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Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Camping, trail gear, recovery, gps, and related accessories.
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Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Post by Anesh »

Well, finally my girlfriend and I got a date for our trip from Toronto to Vancouver round trip. Planning to leave on the 21 of july and taking 3 weeks to do the round trip. Might be interested to go some places in the US too.

Ill be driving the X, i've got it pretty much ready for the long drive.

We have our route and stops more less planed out, but we wanted some feedback and suggestions of interesting places to visit.

We are pretty much looking for:

-Free/Affordable camping spots along the way
-Nice Towns (must go towns)
-Scenery places, waterfalls, etc. (photography)
-Historic places, Abandoned-ruins structures, mines.
-Nice drives including dirt roads, 4x4 trials (light/medium 4x4)
-anything else that would be interesting...
-Open for some US places too...

We are very environmental friendly and respectful (as some of you might know).

We are also open too meet new friends along the way.

Thanks in advance

Cheers :D :D

Andres & Gina

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Re: Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Post by Bow_Tied »

Good luck on the trip. Banff is nice but not cheap to stay there.
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Re: Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Post by PiDGE »

Cool sounding trip man. Can't help with destinations, but looking forward to the trip report when your back. Have fun.

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Re: Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Post by JAS »

Good luck with your trip - I am sure you will have a great time and create everlasting memories.

My parents took us on a one month trip out west 30 years ago now. Did both Canada and the US in a 1st gen Chrysler Minivan, no back seat, 2 people slept in the van and two in a $30 three man tent. Canadian tire sleeping bags on top of something vaguely resembling a sleeping pad - we froze our butts off in Yellowstone when temps dropped to the freezing point. So many fond memories, so many awesome places. Put a hatchet into my leg under my left knee while splitting wood in Glacier NP in BC, emergency rush to Revelstoke to get sown up, took the stitches out my self in Cody, Wyoming - felt pretty tough at 15. Remember like it was yesterday.

Keep us posted with pics and stories.
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Re: Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Post by Spider 007 »

That will be a fun trip! :)

There's lots of random camping on the edge of the Rockies. I'm not sure if you're driving through HWY 3, HWY 1 or HWY 16, but most of the east foothills are considered FLUZ and they allow random camping (as well as offroading on designated trails if you're into that...). I suggest you look up "FLUZ" on the Alberta website, all the info is there to help figure out where you want to go and what you want to see. I'm pretty sure BC has something similar, but I don't know what it's called.

I highly suggest going through the Oknangan, it's worth the detour.
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Re: Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Post by SlaveX »

Leaving on 21st? I'm coming back on 18th, but have a birthday party I have to attend on 19th, I hope we can hook up at some point before you leave. Too bad Charlottetown didn't work out :(
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Re: Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Post by Anesh »

JAS wrote:... Put a hatchet into my leg under my left knee while splitting wood in Glacier NP in BC, emergency rush to Revelstoke to get sown up, took the stitches out my self in Cody, Wyoming - felt pretty tough at 15. Remember like it was yesterday.

Keep us posted with pics and stories.
ohh man.!!! that must have hurt.!!

Spider 007 thanks for the FLUZ info, didn't know about it... Im checking that out right now.

We are planing go thru Hwy 1 on our way to Vancouver, and then Hwy 3/Hwy 6 on our way back thru The Rockies. Might steer off route to visit towns or go exploring.

Ill be taking lots of pics and videos and post them here for you guys... im so excited for the trip.!! :dance:

Slavex, may be we can hook up the 20th, ill be finishing packing up the truck and doing last minute things..
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Re: Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Post by SlaveX »

Anesh wrote:
Slavex, may be we can hook up the 20th, ill be finishing packing up the truck and doing last minute things..
Sounds good, I'll text you on Sunday.
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Re: Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Post by CruiserRomey »

Hey ANesh, very excited for you and the g/f, this is going to be an epic roady! I've done this trip 3.5 times (the .5 was cuz i flew out to pick up a truck in armstrong, bc, and drove it home), once solo, 2nd time with wife and 6 month old, and 3rd to the rockies with just my Dad. Actually jealous cuz i wont have an opportunity to go with just my wife now that we have 3 kids (for a while at least)! Anyway, sounds like we have similar travelling styles so i'll just add some tips from my experiences.

first off, a lot of the people i've met have done the trip going through canada one way and then the usa the other. might be a cool option so you can see different things and save time on the way back. i've gone through the same way you've described andc rossed back to idaho from calgary on the way back and cut across hwy 2 in the USA all the way to sioux st. marie. you can then head south to espanola past sudbury and hop on the ferry to tobermory from manitoulin island for a nice relaxing last leg of your journey back to the GTA. maybe even camp at cypress national parka and check out the Grotto/cliff jumping on georgian bay.

