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Has Anyone Driven Out east? Cabot Trail? PEI? Newfoundland?
So here is the deal. We have from next Friday at 5pm until the following weeks Monday (8 Days) and we want to take the Z06 for its summer run from Niagara out East. Cabot Trail is a must and we are learning much too late that early reservations might have been a thought. The wife also wants to consider hitting PEI and maybe even Nfld to say the car has been in every Province.
We figure that we would be driving 2 days to get to PEI and/or Cape Breton for a stay Sunday night, this trip through the States and some great sites and enthusiast routes. We are consider a two day or three stay there and then carrying on.
Did it in the vette a couple years ago to visit my bud in PEI, it's all good out that way, the only disappointment was that with the vette being so low, we couldn't see over the sides of the Confederation Bridge but there's scenic viewing areas at the base of either end....
Driving to and from "the rock" in that time might be a stretch. Drove to PEI I few years ago. Remember you have to pay to leave the island, bridge or ferry. Pay to take the ferry TO PEI, free to take the bridge. We spent a whole week on the island. Lots of roads, to and from anywhere. We camped in a tent 6 out of 8 days and stayed the other nights in a chain hotel, typical, nothing amazing. Lots of beachs, lighthouses, good food. Had my fill of "Anne of green gables stuff" in a short period of time, lol.
Worst part was driving through PQ. Montreal area was under de/construction most of the way. I really really disliked hwy 20 eastbound ( no Nav back then), zero English signage, so watch your exits closely, easy to miss as they come up quick.
Cabot Tr was awesome. Take a couple pair of binoculars, as whale sighting were common, but almost impossible to see with the naked eye. Take a cooler with lunch snacks, lots of places to pullover and sightsee and eat.
PEI is on my list for next summers holidays but with the truck and camper this time.
Forum member GDH is the guru, wait for his comments as well.
So here is the deal. We have from next Friday at 5pm until the following weeks Monday (8 Days) and we want to take the Z06 for its summer run from Niagara out East. Cabot Trail is a must and we are learning much too late that early reservations might have been a thought. The wife also wants to consider hitting PEI and maybe even Nfld to say the car has been in every Province.
We figure that we would be driving 2 days to get to PEI and/or Cape Breton for a stay Sunday night, this trip through the States and some great sites and enthusiast routes. We are consider a two day or three stay there and then carrying on.
Thoughts? ideas? Must sees? Things to be wary of?
done it all - for Newfoundland's ferry you usually have to reserve in advance
PEI twice in the vette---down thru Stowe Vermont--Bar Harbour, Maine--up thru New Brunswick--then Nova Scotia--then ferry to PEI--bridge on the way back--Gaspe run down the St. Lawrence Seaway with a stop in Old Quebec City!!!
We headed east but didn't get to PEI, nor Nfld. We stuck to the highways in Canada on the way out (highway 40, Montreal to Quebec City is fine, and 20 to NB border is good), and then spent a few days in Boston before returning home.
Cabot trail: my recommendation is to drive it counter clockwise to leave a guardrail between you and the Atlantic, starting at the lobster galley restaurant outside of Baddeck. Views are amazing, and the road has many places to stop and take in the scenery. Road was roughest between Neils harbour to pleasant bay, we caught air twice because of the bumps, and I know I was traveling below the limit. Expect construction delays on weekdays -- multiple bridges being replaced, and a long section between hilltops is being repaved. Only upside is that the limit on the repaving section is 40 km/h so you can take your time through it.
Visitor centre on both sides of the park are great potty breaks, and look for the washroom signs at hiking trails when nature calls along the way. We spent 4-4.5 hours stopping many times, even stopped at a beach to get our feet in the ocean.
Baddeck is also home to the Alexander Graham Bell national site -- but we didn't check have the time to check it out.
We found traffic in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick on the main highways non-existent compared to what we have here in the Golden Horseshoe. Highways are in great shape, no major construction.
In New Brunswick, take ten minutes and check out the covered bridge in Hartland, home to the world's longest covered bridge. It's just off the trans-canada and was a worthwhile detour for us.
Finally, for accommodation you could be completely last minute and use the services of the Nova Scotia welcome centre to find a place to stay. They had many people available to give travel ideas and assistance.
