New England/Atlantic Canada Road Trip 10/9/21-10/16/21 - Input Requested

[1995hoo]

^^^^^

Not too far west of Burntcoat Head, you can find the Walton Harbour Lighthouse, which allows you to go inside and climb to the top. (Search Google Maps for the name and remember the "u" in "Harbour.")

[JayhawkCO]

Great suggestions, especially about doing the Cabot Trail in reverse.  I just reserved a room in Cheticamp.  I'll work on updating my route in my spreadsheet and I'll update my OPs accordingly.  Thank you both very much. Now I just need someone to pipe in about my Maine/New Hampshire portion and I think I'll be finalized.

Chris

[webny99]

Day 6:

...

• TCH2->NE95->I-95 down to Bangor with a small side trip to get Piscataquis County, ME
• New Counties:
  
  
  • Prince, PE
  • Aroostook, ME
  • Penobscot, ME
  • Piscataquis, ME
• Highways Clinched:
  
  
  • Again, likely a bunch of PE routes
  • TCH-1 (PE)
  • NB95
• Other clinches of note:
  
  
  • All counties in PE
  • All TCH routes in the Maritimes
• Questions: I don't think I have any questions here other than the typical restaurant/brewery suggestions.

Day 7:

• Objectives for the day:
  
  
  • Clinch I-395 in Maine.
  • Clinch all counties in Maine and New Hampshire that I'm missing.
  • Clinch I-93.
  • Clinch I-195 in Maine.
  • See nice scenery.
• Leaving Bangor heading out on I-395->US1A->ME46->ME9 to clinch Hancock and Washington Counties.
• Turn back around on ME9 and then find a way to:
  
  
  • Clinch I-95 between Bangor and Augusta
  • Travel through Knox and Lincoln Counties before heading back NW
  • Travel up to St. Johnsbury traveling through Franklin and Oxford Counties in Maine and Carroll and Coos Counties in New Hampshire
• From St. Johnsbury, take I-93 all the way to its junction with I-95, completing the clinch (also taking I-293 in Manchester).
• Double back on I-93 to head back up to Portland getting some mileage on I-495.
• Travel I-195 when passing through Saco/Biddeford, then back up I-95 to Portland for the night
• New Counties:
  
  
  • Hancock, ME
  • Washington, ME
  • Waldo, ME
  • Knox, ME
  • Lincoln, ME
  • Kennebec, ME
  • Somerset, ME
  • Franklin, ME
  • Oxford, ME
  • Carroll, NH
  • Coos, NH
  • Essex, VT
  • Belknap, NH
  • Hillsborough, NH
  • Cumberland, ME
• Highways Clinched:
  
  
  • I-395 (ME)
  • I-93
  • I-293
  • I-93
  • I-195 (ME)
  • Likely some Maine/New Hampshire state highways
• Other clinches of note:
  
  
  • All counties in NH
  • All interstates in NH
• Questions: This is the day I need the most help with guidance.  Those that have been in the area, does anyone have a route that I should follow?  From Beddington, I'm currently thinking it's probably best to return on ME9 to Bangor and then head down to Augusta or Gardiner to get the portion of I-95 that I need to clinch.  Then head east on ME126 to get both of the counties I need, ME220 North to ME17 to take all the way up to its end near Rangeley.  Then take ME16->NH16->NH26->US3->US2 to St. Johnsbury.  I'll need a slight diversion to grab Carroll County, NH while I'm heading down towards Manchester/Boston this way. I'd like a reasonably efficient path (given my convoluted constraints) that is also scenic.  I've not spent much time in the Whites, so would like to drive some pretty stretches there.  Input on this section would be greatly appreciated.

Day 8:

• The night before when getting dinner somewhere in downtown Portland, I'll knock off a chunk of I-295 and I'll take it all the way up to the Falmouth Spur (I-495)
• Take I-95->I-495->I-295 up to Gardiner to clinch I-295.
• Double back on I-95 to get the rest of its stretch in Maine.
• Continue on I-95 all the way down to Providence's I-295

[/list]

Now I just need someone to pipe in about my Maine/New Hampshire portion and I think I'll be finalized.

I'm not sure I totally follow your proposed routing, but from what I can tell it seems pretty circular, starting in Maine, then heading to New Hampshire, then circling back around to Portland ME. But I suppose that's unavoidable if you want to clinch both I-93 and I-95.

I'm probably not going to be a ton of help here, as I've only been to Maine once. But a few thoughts...

