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From PA to WA by route of Canada

Started by php111, April 06, 2016, 05:01:07 PM

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php111

Hi! I am new to this forum! Which route would it be to go from PA to WA by route of Canada? I was thinking that route would be going North through Maine into Canada than go all the way West in Canada than South to WA, but I am not sure which route that would be? Thank you!


hotdogPi

If you're trying to get there the fastest way possible while requiring entry to Canada, entering Canada near Buffalo NY is faster than going through Maine in any way. However, depending on where you are in Pennsylvania, there might be better ways than Buffalo.

The fastest way overall does not involve going through Canada.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

php111

I am in the Lehigh Valley. I am not looking for the fastest but the longest/longer routes.

jakeroot

What's your endpoint in Washington? If Seattle, I'd recommend going west from Calgary using Hwy 1 towards Kamloops, BC, then south along the Coquihalla Hwy (Hwy 5) towards Hope, then back along Hwy 1, crossing back south at the border crossing near Abbotsford about an hour west of Hope. From there, take WA-9 > WA-546 > WA-539 South > I-5 South towards Seattle.

You can also turn south at Sicamous, BC using Hwy 97A, taking that south to Vernon. From Vernon, use Hwy 97 all the way through Kelowna to Okanagan Falls, where you'd use Hwy 3 to the Osoyoos border crossing, entering back into Washington just north of Oroville. US-97 takes you south towards Wenatchee, then southwest towards WA-970, which takes you towards Cle Elum, which in turn takes you to I-90. I-90 then crosses west over the Cascades towards Seattle.

Note that both of these routes are very scenic. The Coquihalla Hwy (Hwy 5) is notable for being featured on the Weather Channel's Highway to Hell. It's a 120 km/h freeway between Hope and Kamloops. This freeway, among others in British Columbia, features the highest posted speed limit in Canada. Hwy 1 through Banff is also breathtaking. Several movies have been filmed in Banff, and Lake Louise is damn near the most picturesque lake in North America.

php111

Thank you so much for those routes! I never seen Highway to Hell on The Weather Channel before but I had seen it on the Investigation Discovery Channel.

SignGeek101

If you want to go through Maine, I would recommend US 201 to QC 173. It significantly cuts down travel time, but if you want to take your time and explore, take I-95 to NB 95, then take the Trans-Canada. In Quebec, it's partially two lane north of the New Brunswick border, but most of this stage is freeway.

In Montreal, take exit the Trans-Canada (A-20) to Autoroute 30 south of the city if you want to avoid traffic. It does have a toll though on the western side of the freeway. West of Montreal, you have to decide if you want to go through southern Ontario (ON 401) or northern Ontario (ON 417). The north is a lot more rural, but has more two-lane highway. It depends on what you're looking for.

If you take the southern route, follow A-20 to ON 401. ON 401 goes directly to Toronto. Traffic in Toronto (like any other major city) is pretty bad though, so I would avoid it unless there's something there you want to do (like driving the busiest highway in North America). You can avoid Toronto by taking Brock Road in Pickering to ON 407 north of the city. There's a hefty electronic toll though. Afterwards, take ON 400 to ON 69 towards Sudbury.

If you take the northern route, you basically follow A-40 to ON 417 through Ottawa, the nation's capital. West of there, the (mostly) freeway trip ends, and it becomes two-lane roadway. ON 17 I believe is the longest highway in Ontario. It's pretty scenic, but gorgeous in the summer.

Regardless if you take the northern or southern route, you will end up on ON 17 in Sudbury. You can take ON 11 north of the city, but it's much longer, and more scenic (and probably less traffic) than ON 17.

ON 11 and ON 17 meet up in Nipigon, which is the only way west. The Ontario Government is building a new bridge on the Nipigon River, so there may be traffic delays. Follow ON 17 to the Manitoba border. Once you enter Manitoba, stay on MB 1 until you hit the Perimeter Hwy (a ring road surrounding Winnipeg). You can choose to go south, through, or north of the city. The main Trans-Canada route is through the city.

The official bypass is MB 100 which goes to the south of the city. However, I recommend going through the northern part (MB 101). It has fewer traffic lights and less truck traffic. Either way, the ring road will meet up again at Highway 1 west of the city.

There's not really much else to say about the Prairies. It's divided highway all the way to the British Columbia border. Calgary has another ring road (AB 201) that you can use to bypass the city. Once again, the Trans-Canada goes straight through it. West of Calgary, the Trans-Canada becomes freeway, and you will see breathtaking images of the Rocky mountains.

