Hey Canadians! Highway info, please.

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I'm quite sure that's the road that my boyfriend says is a beautiful drive but I'll get back to you and let you know!

65 mph? Is that like 120 km?
 
It's not a very exciting drive. There is actually pretty much nothing there. Not many pit stops and definitely not food/bathroom at every exit like in the US. It can be very nice in the fall when the leaves are changing. The drive is pleasant, you can drive fast in the summertime, but it's essentially the wilderness up there. Which you may like - the solitude is kind of nice. :)

You can have some very nice stops along the route if you're willing to get off the highway.
 
I have driven that road 4 times during my treks cross country and find it to be the most challenging region to drive in. Mostly due to the length of the drive, very fatiguing when you just want to get to Toronto or Ottawa or just across Ontario. Many twists and turns early in the drive but eventually opens up to some good highway driving.Watch out for the wildlife though, I almost got taken out by an elk a few years ago. The woods are right on top of you with little room for emergency maneuvers in certain areas.

The scenery is varied from beautiful lakeside views to just evergreen forests over and over again. The images can be spectacular during the fall and there are some very hilly sections where you can get some wondrous views of Lake Superior. Initially there aren't too many towns but after Sault Ste Marie, they become more numerous and some are very small and idyllic. Hope you like A & W restaurants in terms of fast food if that's your thing, that's all I saw in most small communities. There is one stretch where you drive for a while, reach a small town, slow down to 50km/h, hope to get through the lone traffic lights in the town and then pick up your speed and then reach another town, slow down to 50km/h, hit another lone traffic light and give her again. This part of the drive can be fun or exasperating depending on your view. Plus you sometimes end up being in a convoy of other cars all trying to get to where they are going, I call it chasing the rabbit. The car in front is the rabbit and we are all chasing him. Sometimes we take turns being the rabbit aka first car the cop busts on his radar. As you can see, the drive can get to you.:wink:

It was mostly 2 way traffic the last time I drove that road which makes passing quite the challenge especially if traffic is heavy. Sometimes you will come upon a train of cars stuck behind a motorhome or huge truck. Patience is the key during this drive at times. It is also tedious at times but fun too if you like driving.

I learned to take Highway 11 off of Highway 17 during my last trip to bypass all the twists and turns. It takes you further north and you come out at North Bay instead of by Sudbury but you can drive very fast on Highway 11 as it is much straighter and less travelled plus less cops. Beware of the cops around Sudbury, ghost cars everywhere. Actually, I have found cops in Ontario to be everywhere in general compared to other provinces.:wink:

Oh, and the speed limit is only 90 km/h for much of the drive.

I will be driving across Canada again this summer during my move back home to Newfoundland so I will be taking this route until Highway 11 unless I feel like visiting Lake Superior again. I may do that and take my time and enjoy the splendor of the great Canadian vista.


And don't forget to stop at the Terry Fox Memorial in Thunder Bay, he da man!! A true Canadian hero and inspiration to millions!!
 
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Don't have much of anything to add to trevster's definitive summary, but we've used this road before on hiking trips to the northwestern shore of Superior. I found it relaxing and enjoyed the scenery, although I'm used to driving two-lane rural highways with lots of hills and twists.

I was going to put in a plug for this fantastic little Trinidadian cafe we stumbled across, tucked away in a hotel in one of the teensy towns in that "dead zone" trevster mentioned, but I just looked up the hotel online and it seems that the Trinidadian family who owned it sold it and the new owners closed the cafe. :(
 
trevster2k said:
Beware of the cops around Sudbury, ghost cars everywhere. Actually, I have found cops in Ontario to be everywhere in general compared to other provinces.:wink:

Except for the 401/403/QEW, it seems (thankfully).

Oh, and the speed limit is only 90 km/h for much of the drive.

That's probably the most miserable part about Canadian highway driving: the speed limits are so painfully low that pretty much everyone ignores them and drives as fast as they want with no guidance at all. So, basically, you're always taking a chance that you'll get stopped by one of the cops looking for easy money.

I will be driving across Canada again this summer during my move back home to Newfoundland so I will be taking this route until Highway 11 unless I feel like visiting Lake Superior again. I may do that and take my time and enjoy the splendor of the great Canadian vista.

Sounds like quite the scenic drive, but, as anitram mentioned, much of it is wilderness and that, personally, makes me a wee nervous. Knowing that I'm driving through the middle of nowhere with no cell service certainly doesn't make me all that comfortable! But then I think I might feel a bit better about the drive if I had a satellite phone on hand.
 
Ormus said:


Except for the 401/403/QEW, it seems (thankfully).

They're dotting the 401 between Toronto and London these days. On Sunday I passed no less than 3 on that stretch of road. Not to mention they're now slapping you with double the fine in the construction zone.
 
A couple of times during my treks, I have seen more cops in Ontario then the rest of Canada combined. I got busted there twice too and my friend got pulled over with a warning. I don't speed in Ontario anymore.:| Although your tickets are dirt cheap compared to British Columbia.

And no, I don't make a habit of getting speeding tickets. 3 ever, 2 in Ontario.:wink:
 
Thanks kids! Steve is thinking of taking this road to get to a friend's wedding in Toronto. He'll be on a bike, so the wildlife tip is good (as are the cop tips; his bikes are quite fast).

Anything else you can think of will be appreciated. :)
 
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