Crossing Canada in April need advice

[WHThayer]

I'm planning on going from Montreal to Vancouver starting the third week of April. Is that too soon? Are there still snow possibilities in Ontario, Manitoba? I plan on taking a long time and enjoying as much as I can along the way

[JTrac]

Can any of you Canadians tell me what to expect if we take Highway 17 from Sault Ste. Marie to Ottawa, then continue east and cross over into Maine? We plan to do it in late September, early October so not sure about campgrounds being open and if the road is rv friendly. I'm pretty sure we will be fine once we get near Ottawa but looks like some wide open stretches before then.

[WHThayer]

Thank you all very much. I'm going to wait until mid may. You saved me some headaches....

[dpam]

We live in Calgary, Alberta which is 60 miles east of the Rocky Mountains which you have to drive across to get to Vancouver. By the 3rd week of April Spring usually has arrived, but because of the mountains anything can happen. In a few past years we received our heaviest snow falls in May. I was raised and grew up in Saskatchewan, so I can tell you that in April and early May there are good odds of facing winter driving conditions. From Manitoba through to Vancouver there are a lot of small towns where you can "hunker down" if you run in to poor driving winter conditions. My recommendation would be that if you can put off your trip until mid May you will enjoy the trip a lot better than travelling late April.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[Veebyes]

Take your pick. Do the Canada route or northern US route & risk snow & closed CGs or go further south & run into prime time thunderstorm season. Done the northern US route before late April. Finding open CGs was tough. Of the few that were open most had not turned the water on yet. That means get water when & where you can & be prepared for Walmart nights unplanned.

[Macktee]

We did the trip last year from Alberta to Barrie Ont. 1 campsite at a cg in Thunder Bay, where we waited out the snow for 4 days. Just a few light flurries thru the prairies. Used Wallmart most of the time.
We started out Apr. 2/13. Macktee

[Dutch___Di]

It will definitely be hit or miss. How lucky do you feel???:B
I know that out west, we have to wait forever to just head north a bit because of cold and/or possible snow. Good luck and let us know when you get there. Hugs, Di

[oh_boy]

Pick out your Wal Marts and truck stops before you go. There won't be anything open between Northern Ont into Sask. Last spring April 8th I came home to 4 feet of snow on my street. Roads were passable. Too early yet to tell but flooding could also be an issue if we get a warmer spring on the Prairies. Won't be any black flies or mozzies but lots of potholes and road salt.

[netjam]

As one who comes back to AB about April 15 every spring, we have seen snow every year cover our rv in AB. Most campgrounds in AB won't have water til May. It will be colder in the rockies with snow for sure. The trip is doable, just watch the weather forecast.

[45Ricochet]

TimnJo wrote:
Very few, if any, campgrounds open before May 15 or so.

X2

[TimnJo]

Very few, if any, campgrounds open before May 15 or so.

On the upside you probably won't see any blackflies.

[romore]

You might see snow in the prairies but it won't last long. The mountains could be a different story, watch the road reports and be prepared to hunker down in Calgary for a day or two. Should be beautiful here in Lotus land, you may not want to return home especially after the winter you just experienced.

[loulou57]

In April you could run into snow. It depends on the weather LOL!!!

Seriously, we have had snow in may before. Just take each day as it is.

Hubby and I camped in July, just north of Banff one year and got snow.

[diazr2]

Don't know about Montreal I have never been there in April but Vancouver will be fine that time of the year. You certainly won't be at a loss for things to see n Vancouver. Have a fun trip.