Bangor isn't far from Acadia NP if you wanted to make the detour over there - a great park, but also at least one full day if not more to see the highlights. I will also note that US 1 along the Maine coast is interesting and would be beautiful this time of year. Would also recommend taking the Casco Bay Bridge over to South Portland if you have time - Portland Head Light is cool, and we stumbled upon a great waterfront restaurant (name escaping me at the moment...) with great views of the bridge and the city of Portland.

[JayhawkCO]

I'm not sure I totally follow your proposed routing, but from what I can tell it seems pretty circular, starting in Maine, then heading to New Hampshire, then circling back around to Portland ME. But I suppose that's unavoidable if you want to clinch both I-93 and I-95.

I'm probably not going to be a ton of help here, as I've only been to Maine once. But a few thoughts...

Bangor isn't far from Acadia NP if you wanted to make the detour over there - a great park, but also at least one full day if not more to see the highlights. I will also note that US 1 along the Maine coast is interesting and would be beautiful this time of year. Would also recommend taking the Casco Bay Bridge over to South Portland if you have time - Portland Head Light is cool, and we stumbled upon a great waterfront restaurant (name escaping me at the moment...) with great views of the bridge and the city of Portland.

Yeah, it's definitely circular.  I got some great hotel rates locked in a long time ago in Bangor and Portland, so unless I want to drop $200 extra per night to stay in different places, those kinda need to be the beginning and end of the day.  I had thought about just sticking in Maine for that day of the trip, but I wanted to try to get all of the Northern New England interstates knocked out, and I won't have time on my last day to go from Portland to Philly if I venture that far off route.  I wish I had time for Acadia, but alas that will have to wait for another trip.  I think I had heard that the reservations are full for the main part of the park (not to be confused with the Maine part of the park) for quite some time anyway.

Chris

[JayhawkCO]

As I posted above....Burntcoat Head is a great place to view the Fundy Tides......actually Minas Basin/Cobequid Bay at that point.

This web page has a link to tide times that vary by date:

www.burntcoatheadpark.ca/tides/

I loved this for an idea, but it doesn't look like the timing will work sadly.

If I visited on the day I'm driving all the way from Quebec to Halifax, I'd be in the area around... high tide.

If I made a side trip on the day I'm going around southern Nova Scotia on the way from Halifax to Lunenburg, I'd be in the area around... high tide.

If I visited on the way up to Cape Breton, I'd be in the are around... high tide.

(I am trying to not take off full days since I work remotely and planned on doing 1/2 to 3/4 workdays from the hotel before going on my adventures.  And the time sensitive things I have to do will be in the morning, so I couldn't leave early and then work later.)

Chris

[froggie]

Responding late, but regarding your Day 7:

There is no easy way to get Carroll County, NH from I-93.  A lot of slow road to get over and back.  What I would suggest instead, based on your initial route, is take ME 17 to Jay (but not beyond), then angle yourself southwest to Fryeburg to pick up US 302.  US 302 will get you both Carroll and Coos Counties in NH, plus it goes through Crawford Notch and has a GREAT view of the Mount Washington Hotel and the mountain itself.

It would be easier to nab Essex County, VT via an "out and back" than it would be Carroll County.  Or, from Twin Mountain, take US 3 north from US 302 to Whitefield, take NH 142 to NH 135 north(east), cross the river at the Mt. Orne Covered Bridge, then pick up US 2 in Lunenburg to get Essex County.

[JayhawkCO]

Responding late, but regarding your Day 7:

There is no easy way to get Carroll County, NH from I-93.  A lot of slow road to get over and back.  What I would suggest instead, based on your initial route, is take ME 17 to Jay (but not beyond), then angle yourself southwest to Fryeburg to pick up US 302.  US 302 will get you both Carroll and Coos Counties in NH, plus it goes through Crawford Notch and has a GREAT view of the Mount Washington Hotel and the mountain itself.

It would be easier to nab Essex County, VT via an "out and back" than it would be Carroll County.  Or, from Twin Mountain, take US 3 north from US 302 to Whitefield, take NH 142 to NH 135 north(east), cross the river at the Mt. Orne Covered Bridge, then pick up US 2 in Lunenburg to get Essex County.

Thanks froggie.  I'll take a look at that.

[JayhawkCO]

Just registered for both of my New Brunswick entries.  Kind of a clunky system having to fill out a .pdf with data and then email it instead of having it just web based, but it is what it is I guess.  Hopefully Nova Scotia and Quebec don't add any requirements for me, but I'll keep checking a couple times a week so I'm not surprised.

