Monkey's Tale

An Adventure Travel Blog

Our Great Canadian Road Trip

Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Monkey’s Tale

Canada is a large country with incredible landscapes, colourful towns and welcoming people. A road trip across the country is the best way to appreciate its vastness and diversity. The Trans-Canada Highway travels 7,821 km (4,860 miles) across Canada making it the second longest national roadway in the world. It takes you to some of the most beautiful landscapes, historical cities and cute villages. It was the perfect road for Our Great Canadian Roadtrip.

Trans-Canada Highway
Trans-Canada Highway
Trans-Canada Highway
Trans-Canada Highway
Trans Canada Highway
Trans Canada Highway

We spent 42 days driving over 19,000 km from Golden, British Columbia in the west to the most eastern tip of Canada on Cape Spear, Newfoundland and saw some of the most incredible scenes this country has to offer. Join us over the next few weeks as we explore Canada’s treasures from Ontario to Newfoundland.

Here’s a preview of some of the sites you’ll see in upcoming posts.

Trinity, Newfoundland
Cape Spear Lighthouse, Newfoundland
Charlottetown, PEI
Georgian Bay, Ontario
Percé, Gaspé Peninsula
Old Québec City, Québec
Cape Tryon Lighthouse, PEI
The Battery from Fort Amherst, St. John's
Western Brook Pond, Gros Morne National Park
Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia
Agawa Rock, Ontario
Grain Elevator, Saskatchewan
Fort Point Lighthouse, Trinity, Newfoundland
Blue Rocks, Nova Scotia
West Point Lighthouse, PEI
Old Montréal, Québec
The Chimney, Spillar’s Cove, Newfoundland
Red cliffs, PEI
View from Tannery Row, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Sunflowers, Manitoba
Flower Pots at Low Tide, Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park, New Brunswick
Tidal Bore, Bore Park, Moncton, New Brunswick

Coming Next – Breathtaking Lakes in Northern Ontario

For more pictures from our travels around the world visit Gallery on monkeystale.ca

To read stories from other parts of the world visit Destinations.

If you like what you read please comment or share, with credit, using one of the links below.

Fediverse reactions

69 responses to “Our Great Canadian Road Trip”

  1. William Connors Avatar
    William Connors

    You certainly don’t need to travel to other countries for a great trip! Looking forward to seeing more photos of your trip.

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      Thanks Bill, It always seems so much more interesting to travel internationally, but we do have a great backyard here. Maggie

      Reply
  2. Ken Dowell Avatar
    Ken Dowell

    That’s one serious road trip. Looking forward to the photos.

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      Thanks Ken, It was a lot of driving, but a great trip! Maggie

      Reply
  3. WanderingCanadians Avatar
    WanderingCanadians

    Now that sounds like one epic road trip! I’ve always wanted to go on a cross-Canada road trip. Looking forward to your upcoming posts to read about your experiences and highlights. Linda

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      Thanks Linda, It was a lot of driving, but so worth it. Thanks for reading! Maggie

      Reply
  4. lexklein Avatar
    lexklein

    Oh, my gosh, you did this?!?! VERY top of my list for road trips as soon as my husband retires (I may be waiting a while …). I talk about this constantly, and I don’t think I know anyone who has done it (i.e., anyone I am vaguely familiar with). We managed several multi-thousand-mile road trips this summer also (out west in the U.S.), but the idea of driving coast to coast just grabs me. Looking forward to seeing all your posts.

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      Yes we did! 42 days sounds like a lot of time, but we were rushed the whole time. If you do ever get to do it and want to do the whole country, plan on the entire summer. Maggie

      Reply
      1. lexklein Avatar
        lexklein

        Did you drive a regular car and stay in hotels (or with friends) or did you have a van or RV?

        Reply
        1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
          Monkey’s Tale

          We drove our car – thank gooness for good mileage in the Forester:) We did a combination of hotels and tent, about 1/2 and 1/2. Although an RV would have been much more comfortable we took advantage of car camping (vs our usual backpacking) and had double the mattresses and brought pillows. It made such a difference. There are a ton of campgrounds on the drive, both provincial parks and private campgrounds. The price is about the same, but more resources in the private ones.

          Reply
  5. coloradochelsea Avatar
    coloradochelsea

    Wow, what a wonderful long trip!!! I’m so excited to read your posts.

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      Thanks Chelsea!

      Reply
  6. thehungrytravellers.blog Avatar
    thehungrytravellers.blog

    Thats a massive amount of miles in a road trip. Looking forward to hearing and seeing more if your adventure

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      Thanks!! It was a lot of driving, but was definitely worth it 🙂

      Reply
  7. wanderlustig Avatar
    wanderlustig

    Wow ! Great journey 😊.

    Reply
  8. Timothy Avatar
    Timothy

    Looks great! We want to cross Canada by train.

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      Sounds great! I’ve taken a few smaller trips by train. The Rocky Mountaineer is supposed to be a great one 🙂

      Reply
  9. winteroseca Avatar
    winteroseca

    Can’t wait to see your posts! Sounds like it was an amazing adventure!