anyway, going there, leaving ontario is 1/3rd of the trip and there's lots to see especially up on hwy 17 along one my favourite roads around lake superior provincial park. tonnes of good camping there and lots of things to see, big rapids, waterfalls, wildlife. there's a cool beach there in Old woman cove, very quiet, good place to have a picnic or spend the night in one of the campsites. if you guys are flexible, you can just pick where you want to sleep/camp depending on how much driving you want to do on each day. i always use a road atlas (small gps or smart phone just doesn't do it justice for me) as it gives you a nice birds eye view of where you're heading and it shows all the provinicial/national parks where you can camp (and you can camp after office hours and just pay the next day/self check in) i found some cool parks this way like Obatanga waaay up north. you'll see a few on hwy 17, give any a try. as for other camping options, you can also fidn all the KOA places (a little more expensive but i use them as back up, the private places are hit and miss, so best bet for me is to stay at provincial/national parks with standard ammenities across the country for the most part)

across the praries will be quick and it also helps that you gain time westbound (but sloooow going back home as you lose the hours, lol). good place to camp in Saskatchewan is cypress hill provincial park (not too many camping spots along the praries, have to look hard, or stay at a motel depending on your timing. but you can easily do manitoba, saskatchewan and into the rockies in one day).

imho, the big highlights for such a trip is definitely the rockies and the rest of the west coast. do spend a few days in banff (and there's camping everywhere, I think Ron meant expensive if u fall foe yhe tourist traps and stay at the expensive hotels.t) and check out lake louise (do the walk around to the other end), lake morraine, emerald lake, and all the hikes in the area (kinda like niagara falls, vegas, or yellowstone, where you have to see it once at least). from there, i highly suggest taking the drive up 93/columbia ice fields parkway and checking out the columbia icefields. lots of camping along the way, so just pick and choose. HIGHLY suggest you drive up to jasper on 93 and camp/hike/site see there. most will say that jasper is nicer than banff which is more touristy, but i say do both and see for yourself. i'll never forget the hike i did with my 6 month old on my back carrier on teh Valley of 5 lakes, in Jasper (check it out, 4 hour loop and totally worth it!). anyway, you will have a smile on your face guaranteed along hwy 93 up to jasper, breathtaking views/mountains, and you might see grizzly, bobcats, elk, etc. along the way.

on to BC, you have a choice of coquihalla hwy or the crows nest pass hwy 3 (you mentioend) hwy 3 is slower and more windy but scenic, but the coquihalla is nice too and much faster, depends on your time. spend time in kelowna/okanagan for sure, pretty drive along wineries/fruit farms and it's one huge lake.

once in vancouver, you should try the grouse grind (hike up grouse mountain), it's kinda like a right of passage to vancouver if you're visiting. about a 3 hour hike and the tram down is free, treat yourself when you get to the top. ;) also highly suggest going up the sea to sky highway up to squamish and then whistler, ocean on one side, mountains on the other, awesome road especially on motorcycle! :) if you're on the cheap, there are great hostels to stay in the vancouver area (you can get a private room for like 40 bucks or so).

now, you said Toronto to Vancouver....are you not checking out the island?! if so, you are going to miss one awesome experience. if you're out there, you might as well hop on the ferry to victoria and drive all the way to tofino (not that far) and check out the HUUGE trees in port alberni. this is a very pretty drive done in half a day and youc an camp out in tofino and hang with the surfer dudes (if you didn't know, it's a huge surfing town with some interesting peeps, some live on the beach under piles of driftwood). good camping there and a nice end destination to dip your feet in the pacific. i could also suggest taking a bush plane ride along the coast from tofino, but here's a secret, don't pay for the "whale watching tour"...ask if you can piggy back on a flight to take locals to remote reserves in some islands and pay their fare, just don't get off the plane (we saw one town there, population... 50 with 13 kids, lol), pay what the locals pay. tofino is expensive but doabl to camp and spend the night or two. also suggest checking out the pacific rim national park reserve, it's on the way. i would love to spend more time here and hike parts of it.
Last edited by CruiserRomey on Sat Jul 19, 2014 2:58 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Post by CruiserRomey »

got more to add but i'm in vegas, and tehre's peeps waiting for the computer.. hope that gives you some ideas for now..
cheers.
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Re: Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Post by CruiserRomey »

oh yeah, another really cool place to camp is dinosaur prov. park in Alberta/huge park full of dinasour bones/research. its like you're in another planet. drumheller is also another place with a dinosaur theme, more touristy though. but a cool place to check out hoodoos and snap some pics. there's also a cool cable rope bridge there.

also check out the hot springs in banff, I think just 7$. there's another place bit I cant remember the name... radiant springs maybe? ask around. nice treat after a good hike or long hours driving.

also check out Johnston canyon falls/near banff, short hike along a narrow canyon with two falls. in the end there's another longer hike to the ink pots which I've never seen before. these minerals bubble up and form different coloured pools.

in bc on the way up to squeamish, there's an abandoned mine with miles of tunnels, I think they do tours there, not 100% sure.