Chris

[02 Park Ave]

The average speed on I-95 from approaching the George Washington Bridge and then across The Bronx could be 20 mph or lower.  I-95 in Connecticut can be a slow drag also.

[JayhawkCO]

The average speed on I-95 from approaching the George Washington Bridge and then across The Bronx could be 20 mph or lower.  I-95 in Connecticut can be a slow drag also.

Gross.  I guess I'll just be getting in late that night.  Fortunately my flight from Denver to Philly I'll be able to get some sleep likely.

Chris

[paulthemapguy]

At the end of September 2019, I did a very similar loop around the Maritimes, where I looped around into Nova Scotia, and passed through PEI on the way home.  We did a day in Halifax and a day on the Cabot Trail, anchored in Pictou County for our accommodation both days. Pictou County pizza was very strange and I didn't like it; the sauce is orange-brown like gravy (we stayed and ate said pizza in Stellarton).  On the way out there, we stopped at Hopewell Rocks near Moncton, NB to see the wild tides of the Bay of Fundy.  Keep in mind that the time between low tide and high tide will be many hours, so seeing the full variation takes some time.  We saw probably 25 feet's worth of the change in height between 8:30am and 12:30 pm.  The nice thing about Hopewell Rocks is that they post their tide tables on their website so you can plan your day effectively.  Unfortunately, they don't operate beyond October 11th.

We also stopped at Acadia National Park on the way home for two days; if you don't have much time to see the park, you can at least drive the one-way circular park road and stop at some scenic vistas and the sand beach (a rarity in Maine!).  Cadillac Mountain, perhaps the foremost mountain in the park, is a mountain you can drive to the top of and look around (again nice because it saves time).

There's a store called Maps & More at the waterfront in downtown Halifax that may be of great interest to users on this forum: https://goo.gl/maps/yy6gEovi3gdjaKL99

[ghYHZ]

Great suggestions, especially about doing the Cabot Trail in reverse.  I just reserved a room in Cheticamp....... think I'll be finalized.

Chris

I can't add much to @1995hoo suggestion of the Harbour Restaurant and Bar while you're in Cheticamp. Just try one of the fine beers from Big Spruce!......

https://www.bigspruce.ca

Cheticamp is an Acadian (French) community (cousins to the Cajuns)  In contrast to the Scottish culture in Ingonish on the other end of the Cabot Trail.

This time of October...any other year would be Celtic-Colours with great Scotish, Acadian and First Nations entertainment. This year it's mostly virtual.... 

https://celtic-colours.com

[JayhawkCO]

Just registered for both of my New Brunswick entries.  Kind of a clunky system having to fill out a .pdf with data and then email it instead of having it just web based, but it is what it is I guess.  Hopefully Nova Scotia and Quebec don't add any requirements for me, but I'll keep checking a couple times a week so I'm not surprised.

Chris

Still haven't heard back on this, and then going to the website they basically have an admission that their system doesn't work, so having a copy of the sent email (along with vaccination) is enough to get me in.  Knew it was clunky.

Anyway, started to make a list of stops for lunch/dinner based on my different days.

Day 1: Basically hustling all the way up to Drummondville and probably won't get in until 10:30 or 11:00, so might just have to be a fast food day, sadly
Day 2: Claudine's Eatery in Fredericton for lunch and Battery Park Beer Bar and Eatery in Dartmouth for Dinner
Day 3: Mishoo's Take out in Sambro for lunch and The Crow's Nest in Digby for early dinner, Lightship Brewing in Lunenburg for a nightcap
Day 4: The Knot Pub in Lunenburg for lunch and the Harbour Restaurant in Cheticamp for dinner
Day 5: Probably a fast food lunch just to try and catch the 1:00 ferry and then Claddagh Oyster House in Charlottetown for dinner
Day 6: Cinta Ria Malaysian Fusion in Moncton for lunch and Woodman's Bar and Grill in Orono for dinner
Day 7: 302 West Smokehouse and Tavern in Fryeburg for lunch and Mash Tun in Portland for dinner
Day 8: Getting my hustle on back to Philly, so probably another fast food kind of day.  Maybe a cheesesteak in the airport.

Chris

[1995hoo]

I don't remember where we ate in Lunenburg. I think it was the Old Fish Factory because I think we were right by the water. I do remember we stayed at the Lunenburg Inn, which is a bed and breakfast and thus is probably not the type of place you're interested in. The owners were very nice and their website says they still own it.