    Reply
  10. Life...One Big Adventure Avatar
    Life…One Big Adventure

    WOW! What a road trip! I can’t wait…

    Reply
  11. Lookoom Avatar
    Lookoom

    What a dream to cross Canada in one go. Not as easy to do when you live in the middle – Toronto – but it’s still a project for later.

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      Easier for you though to go either way 🙂

      Reply
      1. Lookoom Avatar
        Lookoom

        Sure, but this would cover only half the journey 🙁

        Reply
  12. The Travel Architect Avatar
    The Travel Architect

    I thought you guys seemed kinda absent from the blogosphere. Now I know why! Look forward to your posts. (So close to Minnesota and yet . . .)

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      Ya it was a busy trip. We drove a lot and tried to see as much as we could so I couldn’t stay up with the blogs. Trying to catch up now. 😊

      Reply
  13. Linda K Avatar
    Linda K

    ohhhhh that is sooo incredible! Can’t wait to see photos and hear all about the Maritimes as that is high on the Canada list! I’ve been to Saskatoon a number of times and also done quick trips to Toronto and Montreal, but there’s a whole lot more of Canada to see in the middle 🙂

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      It was a great trip and we’re officially in love with Newfoundland. All of the Maritimes were incredible and scenic and looking back on our pictures it’s also very picturesque. Definitely a must for you😊

      Reply
  14. kzmcb Avatar
    kzmcb

    Can’t wait.

    Reply
  15. Diana Avatar
    Diana

    Yay! So good to see another post from you. I can’t wait to follow along on your roadtrip, especially Newfoundland (which I can’t wait to go to) and maritime Canada (which I love). Sounds like an epic roadtrip!

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      It was an awesome trip! Newfoundland is our new favourite place 🙂

      Reply
  16. Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet Avatar
    Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

    Maggie, Thank you for sharing your trans-Canadian road trip. My Canadian travel consists of a day in Niagara Falls and a day in Saint John while on a cruise. That is such a tiny part of your beautiful country. I am thoroughly enjoying your lovely photos and interesting narration, and I look forward to future chapters of your adventures. <3

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      Thanks so much Cheryl! The east coast is a great part of the country so there’s lots more to come 😊

      Reply
  17. BACK ROADS AND OTHER STORIES Avatar
    BACK ROADS AND OTHER STORIES

    The most epic Canadian road trip! Fantastic photos and looking forward to following along!

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      Thanks! It was a great trip, but even at 42 days we needed more time. 😊

      Reply
  18. rkrontheroad Avatar
    rkrontheroad

    What an amazing road trip! Looking forward to reading more… the photos are so enticing.

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      Thanks Ruth!

      Reply
  19. AndysWorldJourneys Avatar
    AndysWorldJourneys

    i love an epic trip, and this one looks EPIC!

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      It was!!! But a lot of driving. Maggie

      Reply
  20. carolinehelbig Avatar
    carolinehelbig

    I didn’t realize that you had driven across the country. I thought you had just flown to the Atlantic. How great! I think it’s a journey that every Canadian should try and do. We did this in 1992 and loved it. Looking forward to catching up. I worked on elections for 4 weeks and I’m so behind on everything.

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      It is a must-do for Canadians! We did it all the time when I was a kid. It was a great drive out because we stopped a lot but to drive straight back was tough. I’m still behind as I didn’t read any blogs on our trip. We drove and camped half the time so I couldn’t keep up.

      Reply
  21. Canada’s Capitals – Ottawa and Kingston, Present and Past – Monkey's Tale

    […] boreal forests as it passes Algonquin Provincial Park. When we drove this stretch of the highway on Our Great Canadian Roadtrip the weather was not the best. We had a mix of rain and fog but in some areas the small lakes took on […]

    Reply
  22. Gunta Avatar
    Gunta

    I’m so happy I happened to stumble into this post of yours. It reflects perfectly the one I’ve been posting about my 1979 cross-Canada trip… looks like you tuned in at my summary of Ontario (part 3), but did you catch the map at the beginning of this series? It’s pretty close to the route you took.

    You pretty much summed it up in a previous comment (or reply): “It was a great drive out because we stopped a lot but to drive straight back was tough. ”
    Cheers! ☺️

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      Haha yes I just saw your’s this morning, I’ll look for part 1 now. How far east did you go? We went to St John’s in Newfoundland and it may be our new favourite place😊 Maggie

      Reply
  23. Gunta Avatar
    Gunta

    I started out in California and headed straight north. Camped up in Jasper and then headed East. Went clear around the Gaspe Peninsula (gorgeous!!!) and took the ferry from Yarmouth to Bar Harbor, Maine. My all-time favorite trip out of a whole lot of wonderful travels.

    If you haven’t already found it, here’s the link to the beginning of the journey: https://gunta.photos/2021/10/05/neighbors-to-the-north-part-1/ Part 2 was waking up in Jasper NP. I’m still working on the rest. (LOTS of old slides to sort through – ones that didn’t always scan so well… but in reasonably good shape for being some 42 years old.)

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      That’s impressive that many of them still look so good.and that you have the energy to go through them!