Since you are taking the US route where do you intend to cross over to Canada? The Cat is back and running from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth ($199 US). If you decide on that route and have never been to the Bar Harbor area, spend a few hours travelling up the coast before the ferry leaves. From Yarmouth you may wish to skirt the Atlantic side of Nova Scotia stopping in places like Lunenburg, Mahone Bay annd Peggy's Cove (and the monument to the downed flight as it is very impressive) then off through the Causeway to the cape.
I have always found that th direction in which you drive the Trail is best when you have the sun at your back. The views are breathtaking. Louisburg Fortress is interesting as weel. I think you were the one that posted about driving the Pacific Coastal from San Fran down through Big Sur etc and every bend in the highway revealed fantastic views. The trail is quite a bit similar, lots of places to stop and take pictures.
If you go this direction (Bar Harbor to Yarmouth) you can make a circular route by taking the ferry over to PEI. It is a scenc route up from Antigonish to Cape George skirt the Northumberland Strait to the ferry just outside of New Glasgow. Tour PEI and back over the bridge to NB.
If you are crossing in NB, St Andrews by the Sea is a great place to stay over night.
From where you live I would use the US route to and from, I found the Cdn route until Quebec City to be fairly boring. Always enjoy going into Quebec City, bypassing Montreal's crazy traffic, then driving alongside of the St Lawrence until we'd turn down to NB. Have fun, remember that gas and hotels are usually a fair bit more expensive in Nova Scotia and PEI.
Not sure you have enough time to get over to Nfld, that ferry ride takes a long time and that's assuming calm seas. Any questions post them up I'm sure others will chime in as well. Miss the years that we used to take the kids and summer at the cottage btn Antigonish and Cape George. Enjoy your trip.
yes,yes and yes, lol, but 8 days is not enough to do everything you want, we were 9 days on NFLD lol. You loose at least 1-2 days just in the ferry croosing each way to NFLD and it takes 2 days to drive across the Island without many stops. I would take the time and spend it on the mainland and PEI, you can take a free ferry there and pay to cross the bridge. Then next time bee-line for NFLD and spend as much time there as possible, just my thought,, awesome trip whatever you choose !!
You are going to enjoy your trip! I would take NFLD off your list of destinations as it would suck up 3 days of your 10 day trip easily, if not more. Instead, my suggestion is to take in as much of the mainland as possible. Here are my suggestions given you are going stateside:
Day 1: Get to your starting destination – St. Andrews by the Sea
Roughly a 13 hr drive
I stayed at the Algonquin Resort which has gone through a complete renovation after being taken over by Marriott. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trave...ph-collection/
Day 2:
Things to do:
Visit the pier, take a whale watching tour
Visit Ministers Island – only accessible when tide is out – you drive to the island. Once the tide is in, its only accessible by boat. Was the summer home of Van Horne (Cdn railroad builder) and there is some great engineering you would enjoy seeing when there. Was taken over by locals and is being restored as a historic site, there is plenty to see here. http://www.ministersisland.net/
Day 3: Head out to PEI through Fundy National Park
First stop Cape Enrage – roughly a 2.5 hr drive – can do zip-lining by the sea or rappelling. http://www.capeenrage.ca/en/
Second stop Hopewell Rocks – 30 mins drive from Cape Enrage – world’s highest tides – try to time it when the tide is out and walk along the ocean floor. http://www.thehopewellrocks.ca/
Then drive to PEI – I stayed at the Delta Charlottetown – roughly 2.5 hr drive and settle in.
Day 4:
Founders Hall – great audio tour of the formation of Canada. http://www.foundershall.ca/live/
Anne of Green Gables – if you/your wife are Anne buffs, check the file I sent you – I would keep it to the museum/birthplace as the other stuff is just some marketing money grab LOL
Woodleigh Replicas – if you are into Castles, this is a cool find. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Woodl...37456533006671
We lunched at a restaurant at the Railroad Station, can’t remember the name of the restaurant, and asked a local what she would recommend in terms of beaches a local would go to. I suggest the same as we were sent to an amazing place – no idea where, but definitely ask a local for a beach referral.
You’ll be driving all over the middle of the island, so take it all in and plan different routes coming in and out of Charlottetown.
Day 5: Drive PEI – your choice - grab a guide map and decide on a route and give ‘er
Day 6: Head out to Cabot Trail via the Ferry
My suggestion is to do a counterclockwise route as and making stops as you see fit along the way
Beach recommendation is at the top of Cape Breton where you would shoot off onto White Point Road just after South Harbour. Literally, look for a bunch of cars parked at the side of the road and go through the forest trail into the open field out to the beach. It’s TEEK TAAK! Again, local referred.