[JayhawkCO]

I don't remember where we ate in Lunenburg. I think it was the Old Fish Factory because I think we were right by the water. I do remember we stayed at the Lunenburg Inn, which is a bed and breakfast and thus is probably not the type of place you're interested in. The owners were very nice and their website says they still own it.

I have reservations at the Brigantine Inn and Suites there.  Looks nice enough.

If I can leave when I think I can (with work obligations handled), then I'll probably get to Lunenburg around 7:30 or so.  I really want to get scallops in Digby for dinner, so I'll just have time for a beer in Lunenburg that night.

I also just bought a DC/AC cigarette lighter power converter so that I can have my laptop powered up while still being charged so I might be able to leave earlier in the day than I currently have planned.  I can pull over if something important needs to be addressed during using my cell phone as a hotspot.

Chris

[ghYHZ]

Just registered for both of my New Brunswick entries.  Kind of a clunky system having to fill out a .pdf with data and then email it instead of having it just web based, but it is what it is I guess.  Hopefully Nova Scotia and Quebec don't add any requirements for me, but I'll keep checking a couple times a week so I'm not surprised.

Chris

Although the Maritimes and Newfoundland are in much better shape than some parts of the country...there has been a recent spike in cases here as well. The 'Atlantic Bubble' has essentially ended with new provincial restrictions being implemented fast so things don't get out of control here.

PEI's new restrictions announced yesterday:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-covid-pandemic-briefing-september-28-1.6191917

And keep a daily watch on New Brunswick and Nova Scotia before you arrive.

[JayhawkCO]

Just registered for both of my New Brunswick entries.  Kind of a clunky system having to fill out a .pdf with data and then email it instead of having it just web based, but it is what it is I guess.  Hopefully Nova Scotia and Quebec don't add any requirements for me, but I'll keep checking a couple times a week so I'm not surprised.

Chris

Although the Maritimes and Newfoundland are in much better shape than some parts of the country...there has been a recent spike in cases here as well. The 'Atlantic Bubble' has essentially ended with new provincial restrictions being implemented fast so things don't get out of control here.

PEI's new restrictions announced yesterday:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-covid-pandemic-briefing-september-28-1.6191917

And keep a daily watch on New Brunswick and Nova Scotia before you arrive.

Awesome.  Thanks for the heads up.  The nice thing is that everything I booked is refundable if I need to cancel last minute.  I'll keep eyes out for news.

Chris

[JayhawkCO]

Still nothing other than ArriveCAN for Quebec.

New Brunswick finally got their online registration working, so I got that completed and approved within five minutes.

PEIPass had already been received, but looks like I'll be getting tested at the ferry.  No big deal there.

Nova Scotia still has their Safe Check-In saying that ArriveCAN is all I need for Nova Scotian entry.

Got my PCR Covid test scheduled for ~60 hours before I arrive in Canada.  Hopefully that's plenty of time to get results back.

I might get a second test from a different place just so that I have multiple options.  The one I signed up for was the only one that takes reservations any time other than the day before.

Chris

[JayhawkCO]

Looks like they changed ferry times on me, so now it looks like I'll take a full day off on my Cape Breton day, leave early from Lunenburg, drive up to Sydney and then go around to still to the Skyline hike near sunset and still stay in Cheticamp.  That way I can catch the 11:15 ferry to PEI the next day.

Chris

[JayhawkCO]

Final mileage: 4,510 miles
New Counties: 45 in the U.S., 51 in Canada
New 2dis Clinched: I-70, I-88, I-91, I-93, I-95
New 3dis Clinched: I-495 (DE), I-384 (CT), I-291 (CT), I-391 (MA), I-395 (ME), I-293 (NH), I-195 (ME), I-495 (ME), I-295 (ME), I-291 (MA), I-787 (NY), I-890 (NY), I-476 (PA), I-276 (PA), I-295 (DE/NJ/PA), I-676 (NJ/PA)

Decided to change gears on my last day and avoid NYC.

Chris

[ghYHZ]

Final mileage: 4,510 miles
New Counties: 45 in the U.S., 51 in Canada
New 2dis Clinched: I-70, I-88, I-91, I-93, I-95
New 3dis Clinched: I-495 (DE), I-384 (CT), I-291 (CT), I-391 (MA), I-395 (ME), I-293 (NH), I-195 (ME), I-495 (ME), I-295 (ME), I-291 (MA), I-787 (NY), I-890 (NY), I-476 (PA), I-276 (PA), I-295 (DE/NJ/PA), I-676 (NJ/PA)

Decided to change gears on my last day and avoid NYC.

