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Canada Road Trips

Rocky Mountain House Alberta Road Trip

By Matthew G. Bailey Leave a Comment

Matthew and Karla Bailey Must Do Canada

(This post was sponsored by AMA Travel and Best Western. AMA Members save up to 15% on Best Western stays in Canada, the U.S., and worldwide. Your AMA Membership can save you – whether you need roadside assistance, to book a vacation or at one of our Rewards partners. Check out amatravel.ca/bwbloggers to find out more and see the adventures other bloggers went on!”

When it comes to travel, especially in Canada, it’s hard to beat a good ol’ fashioned road trip. With such wide-open areas, nature, and small towns, road trips are the best way to see the second largest country on Earth. As an Albertan, I’ve seen a lot of my home province. From small prairie towns in the South to small mining towns in the North and almost everything in-between, I’ve covered a lot of ground. Yet, I had never been to Rocky Mountain House. That is, until now. Located just 77 km west of Red Deer, and only 200 km from both Edmonton and Calgary, Rocky Mountain House is a wonderful place to explore on a road trip. It’s also just 170 km from the world-famous Icefields Parkway and sits on the Cowboy Trail, another epic Alberta road trip.

From my home in Calgary, Rocky Mountain House is less than two hours away. Since most of it is done via highway 2, which isn’t all that scenic, we decided to make a loop out of it. Rather than go up and down the fast way, we decided to return via the Icefields Parkway, which adds more than 3-hours to the drive but also adds some of the best scenery in the world thanks to the Icefields Parkway. Who could say no to the Icefields Parkway? [Read more…] about Rocky Mountain House Alberta Road Trip

Newfoundland Travel – The Viking Trail

By Matthew G. Bailey 7 Comments

l'anse aux meadows

Snaking its way along the Northern peninsula coast, the Viking Trail is one of Canada’s best road trips. At 489 km, the journey can be done in as little as five hours. However, to truly appreciate what the route had to offer, you’ll want to spend as much time as you can. With so many scenic communities, coastline, historical sites, and majestic Gros Morne National Park, one could spend an entire month here and not get bored. Whether you love nature, culture, wildlife, or simply a scenic drive, the Viking Trail is one for the bucket list. [Read more…] about Newfoundland Travel – The Viking Trail

How to Plan the Ultimate Canada Road Trip

By Matthew G. Bailey 7 Comments

things to do in alberta road trips

Even though we love to jump on planes and travel around the world, our favourite form of travel is a good old classic road trip. There’s something special about being in control of your own transportation and being able to go wherever you want, whether that’s a small town, a big city, or an off-the-beaten-path gem. There’s also something great about stuffing what you need into a car and not worrying about baggage restrictions, lost luggage, and people throwing away your cologne and hand creams.

Road trips are a popular mode of travel in many countries around the world but there’s hardly a better place than Canada. As the worlds second largest country, Canada is best explored by vehicle. The Trans-Canada Highway runs all the way from Newfoundland to British Columbia, paving a path of more than 7,800 kilometres. Then there’s the North, which is now connected by road all the way to the arctic ocean in Tuktoyaktuk, NWT. There’s major cities, small towns, and breath-taking scenery all along the way. [Read more…] about How to Plan the Ultimate Canada Road Trip

13 of the Best Canada Road Trips That Will Blow Your Mind

By Matthew G. Bailey 10 Comments

Alberta Road Trips in the Kananaskis

Canada Road Trip Last updated: April 1st, 2022

If the thought of being behind the wheel while driving amongst some of the most beautiful scenery in the world excites you, then this Canada road trip article is for you.

As world travellers that specialize in Canada travel, we’ve done some epic road trips in our lifetime, including the Australian East Coast, the Oregon Coast, California, and parts of Mexico, Malaysia, Peru, and New Zealand. Still, nothing compares to the 150-day road trip across Canada we did back in 2017. Comprising over 27,000 kilometres of asphalt (and some dirt roads as well), we got to explore Canada from coast to coast to coast. However, not everyone has 150 days to dedicate to driving across Canada.

While there are many other road trips not listed here, as well as a variety of incredible destinations that may not include an iconic road trip, we believe these 13 itineraries below are some of the best road trips in Canada and we hope they are helpful suggestions when you’re ready to take your next Canada road trip.