From there, recommend staying at Keltic Lodge. http://kelticlodge.ca/
Total Driving time is roughly 7.5 hrs
Day 7: Drive to Halifax
Roughly 5 hr drive
Take a look at doing a hike on Middlehead Trail at the end of the parking lot at Keltic Lodge. Easy trail, and guide is knowledgeable will be done around lunch. http://www.novascotia.com/see-do/tra...onal-park/6192
Head out to Halifax and grab dinner on Lower Water Street if you get there in time to see a few sights there – Titanic Museum, Pier 21 (has records of all immigrants that came in through Halifax), HMCS Sackville
Check out the Gardens across from Lord Nelson hotel (I stayed here) http://lordnelsonhotel.ca/
Day 9: Start your return route
You have a couple of options, either to go stateside again – if it were me, I’d drive back around and head into Boston, but you may want to take the Ferry as suggested above.
Other option is to head back and stop a night in Quebec City – we usually stay at the Sheraton Levis. You can take the ferry in from Levis that literally drops you off at the foot of Old Quebec City (take in Montmercy Falls before you leave the next day.
If you go to Quebec City, you may want to check out Magnetic Hill in Moncton http://magnetichill.com/english.htm
Day 10: Arrive home from whichever route you took
Hope that helps Les!!! Do post up what you ended up doing and your thoughts. Most importantly, be safe and enjoy!
Oh, although the speed limit is 110km/hr, don’t push it much beyond 125km/hr. RCMP pulled me doing 130km/hr and was not shown much mercy.
Finally, try not to do night driving if you can, there are moose and if you do, take it easy on the pedal.
Thanks all for the suggestions. We will definitely incorporate some of this in our trip. We are leaving Friday night, as it stands now, and bedding down in Vermont where we plan to hit some great enthusiast roads and a covered bridge the wife has her mind set on. I foresee us actually arriving at the Trail around the third night and, yes, we will be doing it counter-clockwise as so many suggest.
Nfld is out and we have some visiting to do in Nova Scotia; the wife believes we can fit in PEI so we will see. Again thanks for taking the time all!
having lived out east (NS & NL), NL would burn up too many days. Going through the states, the Hwy #2 and #9 are great roads (smooth and 55 mph). The cat is a good option as it will break up the driving and allows for a completely circular trip back if you chose to go back via Quebec.
Keep in mind though that it doesn't have warm weather like ON in Sept, so pack accordingly. And you may want to consider CAA as it could be several hundred km's between GM dealerships if you have any problems. As well, even though the speed limits are 110 in NB and NS, there is very little tolerance so don't add 15+ like we do here! Finally, when in Atlantic, Cape Breton especially, when they say "how are you", they really want to know so slowdown and enjoy the hospitality!
... and if you're in Halifax, you need to have a "donair" while exploring the waterfront. Enjoy!
Jim
Last edited by gaspeddleZ07; 08-25-2016 at 07:33 PM.
Well we did the Cabot Trail today and all I can say is I hope Allflash made it though without issue. The road was bad in some places today, at one point in the one construction area I thought I was going have to put the truck in four wheel drive to make it through.
Les and Karen, hope you made it around without issue. Not really a Corvette friendly road in my opinion. Just a beautiful part of the country but the road is a whole other issue.
Wow, 5 bridge replacements and 10 rd construction areas this summer. The article talks about the mini trail which is where my wife's family "new" farm (owned since 1810 vs the old farm up in the hills owned since 1785) is located. Sounds like in another 4 summers the trail will be like new.
We hit Cabot Trail hard on both a rainy day and sunny and then traced around Nova Scotia... Sitting in the Digby Ferry terminal right now... More posts later but check this!
Allflash we just arrived home drove from Moncton NB to Cornwall on Saturday, so close to home but enough was enough.
Just a heads up. Saw very little police activity on the highway all the way back until we reached the 30 Montreal By Pass. They were everywhere so use some caution.
Lots of OPP between Cornwall and Kingston then not so much.
Have a safe trip home. I just had a feeling we were very close to you guys on Friday, it was a nasty day.
08-21-2016, 01:13 PM
Has Anyone Driven Out east? Cabot Trail? PEI? Newfoundland?
