First post so be kind. My wife and I are planning a trip from Alberta to the Maritimes this coming fall. We are looking at the best way to get from Niagara Falls to Quebec City. If we stay in Canada, we avoid two border crossings but get Toronto and Montreal. We have crossed the border many times and sometimes you sail through and sometimes your number is up. I have heard first hand that traveling with Alberta plates in Quebec can be an "adventure" . We are traveling with a F350 and 26'fifth wheel. What would be the best time of day to travel through these cities. I am not against running thru them at 2am if that is what it takes. Any advice out there.Harold

Well, I can tell you, first hand, that a trip through Quebec will be what you make of it. Leave your Western Canada English speaking attitude at home and you will find Quebecers for the most part a very friendly helpful bunch of fellow Canadians. I had similar concerns as you when we drove to the Maritimes a few years ago. Spent 2 days in Montreal, 2 days in QC, then 4 days going around Gaspe' Penninsula, and we are so glad now that we never bypassed Quebec because of a perceived attitude problem....just never happened. We ended up feeling a bit stupid that we could not speak any French, because people treated us so well. On St John Baptiste day we were invited to join a bunch of families at an evening beach bonfire to sing traditional songs while kids roasted weenies & marshmallows......the word went around that we didn't understand French so people spoke English to us to tell us what the songs being sung were about,....we were totally included and it was a pretty emotional feeling for us. Take your time and do the big cities, and Quebec. A trip across Canada is not complete without experiencing all of our Great Country. I know it certainly created an attitude adjustment in this old bigoted western boys eyes.....

Living in southern Ontario we have travelled this route quite a bit. The busiest times going through Toronto is your typical rush hour (hours) time. From 6:30 to 8:30 am. and from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. The QEW and the 401 being the major routes into Toronto could be heavy at any time but take your time, relax and you will be fine. Give yourself some extra "tourist" time. You may want to stop along the way from Niagra to Toronto and visit the many vineyards. Travelling through Montreal at anytime during the day will be hectic. Montreal is a beautiful place, the people are great but traffic, huge headache. I would plan to go through Montreal very early in the morning if you are concerned. The only thing is it will be dark and you would be missing a lot of the sites of Montreal. Remember, all signs are in French only so since you are not going until next fall you have a bit of time to do homework. Try getting a driver handbook online to review signs. Old Quebec City is absolutely somewhere everyone traveling east needs to visit. Driving in the old city will be very hard with the RV. I suggest that you unhook at your campsite or take a taxi in. Parking would be impossible in my mind. If you were going to stay in a hotel/motel along your trip, this might be the place to. There are quite a few just off the major highway and within reasonable taxi cost. Book anything, campsites, hotels etc. around Quebec City as soon as you can and expect this area to be your most expensive on your trip. Anywhere in Quebec we have found people to be very helpful with language. Most people living in the Montreal area are bilingual. The only issue with language we have had over the years was in rural northern Quebec. It was not that people were being rude, they just did not know any English. You will find many french speaking areas in eastern Ontario and northern New Brunswick. Like you are doing, homework is the key. I am sure your trip will be a great one. Are you planning on doing all the Atlantic provinces and how much time do you have scheduled?

Hi,Go through the States. It is faster, shorter, and you can pick up some cheap fuel while you are at it.I often set up an exclusion zone using MS streets and trips to avoid driving through big cities. I hate express ways, and toll roads.

No need to worry about Montreal traffic anymore. Autoroute 30 bypasses the city on the south side of the river. This is a new multi-lane highway. There is a toll on the west end when you enter or leave the highway. Saves over an hour and during rush-hour saves even more time.Lots of places to camp south of Montreal where you can unhook and drive into the city. Not my favorite city in Canada but if you haven't been there you should give it a couple of days, after-all it is the home of the best hockey team in the world!!Merry Christamas

Personally, I would stay on the US side, even if only for the gas $ savings. I also totally despise driving in Toronto and would never do it with the MH or a TT. If you're looking for a stopover along the way, there is a great campground in Massena, NY (Massena International Kampground) where we spend most of our camp time. Canadian $ at par - $34 all in (if you pay cash) for a FHU with cable. Can cross the border at Cornwall and scoot right around MTL on the previously mentioned toll highway, or continue further through the US and cross later.

