 8hr to Port Aux Basques. What many people do is to come to one side, your across the province and leave from the other.

Check out The Ovens Natural Park in Riverport, NS. In addition to a campground, they have the sea caves. I didn't camp there, but did visit the park, and found it very nice (it was 2008, so do your research now). I loved the look of the campground right on the edge of the world so to speak - the campground was on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It's also a great location if you do the lighthouse route.

We are going to take this trip using the truck camper instead of the 5th wheel. This will allow us more options of camping and ferry length issues.

Some additional thoughts.

Although ferry and bridge fees are listed as roundtrip, one should treat the fees as the cost of leaving the island, since the fee is not paid until leaving. It is much cheaper to leave via the bridge. The ferry fee for motorhome and toad is approximately $170 (Canadian) plus fuel surcharge, if that is still in effect. The bridge fee for motorhome and toad is approximately $60 (Canadian).

We go to Nova Scotia first, cross to PEI on the ferry, departing from Caribou. We leave on the Confederation Bridge.

While on PEI, we stay at the National Parks Cavendish campground. Whether or not you like lobsters, you should have an evening meal at Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Supper The restaurant has a 60-foot long salad bar!

Crowe, I'm tempted to say you're talking a summer.

Yes, it takes time to add in Newfoundland to all of the rest. That island is larger than the other 3 together. I lived there 24.5 years. Yet, I am most serious when I say Gros Morne National Park compared to Cabot Trail is 1000 to 1 more.

Add in a trip over to Labrador, especially Red Bay, then you'll start wanting to head home via the rest of that part of the province. & really, at least two weeks. Done it in 2006, and much was missed. But see my photo album. Remember Labrador is 4x the size of Newfoundland.

:C

We stayed in both the National Parks in NB that I mentioned. I believe your rig is a 5th wheel? Headquarters Campground in Fundy will accommodate a rig your size. Not sure in Kouchibouguac. Stayed in the NPs in Newfoundland as well, but that was in a tent. Wish I could remember the name of the cg on PEI. The views were stunning. Just as a head's up, at last check you had to take a somewhat small ferry over to Labrador from Newfoundland, but that was years ago.

Although we have traveled in the Maritimes quite often; there is much we haven't seen. (For example, we've spend more than 40 days in Nova Scotia, but have not yet been to Halifax.)

Here are some specifics.

Our first stop in Canada would be in St Andrews by the Sea, staying at Kiwanis Oceanfront Camping. We usually spend 3 or 4 days here. We highly recommend a tour of Minister's Island. Although it is 60 miles away, we usually take a day trip from St Andrews to tour St Johns (Instead of moving to a campground in St John.)

Our next campground would be 140 miles up the road in Alma, NB at Fundy National Park - probably should make reservations. Hopewell Rocks is a must see while in the area.

Next is Baddeck, NS (325 miles). Baddeck Cabot Trail Campground. - Alexander Graham Bell Museum. Day trip to Louisbourg to see the Fortress of Louisbourg.

On Cape Breton, we use the Broad Cove campground at Ingonish as our base camp.

Got to go now. Maybe I can get back to add more.

Tom

Thanks to all for replying to our plans for travel. I am also interested in specific campgrounds that you might suggest we use as well. From your recommendations it looks like we will go to all the provinces.:)

We got lost on Cape Breton Island when we were there a long time ago. Made a wrong turn. We saw a man walking and stopped,told him we were lost and asked if he would give us directions.. In his Cape Breton accent he said, "you're never lost on Cape Breton". He then said if we trusted him he would tell us of a way to get back to the main road we got off of and it would have some great scenery. We did and the scenery was great. Just another story of Cape Breton.

A) What do you call what.
The Maritimes = those provinces in Canada in the 19th c. PEI, NB, NS.
Atlantic Canada = Above 3 plus Newfoundland and Labrador. Joey wanted that term & Newfoundlanders hear what you say.

B) In www.google.ca search "Name of Province & tourism", get each one's visitors guides & a provincial map. Both will give you info. you wouldn't get else where. I like to call to ask for these, then I can raise my special interests and get extra little booklets on these.

C)Roads poorly marked. Ahem, lots and lots of roads in USA are badly marked, to me who is used to different systems or spacing of signs. Each province and each state is different. Ask at ye olde gas station. &Remember, as for the Eastern Seaboard, these areas were settled by Europeans in sizeable #s from 1600 on. If you think the roads are an ambling cow path, well, maybe they were/are. I can pick out buildings originating in the 1700s and 1800s.

D) GPS not updated. GPS ain't updated fast in no rural area. Just the metropolitan ones. True for all of planet Earth, than one. Again, people are best help.

E) My suggestions
- Grand Manan, NB
- Saint John City Market, NB
- Charlottetown Farmers Market, Saturdays
- New Glasgow Lobster Suppers, PEI
- Festival of Small Halls, PEI, June
- Historic Halifax, Charlottetown, St. John's
- Festival re. Stan Rogers, Cape Breton
- Fortress Louisbourg, NS
- Gros Morne National Park, NL has Cabot Trail, NS beat by about 1,000x.
- Cape St. Mary's Bird Sanctuary, NL
- L'Anse aux Meadows, NL

F) Listen and watch local media. That way you will know there is an Atlantic Time Zone and a Newfoundland Time Zone. Think catching ferries.

:C