Anyone camp in Ontario or Quebec ?

[YZ]

Folks,

In July, we are doing a guilt trip up to Ontario. We live in Nova Scotia. We were going to drop into the states via NB and back through through A-bay into Ontario. A nice leisurely run.

The game plan has now changed. We have to haul butt up and back which is going to make life a bit more interesting.

What i have always loved about traveling in Quebec and Ontario are the rest stations. I know the cops had problems with them a couple of years back but I hear all is ok now.

Are we allowed to boondock in them ? That would save is the effort of trying to find a site while in motion...and shutting down early each night..

Thanks
Ian.

[YZ]

Thanks Jaxdad.

I am feeling more comfortable with this trip...

Ian

[JaxDad]

I 'express' travel a lot with my Class C, I routinely stop in rest areas (all over North America) and have found, and been told by LEO and officials both, that these overnight parking laws are merely a tool.

It allows them to tell someone to move along with the authority of law. It does not mot mean it's enforced.

On my last trip a had stopped for the night in a rest area and was walking Deputy Dog before turning in, a police officer parked there guessed by my parking at the far end I was overnighting. As I passed near he put the window down and asked. When I said "yes" his only reply was to move to a certain place directly under a light instead. He said that put us directly in their line of sight and 'they could keep an eye on us more easily".

[YZ]

Brian,

Perfect. I now pilot a FL60 so I should blend in. Roger on the no slides out.

My DW should be ok with this....

Thanks !
Ian.

Years ago, we did the MX circuit and one of the competitors family had a converted bus..... he may have been a doctor ?? Not sure if there are many around here and NS is a small community... He used to pull a trailer with it..and it wa a DP...

[VintageRacer]

Hi Ian. A truck stop, for me, is a commercial gas station and restaurant/store where there is a large lot in back where the trucks spend their over-nights. A rest stop is a provincial (or state) run pull-off, sometimes with no services, sometimes with a rest-room. The thing is, commercial trucks are allowed to stop for 8 hours or more for their legally required off-duty time in a provincial rest stop, but RV's of any sort are only allowed to stop for 4 hours, and "camping" is not allowed. So, being a law abiding and quiet sort, I follow that rule. Lots of people don't, I guess, but I do. Plus, as I said, I find trucks stops safer.

I am either in a truck camper towing a car trailer, or in a bus conversion class A with no slides. If you do have slides, I would keep them in at a truck stop, they are used to parking in 10 foot wide spaces so a slide might get clipped. At provincial rest stops you are usually parking on the side of the roadway, so quite un-level and again you wouldn't want to stick a slide out into the active roadway. There are a couple of rest stops on AR 20 with large lots for parking, one on the east-bound side coming into Quebec City, and on on the west bound side coming out of Riviere du Loup, all the rest you have to park along the side of the road. In Ontario they have all those new rest stops with expensive gas and over-priced fast food outlets, and they usually have pretty nice parking for large trucks and rigs like ours, but I've never over-nighted in one. There is a nice place at exit 750 off the 401 near Morrisburg that I've stayed at, if you like diner food it's a classic.

Brian

[YZ]

VintageRacer wrote:
FWIW I always stay at truck stops, never at rest stops. I find them far safer, it's legal, there are good facilities, stores, often a quite nice restaurant, etc. Just my way, I suppose.

Brian,

I may have met you in the past. I haven't seen a Lola for awhile but I marshaled (and one year ran the gas pump) at AMP. My BIL was actually building two formula Vs when the class dissapeared.. Good times.

I live in Port Williams...in the beautiful Annapolis Valley.

What complicated this somewhat is that we are using a new to us TV and Rig and am not sure how far / hard we can push. We normally do this run in a car. And the wife really isn't on board with this idea but circumstances are dictation this.

We are actually heading to Ivy Lee so your information is good.

Could you define the difference between a truck stop and a rest stop because I do see class 8s in at rest stops. Would a truck stop be where there is a large gas station / fast food place like the Big stop Aulac, NB ?

So when you slide in back, you keep your slides in and stay attached ? Walmart etiquette so to speak ?

Thanks, Ian.

[YZ]

icanon wrote:
Here's the link to Quebec Rest Area info see bottom of page in the Safety and comfort section about stopping and over night.

Hope it helps?

Yes it does. Thanks. Ian.

[VintageRacer]

I live in Nova Scotia, but travelled back and forth to Ontario twice a month for a couple of years. It depends a bit on a couple of factors - where you start and stop from, and how long you like to drive. I live in Tatamagouche, I went to Hamilton, and I had two patterns - two days per direction or three days per direction. It was an 1800 km trip each way. I take Autoroute 20 towards Montreal, take Autoroute 30 Ouest at Km 95 which completely bypasses Montreal, back onto AR 20 to Highway 401 in Ontario. AR 30 will also set you up extremely well for Highway 417 towards nothern Ontario and Ottawa, btw. FWIW I always stay at truck stops, never at rest stops. I find them far safer, it's legal, there are good facilities, stores, often a quite nice restaurant, etc. Just my way, I suppose.

Going to Ontario I would stop at a large Irving truck stop just the other side of Drummondville Qu., around Km 145 on Autoroute 20. Nice big lot, a store, restaurant (hot chicken)etc, and I always snuggled way at the back in the last row. I've probably stayed there 10 nights. That was around 1,100 Km for the first day. The next day I would get to Hamilton around 3 pm, but I would often leave at 5:30 am to avoid traffic in towards Montreal. While the newly opened AR 30 bypass has fairly low traffic even at rush hour, AR 20 into Montreal from that stop often is very heavy.

If I do three days I stop near Edmunston in NB or Riviere du Loup In Qu., then Kingston in Ontario, again in truck stops. There is a good truck stop on 185 just before Riviere du Loup, just before AR 85 starts. There is a very good, RV friendly Pilot/Flying V travel plaza between Kingston and Belleville that has good fuel pumps, dump station, discount for cash or debit card, and RV dedicated overnight parking.

That's my take. On the way back home I would normally stop in Riviere du Loup on a two day trip, or at a truck stop inOntario off Highway 401 Km 720 (or so), again a big Pilot/Flying V travel plaza, on a three day trip, then stop at a truck stop at Km 433 on Highway 2 just before Moncton NB. Big lot, nice restaurant, etc.

Brian

[icanon]

Here's the link to Quebec Rest Area info see bottom of page in the Safety and comfort section about stopping and over night.

Hope it helps?