In BC, Highway 1 becomes two-lane again for most of its length. West of Kamloops, it becomes freeway. Take BC 5 (Coquihalla) just like Jakeroot suggested. If you want to avoid Vancouver, you can take BC 17 to BC 91. BC 91 southbound will lead to BC 99. BC 99 leads to I-5 in Washington state.

Obviously, I don't know any tourist attractions / road related goals you would like to strive for, but this is a basic guide. Quite the road trip. Here's the map: https://goo.gl/maps/iw7FB9XMkR52

corco

#6
QuoteThere's not really much else to say about the Prairies. It's divided highway all the way to the British Columbia border. Calgary has another ring road (AB 201) that you can use to bypass the city. Once again, the Trans-Canada goes straight through it. West of Calgary, the Trans-Canada becomes freeway, and you will see breathtaking images of the Rocky mountains.

Having driven both, I would note that there's no earthly reason to follow the ring road instead of the TCH through Calgary.

My primary other option that I'd throw out depending on how you are doing with time would be to bypass the TCH, Calgary, and Vancouver and take the Crowsnest from Medicine Hat until you decide to head south in Washington. AB/BC-3 is a jaw-droppingly gorgeous drive west of Pincher Creek, and moves quickly through the rest of Alberta. From my perspective the Crowsnest west of Pincher Creek is substantially more scenic than the TCH west of Calgary if you aren't planning on leaving the highway. If you want to hike or something, Banff becomes more interesting. The Crowsnest will also be a lot faster than detouring all the way up to Calgary and Kamloops.

That said, the Coke (5) from Merritt down to Hope may be the most scenic freeway on the continent, though only for 20-30 miles.

US 41

My suggestion would be to take enter Canada using I-81. I would highly recommend checking out Ottawa. It's a very beautiful capital city. I actually enjoyed Ottawa more than Washington D.C. From Ottawa I'd take ON 17 (trans Canada highway) west to Washington. I drove ON 17 in July last year from Sault Ste Marie to Pembroke. I actually took QC 148 from Pembroke to Ottawa. I'd recommend QC 148, but it's your choice. QC 148 was a lot smoother than ON 17. ON 17 is very remote, but I enjoy driving in very remote areas. There's a lot of forest along ON 17. I am planning on going on a 4 day trip to the Sault Ste Marie area this Spring, and then later in the Summer I am going to Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

If it is getting late and you drive through a town with a hotel and a restaurant then you may want to stop there for the night. Towns like that are few and far between in northwestern Ontario. I also wouldn't recommend driving at night especially if it is (or has been) raining. They don't put reflectors on the highways and the lines aren't very bright. You may have to drive into the central parts of towns as well to find hotels and restaurants. I noticed that ON 17 kind of avoided some towns and that most businesses are located in the towns themselves rather than on the highway like in the US. Gas stations on the other hand are easy enough to find. Esso seemed to be the main gas station chain up there.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask me.
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kkt

I'll just throw out my negative experience with the Coke, for an alternative view.  Yes, the country is pretty, but the drive is difficult.  The uphill grades are steep for a freeway.  You have trucks going 40 km/hr up the middle lane trying to pass the trucks that are struggling to make 30 km/hr in the slow lane.  At the same time, the fast lane is dominated by people trying to see how fast their Porshes and Ferraris will go, at 140+ km/hr.  That was only once, though, so maybe it was just a bad day.

However, the Transcanada from Cache Creek to Hope is a very nice 2-lane road through amazingly beautiful country.

Whereabouts in Washington are you ending up?

corco

That pretty much echoes my experience on the Coke. Reminds me a lot of I-17 in Arizona from a driving difficulty standpoint. It sure is beautiful though.

Mapmikey

Quote from: kkt on April 07, 2016, 12:37:41 PM
I'll just throw out my negative experience with the Coke, for an alternative view.  Yes, the country is pretty, but the drive is difficult.  The uphill grades are steep for a freeway.  You have trucks going 40 km/hr up the middle lane trying to pass the trucks that are struggling to make 30 km/hr in the slow lane.  At the same time, the fast lane is dominated by people trying to see how fast their Porshes and Ferraris will go, at 140+ km/hr.  That was only once, though, so maybe it was just a bad day.


