New England, New Brunswick, Quebec, Nova Scotia

[petendoll]

We have visited all US states except the New England states. We have avoided it because they say it is crowded and you had better make reservations or you won't find a place to park. We never make reservations except here in Florida's state parks. We don't like being on someone else's schedule.

What experience have others had traveling New England and the Canadian Provinces?
Looking for any advice you feel would be helpful.

With Quebec being French speaking is there anything non French speaking folks should know about there?

Thanks in advance
Pete n Doll

[obgraham]

We did this area in September a couple of years ago. Strangely, a lot of stuff in Quebec and the Maritimes starts to close down right after Labor Day, despite the superb weather. Crowds were very light, and campgrounds usually under half full.
As far as language: a little pidgin French and a sense of humor worked 99% of the time. The 1% of locals who are putz's are the same 1% you find everywhere. We just ignore them and move on.

And oh yes: Quebec has some of the finest eating establishments on the continent!

[carp65]

We meet friends from Nova Scotia every year at Christmas. Have to
make reservations almost a year in advance.

When we do our travel during the summer we only make reservations for
Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day.

Much depends on how you camp--RV Parks, National Parks, Corps of
Engineers, Boondock, Walmart!

[Monster9903]

In Quebec Prov. You can usually get by without French. There are always a few malcontents who may give you a hard time but I've always found most people courteous and kind. I second the response on the Bay of Fundy area. Go have fun explore. Sometimes the challenges actually make the trip more memorable.

[Crowe]

School lets out mid June in NE so before that you should be fine without reservations. Earlier than that and you will have a lot of cool or cold spring days. I understand you like total fexibility but that can come at a cost of not being able to stay where you want.

This year it's closer to the end of June. As far as the weather goes, it's anybody's guess. April is generally on the cooler/wetter, side but not always and May and June can be warm to hot. I got married in late May and it was 95 degrees, and we had a blizzard on 5/9/77.

Starting with Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, I'd recommend reservations, especially for weekends. I'd recommend them for for Columbus Day weekend as well. Most campgrounds don't open until mid-April and close Columbus Day. The "shoulder" seasons of 5/1-6/15 or so and right after Labor Day to Columbus day are some of the best weather times. Some attractions aren't open or on a limited schedule but you get the added bonus of lighter crowds. I've camped in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia following the same schedule without issue-reserve in the on-season and don't worry in the off-season. Have only traveled a little in Quebec but had no issues. I will say they were a bit more standoffish than all of the other provinces I've been in (NS, NB, PEI, NF, ON, AB and BC) much in the same way some New Englanders are viewed. You shouldn't have any problems there.

[lizzie]

We spent 10 weeks last summer (mid-June to end of August)traveling from NC through upper NY and VT, and into Quebec. We went around the Gaspe' and drove south into New Brunswick and over to Nova Scotia. After weeks in NS we tore ourselves away and returned to NC via Maine, New Hampshire, VT, NY and etc. We did not make any long range reservations but would occasionally call one or two days ahead when we decided where we were going. We stated in State and Provencial Parks, in Canadian National Parks, and in private campgrounds. We were almost always on the water. In past years we have also camped on PEI and Newfoundland using the same process. We try to look ahead and find a place to hang out for Canada Day (but this is not an issue in Quebec). The further you get out on the Gaspe', the harder it is to find someone who speaks English but we never had a problem. Drawings, gestures, and a few common words combined with good humor will suffice. On one occasion a campground owner and I discovered that we could communicate the basics in Spanish! I truly believe that some of the kindest people in the world live in the Canadian Maritimes. We have always felt so welcome. lizzie

[linnemj]

This line caught my eye....

"We don't like being on someone else schedule"

If you make reservations, aren't you on your schedule?

School lets out mid June in NE so before that you should be fine without reservations. Earlier than that and you will have a lot of cool or cold spring days. I understand you like total fexibility but that can come at a cost of not being able to stay where you want.

One recommendation is Conscook Bay State Park in Maine - great place to watch the Bay of Fundy tital change.

Have a wonderful trip!