Victoria is a beautiful city. worth checking out for sure. there u can do whale watching tours, kayaks sup board rentals. if your into gardens then check out the famous butchard gardens. best garden I've seen ever.

one more option for accommodations is staying at university residences for cheaper than your average hotel/motel. most are open during the summer to supplement revenue. a back up option anyway
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Re: Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Post by Anesh »

WOW.! Im gonna have to print this out and bring it with me.!

THANKS ALOT Romey.!!! appreciate the help.!

Many of the spots I had them already on my list, but many others werent. Im trying to balance out how many places to visit and how long to stay on those places to explore them.

We are gonna stay a few days in Vancouver at my brothers place, we had planed go to Victoria, Tofino, also to Squamish and Whistler during those days.. may be we hit Jasper on the way back... still have to decide which route to take..

So many places, so little time...

Truck is almost ready for the long trip, finishing up a 1500W inverter install and thats about it. Skid plates are on in case my adventurous soul takes me somewhere remote were Ill need them.
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Re: Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Post by CruiserRomey »

no worries! that was fun for me and reminded me of the fun that was had. with a conference I had attend plus a visit with a cuz in Vancouver, we were able to do most of the above with a 6month old. just gotta be efficient with your time and cover ground when you can. but yeah, its a fine balance to get pics done; see places and fam without forgetting to absorb the experience and let it all soak in. if I were to prioritise, I'd do jasper and go up hwy 93/Columbia icefields parkway and seeing the glacier, castle mountain; johnston canyon falls which are all along the way. then I'd do the island for sure and hit port alberni n tofino. guess it all depends on your timing with fam in vancouver.

taking the 3/crows nest pass will eat up time. cutting across the USA on hwy 2 will be quicker and probably the best way to return imho. bonus if you catch the cheecheemaun ferry from manitoilin to tobermory. anyway, lots of fun and there's a dozen ways to do this trip! safe travels and look forward to the trip report n pics!
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Re: Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Post by deeker »

I realize I'm a bit late with this...

This couple sold all of their stuff and took off across Canada, up to Alaska and then wandered down to Central and South America. They took their time in parts of Canada, so the early part of the trip report linked below might be of some interest.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/t ... one-riding
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Re: Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Post by Nd4SpdSe »

Wow, this is a great thread! I've wanted to do this trip for quite a few years!
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Re: Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Post by CruiserRomey »

deeker wrote:I realize I'm a bit late with this...

This couple sold all of their stuff and took off across Canada, up to Alaska and then wandered down to Central and South America. They took their time in parts of Canada, so the early part of the trip report linked below might be of some interest.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/t ... one-riding
nice link. thought I'd check it out and realized that I know them through my old 2wheeling days! they've done several trips around the world already! lucky couple!!
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Re: Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Post by agentorange »

We really enjoyed Buffalo Pound Provincial Park in Saskatchewan. Enjoy the trip!
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Re: Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Post by agentorange »

We came home through the States and camped in Yellowstone National Park. Fabulous spot - would love to go back there.
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Re: Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Post by CruiserRomey »

planned on doing that too but time was short and Yellowstone deserved a good week to really enjoy. gotta do it soon before old faithful blows up into a super volcano! lol.

Anesh, how's the trip? having fun I'm sure! probably hanging in BC by now?
hope alls well!
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Re: Toronto-Vancouver and Back

Post by Anesh »

Man.! Its been such a nice experience.!! Im in love with The Rockies.! Went thru Banff, camped at Johnston Canyon, next day went to Lake Louis, Moraine Lake, and then drove up to Jasper, walked on glaciers on the way, Jasper was paked so we kept driving towards BC, stayed at Clearwater, then drove down to Kamloops, Whistler, Squamish and Vancouver. Such a nice drive. Right now we are waiting for the ferry to go back to Vancouver from Victoria.

Still havnt decided which route to take on our way back... We would love to visit Yellowstone..

Truck has behaved good, altho lacking power on up hills. We are at 2590kg acording to truck scale.

Ill post pictures when ill get a chance :)

Thanks for the links and all advices and places to visit.!

Cheers
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