Niagara Falls to Qubec city | Good Sam Community

pianotuna
Nomad III
Jan 01, 2014
Hi,

Most are closed--but NOT all for example: Bear River Millyard Recreation

There are more than a few that are open until Oct 31.

greenenvy1 wrote:
You are not going to find any campgrounds open here in the Maritimes.
skrams
Explorer
Jan 01, 2014
What you save on gas buying in the US might be spent on tolls on the I90. It's $70 for our A and a toad to go from Buffalo to the MA border, though you won't be on it that far. Plus the toll back in to Canada.
pianotuna
Nomad III
Jan 01, 2014
Hi,

Is I-90 the only USA routing that is sensible? I hate interstates.
Badhabit
Explorer
Jan 02, 2014
Thank you for the info re campgrounds. We had thought to let the snow chase us south but the way you are talking we may have to head south earlier. Boondocking is actually our preferred way to camp but I have heard that it is not quite as easy on the eastern side of the continent Around here there are a lot of campgrounds open year round just no water. More research needed. Thank you again. On edit, we have never been east of Toronto so this is a new adventure for us

Harold
Wrong_Lane
Explorer
Jan 03, 2014
Badhabit:

In the PEI you will have a hard time finding an open campground after labour day. The KOA in Cornwall may be one of your few choices. Maybe the National Parks??

In New Brunswick and Nova Scotia most campgrounds are open until Sept 30th and many until Thanksgiving weekend. No problem finding a site until mid-October but after Thanksgiving your choices will very limited and in some cases you might find an open campground but the water service may not be available (freezing weather)

Letting the snow chase you south really will not work. No snow (normally) until late November however there will be many below freezing nights, and I mean a hard freeze, before the snow starts. In November we can get a lot of nasty freezing rain and driving condition can really suck.

Most south bound travellers that want to travel based on signs from Mother Nature tend to follow the fall colours south. Late September here, down through New England in early October, Mid-Atlantic states late October and in warm weather for November. These same travellers often follow the apple blossums north in the spring for the return leg of the trip.

Your trip sounds like a blast with a good mix of planned stops and some seat of the pants exploring as well. Just plan to be headed south from here by mid-October and you should be fine.

Safe Travels
skrams
Explorer
Jan 04, 2014
pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

Is I-90 the only USA routing that is sensible? I hate interstates.

No. From Buffalo you could take 18 / 104 along Lake Ontario to north of Syracuse.
Badhabit
Explorer
Jan 04, 2014
Am I ever glad that I joined RV.net and started this thread. Reality is starting to rear it's ugly head and taking me out of La La land. We are going to have to start out earlier than what we had planned and not sure if we can do that due to commitments in Sask in the middle of Sept. Six 12hr+ days of driving just to get there to make it worth while isn't cutting it for me. 5400km from here to Halifax. Definitely going to have to rethink this

Harold
pianotuna
Nomad III
Jan 04, 2014
Hi,

You can shorten the trip by going south to Minot and then going on Highway #2. Come back into Canada at Sault Ste. Marie. It is a good 2 lane highway. About 4050 k from Regina to Halifax, staying in Canada from the Sault.
Badhabit
Explorer
Jan 05, 2014
That is already crossing at Portal and going the entire way in the US. We are west of Edmonton so we need to add another day there.

Harold
dieharder
Explorer
Jan 05, 2014
skrams wrote:
pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

Is I-90 the only USA routing that is sensible? I hate interstates.

No. From Buffalo you could take 18 / 104 along Lake Ontario to north of Syracuse.

The 104 is a great drive. Makes the I-90 totally useless unless you absolutely HAVE to run at 65+MPH.

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