Chris

Now we're looking for a full trip report

Did you get the Skyline in?

[JayhawkCO]

Full trip report, as requested.

Day 1) Swung down into Delaware to finish my interstate clinches there and then essentially took I-95->I-91 to Canada.  I-95 through New York was congested as I thought it would be, but I was kind of surprised how congested I-95 was in Connecticut.  Considering it feels like you're in a rural area, it was fairly stop and go without any real reason why.  One thing I definitely noticed from a driving perspective is how bad the left lane hogs were in NJ/NY/CT.  People would have a lineup of 10 cars behind them and not have a care in the world.  The middle lane was normally the "fast lane".  Unfortunately it was dark by the time I got into Vermont so I missed some scenery there, but I knew I wouldn't be without good scenery for the rest of the trip.  North of White River Junction, I only saw one other car going northbound on I-91, which was kind of eerie.  Stopping at the border was a quick affair with my ArriveCan already sorted and I had received both of my Covid test results that morning.  Almost no traffic on A-55, and then not too much on the other autoroutes into Drummondville.

Day 2) Super pretty drive the whole way.  The colors on the trees were pretty neon all the way from Quebec to Halifax.  I really enjoyed the scenery especially in western New Brunswick where it was quite hilly.  Entrance into New Brunswick was pretty short and sweet having already done the pre-registration.  In and out of the checkpoint in maybe 3-4 minutes.  It was nice having the 110 km/h speed limits after only having 100 km/h in Quebec. Stopped for lunch in Perth-Andover, a cute little town right on the St. John River.  I was somewhat surprised with just how removed the TCH was from the city centers of the towns in NB.  Didn't end up seeing much of Fredericton nor Moncton, although I drove through downtown Moncton on the way back.  The stop at the Nova Scotia border was equally as quick as the New Brunswick stop.  Made it to my hotel in Dartmouth in pretty quick time, but you could definitely tell how much the traffic picked up once I got on NS-102 down towards Halifax, given that Halifax is pretty much the only large town in all of Atlantic Canada.\

Day 3) I decided to use another day off of work (since the internet at the Courtyard I stayed at was abysmal) and realized I could make it out to Burntcoat Head Park during low tide.  I still had some road clinching to do, so I knocked out all of the 100-series stuff around Halifax and a little side trip out to Sambro.  Headed back up to Burntcoat Head, snapped off the obligatory pics, with some really nice driving on NS-215.  Then I headed south to Digby to eat some scallops, all the way down to Yarmouth so I could check out Cape Forchu Lighthouse, and then swung all the way back around to crash in Lunenburg.  My hotel was basically attached to Shipwright Brewery, so that was awesome.

Day 4) Cape Breton day.  Got out bright and early headed up to Sydney.  The drive along Bras d'Or was really nice.  Sydney seemed really crowded for a city of its size, with fairly substantial traffic on Trunk 4 through town.  Swung back around to get to North Sydney and check out the ferry operations a little bit from afar, since I wasn't heading to Newfoundland on this trip.  Then kept going west and turned up onto the Cabot Trail.  Even before you get there, TCH-105 is really nice new New Harris.  The Cabot Trail was everything I thought it would be with the colors and the fun drive.  Not overly crowded, which I was thankful for.  It was starting to get some of the marine layer clouds, so I was worried my views wouldn't be great, but there were pockets where I could get some good photos for the wife.  I did park and do the Skyline hike.  It was pretty misty in the forest, but it was a really nice hike.  I got up to a group of tourists that were hiking and they all had stopped to take photos of some animal life.  I saw a female moose up ahead and took a pic from about 500' away, but then saw a calf not too far away from her, and told the other (somewhat clueless folks that kept trying to get closer) that it wouldn't be a wise idea to crowd her.  Hopefully they moved on soon thereafter.  The final platform had some pretty nice views once I got down to the bottom where I could see below the clouds.  Sadly no sunset pics despite me being there at sunset, but that's okay.  I stayed in Cheticamp and they ended up having a fiddling concert at the Doryman which was awesome.  The crowd was largely 25+ years older than me, but it was nice seeing something that was more local and less touristy.