      Reply
  24. Christie Avatar
    Christie

    Such an epic trip Maggie! Hard to do it in one shot when one lives in Toronto LOL We did most of it, but we split it in different years, hopefully we can do this, one year, coast to coast😊

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      We’ll almost be coast to coast since we started at our place in Golden BC. It’s a great Canadian adventure! Maggie

      Reply
  25. Travels Through My Lens Avatar
    Travels Through My Lens

    I’m looking forward to reading more about your trip; looks fabulous!

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      Thanks it was a great alternative to international travel! Maggie

      Reply
  26. VM Avatar
    VM

    Canada Looks great in scenic, peace, enormity, nature.

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      It’s is all of that! Thanks for reading 🙂

      Reply
  27. Picturesque Lighthouses on Prince Edward Island – Monkey's Tale

    […] Great Canadian Roadtrip brought us to Prince Edward Island (PEI) where we wanted to see as many lighthouses as possible. […]

    Reply
  28. Commonplace Fun Facts Avatar
    Commonplace Fun Facts

    Breathtaking pictures. I can almost smell the pine-scented air!

    Reply
  29. JD Avatar
    JD

    Very interesting read, thank you. Reminds me of driving across the USA.

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      Thank you, it was a lot of driving, but it was the best way to see everything. Thanks for reading! Maggie

      Reply
  30. Captivating Views of Peggy’s Cove – Monkey's Tale

    […] more than 3 weeks on Our Great Canadian Roadtrip we were finally about to visit Canada’s most famous […]

    Reply
  31. Lunenburg – Canada’s Most Colourful Town – Monkey's Tale

    […] of the places that we really wanted to visit on Our Great Canadian Roadtrip was the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Old Town Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. After visiting the iconic […]

    Reply
  32. Mahone Bay & Blue Rocks – Nova Scotia’s Hidden Gems – Monkey's Tale

    […] chance we heard of these two treasures when driving across Canada on Our Great Canadian Roadtrip and knew we wanted to see […]

    Reply
  33. Images from Southern Nova Scotia – Monkey's Tale

    […] Our Great Canadian Roadtrip brought us to the southwestern coast of Nova Scotia. We explored this part of the province using a combination of highways and coastal roads. Although our main goal was to see the rugged Cape Forchu and its lighthouse, we knew there would be a lot to see on the way. […]

    Reply
  34. The Past Meets The Present at The Fortress of Louisbourg – Monkey's Tale

    […] Great Canadian Road Trip brought us to the south eastern corner of Cape Breton to see this important site in Canada’s […]

    Reply
  35. The Scenic Coast of Western Newfoundland – Monkey's Tale

    […] were about to explore the final province on Our Great Canadian Roadtrip. We took the ferry from North Sydney Harbour in Nova Scotia to Port aux Basques, Newfoundland. The […]

    Reply
  36. Stunning Landscapes in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland – Monkey's Tale

    […] had driven across Canada on Our Great Canadian Roadtrip and were excited to explore the most eastern province of […]

    Reply
  37. Captivating views of piggy’s cove – Global Sky Immigration

    […] more than 3 weeks on Our Great Canadian Roadtrip we were finally about to visit Canada’s most famous […]

    Reply
    1. Monkey's Tale Avatar
      Monkey’s Tale

      Thank you for reblogging our post with credit. There’s a spelling error in your title. It’s Peggy’s not Piggy’s . 😊

      Reply
  38. Explore Signal Hill in St. John’s, Newfoundland – Monkey's Tale

    […] driving across Canada on Our Great Canadian Roadtrip we were ready to explore St. John’s, Newfoundland. A city where the people are as vibrant as […]

    Reply
  39. Colourful Communities In St. John’s, Newfoundland – Monkey's Tale

    […] after driving 12,550 km from British Columbia to Newfoundland on Our Great Canadian Roadtrip, we’ve reached kilometer 0 of the TransCanada Highway. It must be time to turn around and go […]

    Reply
  40. Our Favourite Pictures From Atlantic Canada – Monkey's Tale

    […] Our Great Canadian Roadtrip we were treated to many amazing rural landscapes, cute colourful towns and dramatic coastal views. […]

    Reply
  41. The most spectacular drives in Canada – 1000 Places and Memories

    […] Our Great Canadian Roadtrip brought us to Prince Edward Island (PEI) where we wanted to see as many lighthouses as possible. Below are our favourites and a suggested route so you can visit them on your next trip to PEI. If you take Confederation Bridge to reach the island, the first lighthouse you should visit is on the south west coast. The black and white stripes of West Point Lighthouse provide contrast to the bright red beach at its base. […]

    Reply
  42. Charming Charlottetown And Cavendish On Prince Edward Island – Monkey's Tale

    […] next stop on Our Great Canadian Roadtrip brought us to the quaint island of Prince Edward Island. For a small island province, we found a […]

    Reply
  43. Canada’s Capitals – Ottawa and Kingston, Present and Past

    […] boreal forests as it passes Algonquin Provincial Park. When we drove this stretch of the highway on Our Great Canadian Roadtrip the weather was not the best. We had a mix of rain and fog but in some areas the small lakes took on […]

    Reply

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