The best from East to West Canada 2023
Canada has so much beauty to offer! Whether you love nature with forests, waterfalls and wildlife or the cities, festivals and other attractions, there is plenty to choose from! The country is too big to see "everything". Even for the longer period of time we want to stay there. For us, the attached itinerary is a nice starting point where the balance between mostly nature and some cities is a very nice one. We put together the route concept based on tips from Facebook groups, the Tioga Tours website, our previous visits to Canada and that we want to travel from east to west.
Before the motorhome arrives, we have been staying in Halifax for two weeks. We are already getting so many travel tips from the locals that we are glad we didn't book anything in advance.
Locations by the numbers are:
- Halifax
- Truro
- Charlottetown (Prince Edward Island)
- Fredericton
- Rivière-du-loup
- Quebec city
- Montreal
- Ottawa
- Algonquin Park
- Toronto
- Niagara Falls
- Bruce Peninsula
- South Baymouth
- Sault Ste. Marie
- Agawa bay
- Thunder Bay
- Dryden
- Winnipeg
- Regina
- Medicine Hat
- Brooks
- Calgary
- Banff
- Kootenay Pass
- Jasper
- Clearwater
- Kamloops
- Whistler
- Vancouver
Boondocking
You will come across the word boondocking a lot in Canada and America. But what does it actually mean? At RVlife masterclass, they explain it as follows:
Where can you boondock?
Boondocking can be done on public land and on land owned by private individuals. We have applied to Harvest Hosts / Boondockers Welcome. (is now 1 organization). For an annual fee of US 139.20 (incl. 20% discount) you can camp for free in beautiful locations, such as farms, vineyards and private homes, among others. And what's even cooler: get in touch with locals, who often have the best tips.
Can anyone boondock?
If you go boondocking you will have to be self-sufficient. In most places there is no water, electricity and waste disposal option. Solar panels, enough fresh water, gas for cooking and heating and storage for garbage and toilet waste is a must. With some individuals there may be an option - for a fee - to purchase electricity and water. With the providers you also often read a maximum stay of 2 nights. On the road to the next location, there are plenty of opportunities to fill up with water and dispose of waste properly.
Why do we want to go boondocking?
For several reasons, this seems great to us! In no particular order:
- You have the opportunity to stand in very nice places
- In high season, campsites are overcrowded
- You have much more privacy and can experience being alone and one with nature
- At public sites, you do not need to make reservations in advance.
- It is free
- Sites are often near all national parks
- In private overnight stays, as mentioned earlier, you come into contact with the residents. We do not want to rush through everything, but try to experience what it is like to live in a certain place and in this way get a better idea of the country and its inhabitants.
Navigation
We have always used a Garmin navigation, including the last time we were in Canada in 2018. For this 2023 trip, updating the maps was necessary again. Although we were quite satisfied with the Garmin in the past, it sometimes took us on very illogical routes with the RV. We thought: if we are going to spend money, it might be smart to consider other options. If you want to read more about the types of navigation read here.
We bought a Samsung tablet and installed the app RVlife pro Benefits of the app:
- Works both on-line and off-line
- There is a trip wizard to plan your route
- You can enter the dimensions of your vehicle
- Camping reviews are available
- Contact with forum members
- Interesting locations, such as gas stations, stores, attractions etc are available
- Even fuel consumption and maintenance can be monitored
- Cost? €44 for one year (incl 20% discount)