Day 5) Headed over to the Wood Islands Ferry.  I wasn't quite sure how early I should be there to make sure I got on, but even though I was there 90 minutes early or so, I ended up chatting with a group of Newfoundlanders behind me that were heading over to PEI for some goose hunting.  Once they code switched into English I could understand (they were speaking full "Newfie" to themselves), super interesting conversation.   The drive in PEI was great.  I ended up doing my crazy routing to get all of my route numbers and I ended up on some provincial highways that were a little bit challenging for my Hyundai that I rented.  I figured there would be some gravel roads, but there were some dirt roads with tons of ruts that I would have loved to have had my Wrangler on.  (The two dirt road pics below are PE204 and PE259 respectively).  Ended up in C'Town where I wanted to buy some souvenirs for my wife, but everything along the waterfront was pretty much already closed by 5:00 PM which was a bummer.  I had some great oysters and went and grabbed a couple of beers at Churchill Arms.

Day 6) Back into the U.S.  A couple more random PEI roads to drive and then took the bridge back into New Brunswick.  Decided to do a little county clinching and visit Saint John instead of just taking the TCH back.  The drive on NB-7 heading northbound out of Saint John was among the prettiest drives I went on for the whole trip.  Took NB95 back to the U.S. border and the crossing there took the longest of all of those that I went through.  I think that was mostly just because the border agent was bored.  Considering it's not the busiest crossing normally, and that Canadians can't use it, it must be a pretty boring existence.  There was more traffic on I-95 in Northern Maine than I thought there would be, and made one little side trip to clinch Piscataquis County and crashed in Bangor for the night.  Asked for a recommendation of somewhere to eat that would be open late enough to watch some of the football game and was only recommended chain restaurant crap.  Headed downtown and found a little dive bar, but the staff was more interested in talking to themselves than any of their guests, so I left after having had an empty glass for 10 minutes at the bar with no one noticing.

Day 7)  My New England adventure.  Drove a bunch of back roads to hit all of the Maine counties and the drive up to Jay and then down to Fryeburg was really nice.  Stopped for lunch in Fryeburg at the 302 Smokehouse and had the best clams I've ever had.  I walked around a little bit there and then a bit in North Canton, NH as well and really liked the area.  Kept going up US302 and took some of my favorite pics of the whole trip.  Wandered my way back over to St. Johnsbury so I could get I-93 clinched.  The drive through Franconia Notch was really cool and I said a silent RIP to the Old Man of the Mountain.  Cut across I-495 in MA to get back to I-95 heading to Portland for the night.  I had intended to meet up with AARoads member 1, but unfortunately my dilly-dallying led to me not getting down to his area until far too late since I had dinner plans with a buddy in Portland at 8:00. Grabbed a beer and some lobster rolls downtown and watched some of the Red Sox game before heading back to the hotel.

Day 8) I had decided that since I had to have my rental car back at 5:00 for my 7:00 flight in Philly, I better err on the side of caution and leave really early to make sure I didn't get stuck in some weird traffic.  I also decided to avoid NYC since even if I went a longer way, it would be more predictable than driving through the Megalopolis.  Skirted Boston and then took the MassPike over to Albany, hit up some of the 3dis on the way, and then I clinched I-88 which was one of the few 2dis I hadn't been on prior to the trip.  Took I-81 to I-476 all the way down to Philly, and then since I had extra time, decided to get all of the Philly area 3dis clinched before I headed back to the airport.

Select photos:























Chris

[ghYHZ]

Thanks for the report Chris and great photos! Looks like you accomplished most things you set to to do. Too bad you didn't get the sunset from the Skyline Trail....but did get to experience the Fundy Tides at Burntcoat Head. And those PEI Heritage Roads are a nice drive with the red earth and leaves this time of the year.

https://www.tourismpei.com/what-to-do/attractions-sightseeing/scenic-heritage-roads

[JayhawkCO]

Thanks!  And thanks to everyone for all the great suggestions.  It was a really nice trip and would love to explore more up there someday.  Probably have to check Newfoundland off my list at some point in the future once my kiddo can travel, but really enjoyed my time in Nova Scotia and could see myself making it a regular thing to get out there.

Chris

[paulthemapguy]

Thanks!  And thanks to everyone for all the great suggestions.  It was a really nice trip and would love to explore more up there someday.  Probably have to check Newfoundland off my list at some point in the future once my kiddo can travel, but really enjoyed my time in Nova Scotia and could see myself making it a regular thing to get out there.

Chris

Glad you had a great trip! When I went up to Nova Scotia two years ago, it made me really fall in love with the place.  I could also see myself making regular trips up there.  And it also really gave me the craving to try and see Newfoundland.