Canadian RVing for newbies

Welcome to the Forum.
Would help if you fill in your profile a bit with what type of RV you have and or are going to be traveling with ie, Diesel truck with 5th Wheel, or Class A etc....
Usually the 50 amp RV's are because of duel AC units, and washer and drier set ups. My old 2014 Open Range 5th Wheel had a 50 amp cord but I could run everything on a 15 amp plug even the A/C unit, some times and hardly ever used that huge 50 amp cable.
I used a much smaller 30 amp cord that I had with an adaptor plug.
I also only had one A/C unit, and didn't have the washer and drier either,
50 amp to 15 amp plug

50 amp to 30 amp cord

We got rid of our 5th Wheel and now have a camper for the truck. Wen. We ordered our new camper we ordered it without a A/C unit as we hardly ever used the A/C unit and we wanted less things on the roof to collect snow as we plan on using the camper in the winter months snowmobiling. We use our Fantasic Fan and wouldn't be with out it. Simple drafting with one window open keeps the camper nice and cool at night. We just got back from a month down south and never once thought we made a mistake by not getting the A/C unit when we ordered it.

Most roads in Canada are good, however just like the USA there are roads that are bad. There are low over passes / bridges up here as well, so they are out there. And I am from western Canada so I can't speak for the eastern provinces, however out here over passes and bridges are " usually" marked with a height on them.
Soup.

One small comment on Soup's post. Yes the height of the bridges will be marked, but of course in metres! You will have to, for this trip any way, join the 20th century and learn some metric!
And of course no weapons of any kind!

My responses...based on a moderate amount of experience.

1. No idea how plentiful low clearances are. They're something to be aware of, but it's not as though even the eastern US is so thoroughly littered with them that it's impossible to get around. At the same time, of course, it only takes one that you don't pay attention to for you to have a very bad day.

2. Yes, for the most part, some of course better than others.

3. It may be difficult to find full hookups with 50A power. Being able to deal with something lesser will open up many more campsites for you. This isn't exactly like boondocking, particularly if you're generally traveling rather than staying in one spot for a week or two at a time; you'll likely have water fill and sewer dump stations at hand. Using 30A or 15A power is really just a matter of putting on an adapter and being aware of your electric usage.

Some provincial and I assume other parks in Canada have shared electric boxes that can be some distance from the site. An extension cord will be helpful.

4. It sounds like a fabulous route to me. Don't underestimate how long Ontario is as you half-circumnavigate the great lakes. I think it's pretty close to half the Trans-Canada highway is in Ontario; it certainly seemed that way to me.

5. Usually you can get around okay with English, certainly so in the cities. The road signs are all in French only (or pictograms) but it's not too hard to translate, particularly if you know a few key words. For dealing with people, a good attitude goes a very long distance to paving over language barriers.

RVing in Canada is no different than in the USA, maybe some terminology. The same for highways and roads, probably fewer Controlled Access highways (Interstate). Gasoline/fuel is measured in litres (about 1/4 gal) and distance speed in kilometres km/hour.
1. Low clearance bridges, not a problem on main highways, possibly on some back roads.
2. Generally good, but can be bad areas.
3. Boondocking, you will learn quickly, just be more conservative with water and power usage. 50 amp service, at most campgrounds, but 30 amp will suffice 95% of time, just carry the adaptor.
4. Shouldn't be any major problems, just avoid driving in major cities, Toronto, Montreal (think Atlanta or Washington DC), in rush hours.
5. French, Quebec and northern NB. shouldn't be a problem in major tourist areas, they want the tourist $$, but in small towns, might be more of an issue, but generally they will try and work with you.

Campgrounds Last 2 weeks of June to Labour Day, reservations recommended for weekends, probably a necessity for holiday weekends, May 24, July 1-4, first weekend of August and Labour Day.

Sightseeing, let us know what your interested in, natural scenery, big city, history etc.

Ken
Edit Added, Clearances, I used a label maker and put the clearances on visible spot on the dash, in both feet/inches and meters, rounded off higher than the MH actually is.

FYI,

http://lowclearances.com/

Clearances shouldn't be a problem on main routes. All bridges are marked. Some highways with older arch type bridges may have signage that says trucks must use left lane.

Electrical will depend on what type of parks you stay in. Most provincial parks don't have 50amp service and many won't have full hookups. Electrical only with water fill and dump stations are more common. Private parks and some conservation areas will have more services. Depending on time of year you will need to reserve sites in advance. In Ontario the provincial park bookings open 5 months in advance (at 7am) and book up quick.

Many people in Quebec speak English so you shouldn't have any problems. You'll find a lot of places to be bilingual. It's only when you get further north and into small towns where people are more French.

before heading south through New England.

We speak Yankee here but if you ask we'll speak normal. :B

Seriously the only place I've had an issue in Canada with the locals speaking French and not English was Quebec, but that was many moons ago. In the Maritimes English is not a problem at all. Twin Shores campground on PEI has 50 amp-we stayed there a number of years ago and really enjoyed it. While you are on PEI go to the College of Piping and Music in Summerside and enjoy a celidgh if they are having one.

Acheter un dictionnaire francais.

Pocket sized. The more you show interest, the more help you will receive.

When I drove across Labrador and down a dirt road to Baie Comeau and searched for a hose to wash the mud off and was taking weekly French classes, I spoke what I knew. I got sent for a place that does special washes. The gal who did my truck camper was extremely thorough. It became very clear to me that I was doing very well for myself, that I was being thanked for the effort.

So, when a Francophone area be sure to ask questions in almost every place. That's showing an interest. Of course, you start at the visitor's center, in the grocery store, interest could be as simple as saying: "It's really beautiful here, we've been to........ What are your favourite places?"

Now, take the ferry to PEI and Confederation Bridge from. You pay when you leave. The Bridge costs less. It's also a spot to tour.

Make sure you google "name of province tourism" for every province you are going to. & ask for a provincial map. Provincial maps have reference to things people who live there know.

Some of the most interesting roads are the old ones, ones with twists and turns. Yes, there are buildings around from the 17th and 18th centuries. The less of an overhang to any edge of a roof, the older the building.

Yes, I and anyone who has lived in these parts can make suggestions of places to see. So, ask if you want that.

:B

Never had an issue with low bridges wherever I wanted to take the trailer anywhere in Canada.

Generally I have found the roads to be better in Canada than the US, especially eastern US.

Carry adaptors to step your 50amp right down to 20amp (the genny adaptor). If on 20amp service be sure to put water heater on propane, turn the fridge AC circuit breaker off, turn the microwave breaker off & turn the air conditioning breaker off. This way those who don't understand power cannot turn something on that will trip the shoreside breaker.

Wish you luck when dealing with the French. They seem to have forgotten that the British won the war 200 years ago. The attitude of just one CG operator has kept us from returning to Quebec.

For a really great experience go to Newfoundland. It is like a whole different country. Wonderful people there, even if they are a bit difficult to understand sometimes.

As someone has already said, know your height in meters. On our first trip into CA several years ago we turned a corner and there about a half block ahead of us was a RR overpass and the sign said 4 Meters. A quick scramble of brain cells told me that since we were less than 13 feet we were ok.

In Quebec all road signs are in French which isn't hard to follow normally but on our last trip in Sept. of this year driving through Montreal our route was totally closed for major reconstruction. Fortunately the French word for detour is spelled d e t o u r.