This was also my experience the one time I drove to Vancouver via Lake Louise (go see this and/or adjacent Moraine Lake if you do use TCH-1 across Alberta) except it was also raining so visibility on the Coq was foggy and generally poor - while everybody still trying to go as fast as they can.  Next time I will be using TCH-1 from Banff all the way to Vancouver...

php111

I missed part of jakeroot's post. In my response even though I did not mention, the Hwy that I was thinking of is Hwy 16 that I seen on TV because it comes to mind when someone says Highway of Hell.

paulthemapguy

I would say the previously-mentioned suggestion of entering Canada via Niagara Falls/Buffalo.  You could see the falls!  And make a stop in Toronto, which is a beautiful city.  Then drive along the north sides of Lakes Superior and Huron.  My second-place suggestion would be to go via Chicago, Minneapolis, and Fargo, then turn north on I-29 into Winnipeg.
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php111

Quote from: SignGeek101 on April 06, 2016, 09:38:04 PM
If you want to go through Maine, I would recommend US 201 to QC 173. It significantly cuts down travel time, but if you want to take your time and explore, take I-95 to NB 95, then take the Trans-Canada. In Quebec, it's partially two lane north of the New Brunswick border, but most of this stage is freeway.

In Montreal, take exit the Trans-Canada (A-20) to Autoroute 30 south of the city if you want to avoid traffic. It does have a toll though on the western side of the freeway. West of Montreal, you have to decide if you want to go through southern Ontario (ON 401) or northern Ontario (ON 417). The north is a lot more rural, but has more two-lane highway. It depends on what you're looking for.

If you take the southern route, follow A-20 to ON 401. ON 401 goes directly to Toronto. Traffic in Toronto (like any other major city) is pretty bad though, so I would avoid it unless there's something there you want to do (like driving the busiest highway in North America). You can avoid Toronto by taking Brock Road in Pickering to ON 407 north of the city. There's a hefty electronic toll though. Afterwards, take ON 400 to ON 69 towards Sudbury.

If you take the northern route, you basically follow A-40 to ON 417 through Ottawa, the nation's capital. West of there, the (mostly) freeway trip ends, and it becomes two-lane roadway. ON 17 I believe is the longest highway in Ontario. It's pretty scenic, but gorgeous in the summer.

Regardless if you take the northern or southern route, you will end up on ON 17 in Sudbury. You can take ON 11 north of the city, but it's much longer, and more scenic (and probably less traffic) than ON 17.

ON 11 and ON 17 meet up in Nipigon, which is the only way west. The Ontario Government is building a new bridge on the Nipigon River, so there may be traffic delays. Follow ON 17 to the Manitoba border. Once you enter Manitoba, stay on MB 1 until you hit the Perimeter Hwy (a ring road surrounding Winnipeg). You can choose to go south, through, or north of the city. The main Trans-Canada route is through the city.

The official bypass is MB 100 which goes to the south of the city. However, I recommend going through the northern part (MB 101). It has fewer traffic lights and less truck traffic. Either way, the ring road will meet up again at Highway 1 west of the city.

There's not really much else to say about the Prairies. It's divided highway all the way to the British Columbia border. Calgary has another ring road (AB 201) that you can use to bypass the city. Once again, the Trans-Canada goes straight through it. West of Calgary, the Trans-Canada becomes freeway, and you will see breathtaking images of the Rocky mountains.

In BC, Highway 1 becomes two-lane again for most of its length. West of Kamloops, it becomes freeway. Take BC 5 (Coquihalla) just like Jakeroot suggested. If you want to avoid Vancouver, you can take BC 17 to BC 91. BC 91 southbound will lead to BC 99. BC 99 leads to I-5 in Washington state.

Obviously, I don't know any tourist attractions / road related goals you would like to strive for, but this is a basic guide. Quite the road trip. Here's the map: https://goo.gl/maps/iw7FB9XMkR52

If I understand correctly take the PA 476S to 95N and 95N turns into NB 95 and from NB 95, does that turn into Trans-Canada in Montreal like you suggested?

SignGeek101

Quote from: php111 on April 09, 2016, 12:07:41 PM
If I understand correctly take the PA 476S to 95N and 95N turns into NB 95 and from NB 95, does that turn into Trans-Canada in Montreal like you suggested?

Yes, I-476 southbound to I-95 if you want (there are many other routes there obviously). After crossing the border on I-95, NB 95 ends at Trans Canada 2. Quebec's use of the Trans-Canada is a bit confusing. It will follow Autoroute 85 in the east, then Autoroute 20 later on, then Autoroute 40 in Montreal west towards the Ontario border. The Trans-Canada in Ontario and Quebec isn't signed on Big Green Signs I've found (some signage remains on older signs) so if you want to follow it, you'll have to memorize the route. I think there should be some sort of federal law stating that all provinces must assign a number to the Trans-Canada and post it and the route regularly on roadways, but that's just my opinion.

