Trans-Canada Highway

From Wikitravel

This article is an itinerary.

The Trans-Canada Highway is in Canada.

[edit] Understand

Canada is the second largest country in the world, and the largest country that it is easy to travel across. The Trans-Canada Highway connects all ten provinces and is 8030 km (just under 5000 miles) long. Most Canadians have some interest in seeing the entire country and driving across Canada is a common way of doing it.

There's more than one Trans Canada highway, though. Not as many as US Interstate network, but a couple.

• Trans Canada Highway 1

• Yellowhead Highway

• Trans Canada Highway 117

• Trans Canada Highway 106/104/2
• Highway 17, Highway 11, Highway 69, Highway 12 ,Highway 7, Highway 115, Highway 71, Highway 400, Highway 417

[edit] Prepare

[edit] Get in

This trip can be started anywhere in Canada. Technically the Highway runs from Victoria (British Columbia) to St. John's, Newfoundland (or the other way around, both cities declare a "mile 0" for the highway). However, for practical purposes many travellers skip the trip to Newfoundland, and end it in Halifax, others may skip Victoria and end it in Vancouver.

[edit] Drive

The trip will be detailed from west to east, obviously it could be done in the reverse direction. There are some locations where multiple routes are called the Trans-Canada highway. Generally the routes that go through the larger cities will be the route taken.

[edit] Victoria–Winnipeg

The highway, designated as Highway 1 in the four western provinces goes through the magnificent mountains of British Columbia and western Alberta and the awe inspiring Prairies of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

• Victoria (British Columbia) north on Vancouver Island to
• Nanaimo take the ferry to
• Vancouver drive east on the freeway to
• Hope continues North up the Fraser Canyon (impressive) to
• Cache Creek turns east to
• Kamloops then continues east through
• the Shuswap Lake area (fishing, beaches) to
• Revelstoke (pleasant little mountain town)
• and across the Rogers Pass (heart of the rockies) to
• Banff in the Alberta portion of the Canadian Rockies.
  • a major tourist resort, famously scenic
• From there continue East to
• Calgary where it goes through the centre of the city and from there continue to
• Medicine Hat. Continue through the endless Prairies to
• Moosejaw in Saskatchewan before you come to
• Regina and then
• Brandon in Manitoba finishing the western portion in
• Winnipeg

That route more-or-less follows the Canadian Pacific Railway line. An alternative would be to follow the Canadian National line. The route would be the same up to Kamloops, but would then swing further North:

• Jasper
• Edmonton
• Saskatoon
• Winnipeg

[edit] Winnipeg to Ottawa

The Trans Canada runs over prairie for a little way East of Winnipeg, then a long stretch (2000 km?) of lightly inhabited forested country. It is called Highway 17 most of the way across Ontario, and 417 near Ottawa. Towns on the route are:

• Kenora
• Thunder Bay
• Wawa (legendary for stranded hitchhikers)
• Sault Ste Marie
• Sudbury (swing South here to reach Toronto)
• North Bay
• Pembroke

From Thunder Bay to the Sault, the road winds along the shore of Lake Superior and is quite pretty.

An alternate route further North is Highway 11, Thunder Bay via Kapuskasing and Timmins to North Bay.

[edit] Ottawa to Moncton

[edit] Moncton to North Sydney

[edit] Prince Edward Island

The trail from Souris to Charlottetown is easily done in one day. The trail is spectacular especially along the St. Peter's Bay area. Take along lots of water as there are few freshwater sources. My criticism of the trail system is that information provided is more for B&B types (Gucci camping), not for backcountry travellers. It would be nice if there was information on backcountry camping.

{note, this tip is applicable to the Trans Canada Trail, not the Highway. Until the Trans Canada Trail page is built, I guess this is as good a place to leave it as any}

Bold text===Nova Scotia===

[edit] Port aux Basques to St. John's

[edit] Stay safe

The weather in parts of Canada can be pretty extreme in the winter, so this trip is best done in the spring, summer or early fall.