Would like to know what the Trans Canada Highway is like. Is the area along the route anything at all like Alaska? Are there places where one can pull off and boon dock like in the Yukon? We've traveled all of the lower 48 and Alaska but never the Trans Canada Highway. What can we expect? Thank you in advance.

What part of the Trans Canada are you thinking of driving on? On the road itself, on some areas it is two lane, others multi-lane. As for the area along side the road, again it depends what part. In the mountainous areas of Canada, I guess you could say it looks a bit like Alaska but across the prairies it looks like Kansas!

pigfarmer wrote:Would like to know what the Trans Canada Highway is like. Is the area along the route anything at all like Alaska? Are there places where one can pull off and boon dock like in the Yukon? We've traveled all of the lower 48 and Alaska but never the Trans Canada Highway. What can we expect? Thank you in advance.I drove pretty much all the way from BC to NS and there's plenty of places one can stop and boondock in every province,,You may want to look on google earth too see where the lakes rivers and interesting places are near the road..

Much depends upon the population density adjacent to the Trans Canada (aka TCH). If the density is high, there will be fewer places to pull off, the high way will be a 4-laner, limited exits, etc.More rugged terrain, smaller population, will have more places to pull off for boondocking or puppy pit stops.In Quebec west of Rimouski all the way to Ontario past Ottawa is multilane with rest stops. Look out when you get off the ferry at Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, speed limit when I moved away in 2008 was 80 km. Folks trying to drive the speed limits on Nova Scotia side had more accidents. Further along the TCH is 100 km. & at night, get in between the truckers and stay there. You don't want to meet a moose, now do you. Did that one night after changing a flat just after Cow Head when Mr. Moose came up out of the ditch to run ahead of me and I was doing speed limit of 80. Suffice it to say, it took me twice as long to make it to Corner Brook as usual. I might have quit but for the fact that a coworker needed the work van the next day. Or, adapt to local conditions. I have been known to pull over on the side of the Trans Canada, when I needed to stop. & believe me, if you need to quit driving, I can't imagine any cop who would give you a ticket, for just pulling over out of the line of traffic.;)

Four years ago we did Trans Canada from Winnipeg to Calgary and I was impressed by the sometimes wide median strips. Sometimes East and West bound lanes seemed 1/4 mile apart. Of course fuel is considerably more expensive but the vast acreage of Canola and Flax blossoms were beautiful.

We will be driving north from Florida and crossing somewhere north of Ft. Drum, New York toward Ottawa then west on the TCH to BC on our way to Alaska. Any real good "not to be missed" along the way?

Trans Canada highway | Good Sam Community

Firehawvvk
Explorer
Jan 28, 2015
pigfarmer, I'm not sure which section of the TCH you will be on when you go through Ontario but if you go around Lake Superior (which I highly recommend) they have some great Provincial parks. When we lived in MN we used to camp on the north shore every summer and we just loved Obatanga Provincial Park. Good luck and we'll look for you along the way this year as we are planning a trip to AK as well.
Community Alumni
Jan 16, 2015
Another vote for Allstays Camp & RV, it's all I ever use now.
JaxDad
Explorer III
Jan 16, 2015
Get Allstays Camp & RV, it shows public lands as well as lots of other services you might need if not staying in c/g's, things like dump sites and propane.

BTW, in case you don't already know, almost every place that has a municipal sewage treatment facility will let you dump there. In my experience it's usually free too.
Little_Kopit
Explorer
Jan 16, 2015
I think you have the same idea of boondocking that I do and understand what that word means. Parking in parking lots of stores and truck stops is not boondocking, but urban parking. Yes, it is important to do so by times to get rest.

In many parts of Canada you can boondock. Newfoundland has more such places than most provinces. I can pick out those places in other provinces because I can recognize types of human usage, things that say there is no single property owner. I am much better at this in eastern Canada than in prairie or western areas, but I know they are there.

I've never googled up the words 'free camping', but I think there may be places to find this way.

:C
pigfarmer
Explorer
Jan 16, 2015
We seldom ever boon dock in the lower 48. We stay mostly at military famcamps and campgrounds. When in Alaska, the Yukon and New Foundland we did quite a bit of boon docking and enjoyed it there. By a creek or a river or in a pull off. I was hoping the TCH would be similar. We have the new Rand McNally RVer's GPS which gives us all the Walmart's, etc. that allow motorhomes, but it is the creeks, rivers etc. we are looking for and hoping to find. Not for free parking but for the "wild" experience that is so Alaska/Yukon.
luckyd
Explorer
Jan 16, 2015
Canada does not have BLM lands. Most places you THINK you
can just pull off and park are privately owned or
INDIAN RESERVATION lands.
If you are looking for boondocking...check out W/M
Home Depot. Make sure you ASK otherwise you may get
a wakeup call telling you to move.

You cannot stay overnight in rest areas.

Know the rules and regs before you get into trouble.
pigfarmer
Explorer
Jan 15, 2015
Will check out boon dockers welcome. Thanks!! That is one of the things we really liked about Alaska and the Yukon.
Tripalot
Explorer
Jan 15, 2015
robatthelake wrote:
You might like to check out Boondockers Welcome!

X2 - much better alternative to a truck stop or questionable safety in unknown locations
robatthelake
Explorer
Jan 15, 2015
You might like to check out Boondockers Welcome!
JaxDad
Explorer III
Jan 14, 2015
There's two routes through Ontario, both of which are still the Trans-Canada Highway but vastly different. If you're going through Ottawa you're taking the northern (more rural and scenic) route.

As has been posted, lots of scenery and places to stop, for the night or just a break.

Enjoy!