You can bypass Montreal by getting off A-20 (and subsequently the Trans-Canada) and take A-30 around the city and meet up with A-40 in the west (which at that point is the Trans-Canada).

php111

I apologize but I do not know Canada at all.

SignGeek101

Quote from: php111 on April 09, 2016, 08:53:44 PM
I apologize but I do not know Canada at all.

Nothing to apologize about. Many members on here don't; this is mostly a US road forum after all. Canada's a pretty simple country to learn though, there's not much here compared to some other countries.

One last thing (kind of common sense, but still): I wouldn't recommend going out at night in rural areas. Population density is pretty low here. That also means many gas stations close in the evening (so fill up earlier if you're going to arrive late in the day). If you're on the Trans-Canada on the Prairies, you should be fine though. As US 41 said above, the MTO doesn't currently have reflectors in northern Ontario (they do in the south) and it can be more difficult to see.

Mapmikey

Something I discovered about gas stations in Canada is that the pumps don't always take American credit cards...I had to go inside and pay first at some stations.  Shell seemed to be the only one that would take it at the pump and even then I had to specify a $ amount before pumping...

vdeane

Just curious, was that with a mag stripe or chip card?  My MasterCard probably works in all Canadian gas pumps, being true chip-and-PIN, but that will change once the First Niagara/Key Bank buyout happens (all other American chip cards are chip-and-sign).
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

Mapmikey

Quote from: vdeane on April 11, 2016, 02:52:24 PM
Just curious, was that with a mag stripe or chip card?  My MasterCard probably works in all Canadian gas pumps, being true chip-and-PIN, but that will change once the First Niagara/Key Bank buyout happens (all other American chip cards are chip-and-sign).

Chip and sign...I didn't have any problems using it at any other kind of business.

Oh the other thing is that not all Canadian banks took my Wells Fargo ATM card (RBC is a widespread bank in Canada that DOES so now I seek them out when I get north of the border).  ATMs in businesses (McDonalds, gas stations, etc. would not take it).

vdeane

In that case, I have no idea what I'm going to do once First Niagara goes the way of the dodo.  There are no other true chip-and-PIN cards available to the general public in the entire country (except for some elite ones that charge a hefty annual fee or are oriented towards travel by airplane).  I'm also upset at the prospect of losing my one "no foreign transaction fee" card that works in Canada (Key Bank charges a 3% fee, and the only other place I can find without one is Citizen's Bank, which has bad reviews).
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

Mapmikey

Quote from: vdeane on April 12, 2016, 01:01:06 PM
In that case, I have no idea what I'm going to do once First Niagara goes the way of the dodo.  There are no other true chip-and-PIN cards available to the general public in the entire country (except for some elite ones that charge a hefty annual fee or are oriented towards travel by airplane).  I'm also upset at the prospect of losing my one "no foreign transaction fee" card that works in Canada (Key Bank charges a 3% fee, and the only other place I can find without one is Citizen's Bank, which has bad reviews).

I have a no foreign fee credit card through Chase though it is a hotel rewards card (don't know if you have to go through that program to get a no-fee card)...

jeffandnicole

Quote from: Mapmikey on April 12, 2016, 01:17:37 PM
Quote from: vdeane on April 12, 2016, 01:01:06 PM
In that case, I have no idea what I'm going to do once First Niagara goes the way of the dodo.  There are no other true chip-and-PIN cards available to the general public in the entire country (except for some elite ones that charge a hefty annual fee or are oriented towards travel by airplane).  I'm also upset at the prospect of losing my one "no foreign transaction fee" card that works in Canada (Key Bank charges a 3% fee, and the only other place I can find without one is Citizen's Bank, which has bad reviews).

I have a no foreign fee credit card through Chase though it is a hotel rewards card (don't know if you have to go through that program to get a no-fee card)...

Usually you don't.  If you get a hotel rewards card and don't have a membership with the particular hotel's rewards program, you will be entered into the program when you are approved for the card.

That said, you'll have to decide if getting a card with points that you may never use is worth getting a foreign transaction fee-free card.

You can also use this as a guide to what cards are foreign transaction fee-free, and what the normal fee is per issuer. https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/top-credit-cards/no-foreign-transaction-fee-credit-card/



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