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Driving around the Lakes and RV-ing

sgtbill

The Big Red One
Hello all: We are hoping to benefit from the collective experience and Canadian members' knowledge to help us with trip planning.

Our family will attend the National in MSP this year and we'd like to return to Northern Virginia via the Great Lakes. Tentatively we will head north to Duluth and Thunder Bay, eventually getting on Rt 17 in Canada and going around to Sault Ste. Marie. Is Rt 17 in Ontario a heavily traveled highway? We are hoping to avoid freeway-like conditions if we can. We have an AirStream BaseCamp trailer pulled by a Toyota Highlander Hybrid. We'll have three bikes along with two of us riding daily. What can we expect at the border crossings? Is it easier to cross at SSM? or try a smaller crossing further east? This will be our first foray into Canada and we hope Canada becomes a regular destination.
 
What can we expect at the border crossings? Is it easier to cross at SSM? or try a smaller crossing further east? This will be our first foray into Canada and we hope Canada becomes a regular destination.

Entering Canada, you will be asked your destination, how long you intend to stay, and if you have any firearms. You will also be asked what country you are a citizen of.
The real hassle is returning to the US. You need a passport or similar document. Expect more scrutiny.
http://traveltips.usatoday.com/documents-needed-between-canada-usa-car-21162.html

Smaller crossings usually have shorter waiting times to be processed for crossing.

Harry
 
Your route will take you past some great provincial parks along Lake Superior. Canadian provincial parks are very good places to stay so make sure you spend some time in at least one of them.
 
Your route will take you past some great provincial parks along Lake Superior. Canadian provincial parks are very good places to stay so make sure you spend some time in at least one of them.

+1 :thumb on the Provincial Parks!
 
Thanks for the tips on the Provincial Parks. We received a pair of Honda generators in the deal for our BaseCamp so staying in a nice park doesn't require RV hookups.

Any suggestions on "smaller" border crossings along Lake Ontario? It looks like east of Kingston there may be some smaller crossings.
 
Welcome to Canada!

I'm glad to hear that you're planning to travel the road north of Lake Superior. It is a fantastic and beautiful road, and part of the Trans-Canada Highway. I will be including it in my ride back from the rally. I haven't traveled that road for many years, so I can't comment on the traffic, but I can tell you that it's not a multi-lane highway. I have traveled through 34 countries and seen a lot of the world, and this drive is still near the top of my list, so even though the road might have a goodly amount of traffic, (It is after all, our main east-west connecting high way) I will be taking it.

You'll be driving mostly on two lanes, with frequent passing lanes thrown in to allow for others to pass you and your Airstream. The topography is dramatic, rough hilly forested terrain, with frequent views of gigantic Lake Superior.

The border crossings in Southern Ontario are probably much busier than the ones in the north, and the line-ups here can be long depending on the time of day and whether or not there's a long weekend, or holiday. I just checked on-line to see how busy the crossings are, and there is no waiting involved - you should be fine.

Hopefully you'll enjoy your visit to our country, and see through the similarities to the fascinating differences in our cultures. If you do come, and if you do enjoy your visit, I strongly suggest you include the Province of Quebec (the French province) in future travel plans. Quebec City and Montreal are both great. And last, but not least, is the east coast, and the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in particular. This is the eastern most point of North America, and MUST be seen. The landscape IS at the top of my list (Try this link to Gros Morne National Park: https://plus.google.com/u/0/s/Gros Morne National Park ) , and the people are fantastic!

Cheers!

Sandarm
 
Border Crossing - Everything you wanted to know

I am planning on taking the long way from Texas to St Paul - via the Michigan UP and around Lake Superior on the north side. That means crossing the border at two of the potentially busiest crossing points in the high tourist traveling season of the summer.

I recently came across this web site for border crossing info. It is a real encyclopedia of information. Most important when I get up there is a resource I can check to see what the wait times are at the various crossing points. Hope this is useful for someone!

http://www.ezbordercrossing.com/

Happy travels!


Jerry M
Houston, TX

Tags: Canadian border crossing, customs, Sault St Marie, International Falls
 
Welcome to Canada!

I'm glad to hear that you're planning to travel the road north of Lake Superior. It is a fantastic and beautiful road, and part of the Trans-Canada Highway. I will be including it in my ride back from the rally. I haven't traveled that road for many years, so I can't comment on the traffic, but I can tell you that it's not a multi-lane highway. I have traveled through 34 countries and seen a lot of the world, and this drive is still near the top of my list, so even though the road might have a goodly amount of traffic, (It is after all, our main east-west connecting high way) I will be taking it.

You'll be driving mostly on two lanes, and if I remember correctly, with passing lanes thrown in to allow for others to pass you and your Airstream. The topography is dramatic, rough hilly forested terrain, with frequent views of gigantic Lake Superior.

The border crossings in Southern Ontario are probably much busier than the ones in the north; the line-ups here can be long depending on the time of day and whether or not there's a long weekend, or holiday. I just checked on-line to see how busy the crossings are, and there is no waiting involved - you should be fine.

Hopefully you'll enjoy your visit to our country, and see through the similarities to the fascinating differences in our cultures. If you do come, and if you do enjoy your visit, I strongly suggest you include the Province of Quebec (the French province) in future travel plans. Quebec City and Montreal are both great. And last, but not least, is the east coast, and the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in particular. This is the eastern most point of North America, and MUST be seen. The landscape IS at the top of my list (Try this link to Gros Morne National Park: https://plus.google.com/u/0/s/Gros Morne National Park ) , and the people are fantastic!

Cheers!

Sandarm
 
I am planning on taking the long way from Texas to St Paul - via the Michigan UP and around Lake Superior on the north side. Happy travels!


Jerry M
Houston, TX

Jerry, I am taking the same route to the Rally, Milwaukee towards MI UP and counter-clock around Lake Superior. Anyone want to join me along the way, please let me know. Houghton, MI - Copper habor, MI - Sault Ste. Marie, MI - White River, ON - Thunder Bay, ON - Duluth, MN (Superior, WI) - St. Paul, MN. Leaving on 17th, planning to be at the Rally on 23rd PM.

Thanks. Miro.
 
Tentatively we will head north to Duluth and Thunder Bay, eventually getting on Rt 17 in Canada and going around to Sault Ste. Marie.

If you cross at Sault Ste Marie plan on a little time to check out the Soo Locks.
http://www.saultstemarie.com/soo-locks-46/

We have crossed at Grand Portage and SSM several times and I don't remember it being busy, but it's been quit a few years and my memory is not the best :)

Leaving the UP you'll cross the Mackinac Bridge. It's a beautiful bridge, but not much fun when you're on a bike and the wind is howling. The center lanes are metal grate :(

1280px-Mackinac_Bridge.jpg
 
Go north of Superior

It's a beautiful ride/drive, which you will miss if you cross at Sault Ste. Marie. Continue on Hwy 17 past Sudbury and North Bay, as it's relatively free of heavy trucks (they take Hwy 11).
Keep on 17 and visit our nation's capital, Ottawa, then spend a night at Charleston Lake provincial park.
You can cross back into the US at Ivy Lea, taking the bridges over the St. Lawrence. That puts you right on I81. The border crossings between Kingston and Cornwall are not as busy as those further west.
Cheers,
Tony
 
The border crossings between Kingston and Cornwall are not as busy as those further west.
Cheers,
Tony

+1 Cornwall and Kingston are easy crossings. Kingston had a couple nice little ferry rides. Both Kingston and Cornwall will set you up for great roads in the upper part of NY. Great scenery in the Tupper Lake and Lake Placid area.
 
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