RV Across Canada Halifax-Vancouver

[joharims]

Hi,
My first experience with RV travel South Island New Zealand. I'm planning RV across Canada begin from Halifax to Vancouver. Really need advises and tips to get my dream become reality.
1. How much time needed to complete the journey?
2. Suggestion for RV type and reliable company which I can rent?
3. Recommended route?
4. Recommended itinerary?

Any advises and tips from you guys?

[Gaetan]

It looks like you are planing a driving trip not a visiting trip, you could easily spend 5 to 6 weeks just visiting the maritimes and quebec , I would suggest you visit only part of canada in one trip and come back to visit the western part of canada just the rockies will take at lease 2 weeks.
I am planing a labrador newfoundland trip and I think it will take 4to 5 weeks.
Gaetan

[trigley]

To rent in Halifax and drop off in Vancouver you will probably need a national rental firm. Cruise Canada, Canadream, Fraserway are some that come to mind. There may be others. It will be very expensive, watch the mileage charges and other add ons. Depending on timing there may be problems with availability.
I would suggest the smallest vehicle you could be comfortable with, preferably a b class (van) both for ease of driving and fuel economy.
Your time period is short, as others have pointed out, but if that is what you have or can afford so be it. You could shorten your trip by dropping down into the United States on some segments.
All regions have their attractions, I will deal with the third segment as that is what I am more familiar with.
From a scenery aspect I would drive through from Thunder Bay to the Rockies and spend your time in Western Alberta and British Columbia. There are things to see along the way but with your limited time frame I think this will give you the maximum enjoyment unless you have specific interests you have not told us about.
You might consider branching north on highway 16 in Manitoba and going through Saskatoon & Edmonton rather than going to Calgary. It is a little further and you do angle back going north to south on the Icefield Parkway. The benefits in my opinion are that 16 is a little more scenic that #1 and when you get into B.C Highway 1 through the Rogers Pass is more scenic than # 5 Valemount to Kamloops. On the other hand #5 is a very easy drive.
In my opinion the Jewel of this whole segment is the Icefield Parkway and in particular the Lake Louise area. I would for sure save a day for Lake Louise and visit such areas as Takakkaw Falls, Morraine Lake and perhaps a hike to Lake Agnes or Plain of six Glaciers.
When you get further into B C you have the option of driving through the Okanagan Valley and taking highway 3 to the coast. This is very pretty but will add up to a day and mileage to your trip. A second option is the Fraser Canyon #1 which will add at least a couple of hours depending on stops. The quickest and least interesting is the Coquhalla #5 south of Kamloops. Hope this helps somewhat.

[Tothill]

joharims wrote:
Hi,
Really appreciate for you guys tothil, mayo30 and little kopit. Probably spend 25-30 days for the whole journey. Maybe can be divided into 3 legs.
1st leg# Halifax-Riviere du Loup-Quebec-Montreal-Toronto and Niagara Falls - 8 days
2nd leg# Niagara Falls-St Jacob-Tobermory Harbour-Manitoulin Island-Sault Ste Marie -Thunder Bay 8 days
3rd leg# Thunder Bay-Winnipeg-Calgary-Banff-Jasper-Kamloops-Vancouver - 8 days.

Need advise tourist attraction along the route maybe i cannot miss then....must see.

Any suggestions?

If you only have 25-30 days I would not go any further West than Ontario. 8 days is not enough time to do any sight seeing across the prairies and into BC.

If you had 8 days in AB and BC you would barely have time to see a few of the major sights.

[Tripalot]

Wow - you will be doing a heck of a lot of driving. If it were me, I would take 25 - 30 days to just do each of the legs you are contemplating, probably more for the Western portion. I do hope you plan to do some sight seeing along the way !

[mayo30]

Leg #3 you are doing about 4000 klm.or 2400 miles,about 5 days driving at 8 hours a day.You hadn't mentioned looking at anything in Saskatchewan,we have a lot of history also but man you do not have time for it.

[Little_Kopit]

Past time for you to tell us what you like to do.

I'd go back and suggest the spots with evidence of history again, but hey I like that stuff. Do you?

🙂

[mayo30]

Don't forget to do what ever is required for travel and medical insurance.

[joharims]

Hi,
Really appreciate for you guys tothil, mayo30 and little kopit. Probably spend 25-30 days for the whole journey. Maybe can be divided into 3 legs.
1st leg# Halifax-Riviere du Loup-Quebec-Montreal-Toronto and Niagara Falls - 8 days
2nd leg# Niagara Falls-St Jacob-Tobermory Harbour-Manitoulin Island-Sault Ste Marie -Thunder Bay 8 days
3rd leg# Thunder Bay-Winnipeg-Calgary-Banff-Jasper-Kamloops-Vancouver - 8 days.

Need advise tourist attraction along the route maybe i cannot miss then....must see.

Any suggestions?

[Little_Kopit]

I am thinking of something similar, but I have lived in parts of this route, namely Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, & Ontario and I was last through as far as Sault Ste. Marie in 2004.

Thus, I am planning 15 days going west, 15 days coming east and 30 days around Alaska, Northwest Territories and Yukon. If I do it once this is better than not-at-all.

The warmer month I will go north in Quebec to Saguenay and across to Kirkland Lake, etc, along the lakes and again more north. In the cooler month I will take a more southerly route.

I strongly advise getting visitors guides from every province or state you visit. & at the top of this page is a sticky on resources for Alaska, if you're going to touch base there.

IMHO a Canadian trip is a Canadian trip. Don't go down into the states. There is plenty to see in Canada. Think history - Northwest Mounted Police preceded the RCMP and provided security which kept the Prairies as part of Canada. Think dinosaurs too. Remember eastern parts were settled in time of sail and cart. Two lane roads are worth a drive or two. Bluenose II takes its life to the age of fast sail. Lots of parks, including living history.

Take your time and remember exercise helps keep the each day different from the last. & the high speed routes aren't necessarily the most scenic. You might want to drive the North Shore of the St. Lawrence. You might want to do the heavily populated southern Ontario. I saw Niagara Falls first as a teenager. I'll go north through Ottawa on my southern route.

:C

[mayo30]

Impossible to answer without knowing what your interests or hobbies are.What are your comfort levels when travelling.How much time do you have?Do you want to spend
$4000.00 or $24000.00?As a very very general guide line I would suggest at least 4 to 5 months and allow $250.00 per day then make it work.

[Tothill]

I drove over 5500km in New Zealand 25 years ago on both Islands over 7 weeks. Driving across Canada would be less challenging.

But you may find that the cost of a one way rental plus mileage is very expensive. I met an Irish family who were tent camping around Canada, they had friends who rented an RV and were hit with a $10,000.00 extra mileage bill at the end of the trip.

I have friends in the military who have driven back and forth across Canada several times. Halifax to Victoria.

It seems that the minimum amount of time to drive across comfortably is 7 days. But that is not sight seeing, just driving from point A to point B.

If I was doing the trip I would look at no less than 2 months.

I also would buy a used Class C or B is there were only one or two people at one end and sell it at the other.

When in NZ we bought a car at the beginning of the trip and other than fuel and one new tire our cost was insurance and we sold it for $500.00 less than what we paid.