[rwbradley]

I really thing reservations depend on where you are. If you plan on going to somewhere like Acadia NP/Bar Harbor... big tourist area, I would make reservations, but you can still do an open schedule with a few key scheduled stops.
Re Eastern Canada, just a few thoughts:
Quebec: most of Quebec around the Quebec City to Montreal to Ontario along the St Lawrence River is like Ohio or Michigan but in French. This area somewhat flat and is more urban/suburban with lots of English speakers. If you go further east to Gaspe or further north you will find fewer people who speak English and may have some trouble communicating especially in smaller towns. Quebec city is worth a stop if you end up in the area, the old city has old world architecture and charm, like a visit to Europe.
The Atlantic Provinces: I would consider adding PEI onto your list (but add PEI National Park to the list of stops you may want to have a reservation for). PEI is really unlike anywhere else that I have been in North America, it is like going back in time. I would also add Cape Breton in Nova Scotia to the list if you are in the area, it is worth the drive.

[D___M]

The people of Quebec City know where their income comes from and will extend themselves to speak English. Montreal, not so much. I used to be a fire fighter and I would always stop at a firehouse in whatever city I was in to get information on the local points of interest.

I went to the main firehouse in Montreal and ran into a firefighter on the apparatus floor. I said Hi and asked "parlez vous English?" (that's the end of my French) He returned with the question " parlez vous francais?". When I replied in the negative, he said to me, in English, that he would not talk to me and walked away. Luckily another fire fighter witnessed this and went and found someone that did speak English. He was happy to speak to me because he was trying to improve his English. I have several other examples where I had problems with the language barrier. But Montreal is a nice city.

If you get a chance, investigate the Bay of Fundy. It has some beautiful scenery and it is know for the largest tidal range (vertical difference between the high tide and the succeeding low tide) in the world. Depending on where you are, it can be between 35 -50 feet. The St. John River flows through the City of St. John NS and it has what is called the "reversing falls".

Nova Scotia is kind of stark, but pretty. It looks like they are changing the provincial parks to self service and laying off or cutting back on park employees. ((clicky)

[DrewE]

Like most anywhere, needing reservations in New England is more a matter of when and where you are than an overall blanket requirement. During foliage season and holidays and possibly summer vacation weekends they are advisable, particularly at popular campgrounds.

Quebec gets its fair share of non-French speaking tourists and somehow they manage to put up with them. You should be able to get by; virtually everybody can speak and understand English, certainly those who you're likely to make contact with. Road signage is in French only, but most things are fairly straightforward to figure out. (For example, a red octagonal sign with Arrête means you should come to a complete stop, and it's clear enough without knowing the French.)

Do of course be aware of the border crossing requirements for Canada and the US. It's not a big problem in general, but you do need to be aware of the paperwork/ID requirements (more for reentry into the US) and the regulations on what may be brought across the border (e.g. Canadian gun laws if you carry a gun).

By and large, northern New England is a fair amount more rural than southern New England. I certainly wouldn't consider the north woods of Maine (for example) to be crowded in any sense of the word. Boston, on the other hand....

[K_Charles]

If you want "on the water" in the summer in CT, RI, or MA, it won't happen without reservations. We also never make reservations and we never stayed on the beach in CT but have never found a full RV park that wasn't on the ocean. New England and north have some very nice spots. Maine and Nova Scotia food make me fat every time we go.

[CloudDriver]

We did a three week trip from NJ to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia (mainly Cape Breton) back in June 2008. No reservations, no problems. We got the impression that June was before the "season", especially for Cape Breton.

In September that year we did two weeks in VT and NH. Again, no reservations, no problems. BTW, we planned the trip to hit the Tunbridge World's Fair in VT. Had such a great time, we went back for a second day.

We avoid travel when kids are out of school as we like the freedom of wandering around without a set schedule or reservations. Spring and Fall work great for us.

[wkswenson]

Reservations are certainly needed in the July/Aug time frame. Campgrounds/State Parks are very fully in the summer. Some State parks are frequently completely book for popular weeks/weekends by Feb/Mar. Seasonals fill a lot of the private CGs around here as well during the summer.

Don't miss the area, just plan were possible. Some CGs will put you in overflow areas if they don't have any sites. Not sure about the New Bruinswick/NS areas as it has been many many years.

Safe Travels