Let’s get started.

[Read more…] about 13 of the Best Canada Road Trips That Will Blow Your Mind

Lake Superior Circle Tour in Canada

By Kristal 5 Comments

lake superior circle tour

Over the years, my dogs and I have driven all over Canada and the United States, visited both oceans, and several mountain ranges.  In spite of all the amazing places we have been privileged to explore, my favourite part of Canada is still the Trans-Canada Highway, or Highway 17, between Sault Ste. Marie (affectionately called “the Soo”) and Thunder Bay (or T-Bay).

With so many things to do and places to see around massive Lake Superior, the best way to see it all is to do the Lake Superior Circle Tour, which takes place in both Canada and the USA and makes for a wonderful Lake Superior vacation. However, for this article, we’re going to focus on the Canada-side of the tour. Maybe we can call it the Lake Superior Half Circle Tour?

Let’s begin. [Read more…] about Lake Superior Circle Tour in Canada

One-Day Itinerary: Three Ways to Experience Pincher Creek Alberta

By Matthew G. Bailey Leave a Comment

things to do in pincher creek alberta

Located right next to beautiful Highway 3, not too far from Crowsnest Pass, Pincher Creek often gets left out of a traveller’s itinerary. That’s just what happens when you’re so close to a major tourist attraction. People tend to just stop for gas and keep ongoing. This time, however, we decided to stay and uncover some of the hidden gems that make Pincher Creek a cool destination to visit. [Read more…] about One-Day Itinerary: Three Ways to Experience Pincher Creek Alberta

7 Tips For Driving the Dempster Highway to the Arctic

By Matthew G. Bailey 33 Comments

Last updated: April 2nd, 2020

One of the most epic road trips in all of Canada is the Dempster Highway, a 700-km dirt road stretching from Dawson, Yukon to Inuvik, NWT. The highway takes you from one territory to another, passing the Arctic Circle and all sorts of magnificent scenery, and finally linking up to the Inuvik-to-Tuktoyaktuk-Highway, which takes you all the way to the Arctic Ocean.

During our 150-day road trip across Canada, this was one of our most epic experiences. After all, how often can you say you drove past the Arctic Circle? The landscapes are so incredible and because we went in the fall, we were greeted by an array of beautiful colours, ranging from dark reds to golden yellows. It was truly a road trip we’ll never forget and a trip that many people wish to take. After all, this is one of the best things to do in Canada.

As mentioned in the beginning, however, the Dempster Highway is a 700-km dirt road with very little services offered along the way. In fact, there’s only one and it’s in a place called Eagle Plains, which is located around the 400-km mark. Due to the highway’s isolation and rough surface, you must do some planning before you go. We read all sorts of blogs and info sites before embarking on our journey and quite frankly, many of them scared the shit out of us. Now that we’ve been on the Dempster Highway ourselves, I can say that some of them exaggerated quite a bit, but probably for good reason – to really make sure people prepare before making such a long-isolated journey. [Read more…] about 7 Tips For Driving the Dempster Highway to the Arctic

Travel Across Canada in 150 Seconds!

By Matthew G. Bailey 2 Comments

Road Trip Canada 150 seconds

As many of you know, we road-tripped across Canada from coast to coast to coast for 150 days in 2017. We started at Canada’s furthest Easterly point (Cape Spear, Newfoundland) on May 15th, driving West to Alberta, then North to Tuktoyaktuk, South to British Columbia, and back into our home province of Alberta to finish the trip on October 11th.

It was truly an unforgettable and epic trip, utilizing every single day to experience the best of Canada while taking a dip in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans. [Read more…] about Travel Across Canada in 150 Seconds!

Canada Road Trip | Our 150-Day Schedule

By Matthew G. Bailey Leave a Comment

One of my favourite ways to travel is by road and it doesn’t get much more epic than a 150-day road trip across Canada to celebrate the country’s 150th by visiting every drivable province and territory to create a web documentary about what makes Canada the great nation that it is while showcasing some of the countries top iconic attractions and landscapes. This is a multimedia adventure spread across this website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. We’ll also be hosting some meet-ups along the way and doing giveaways for you to come join us on an adventure.

If you’re looking to follow along and/or meet us somewhere along the way, you can find our schedule below. It is subject to change and we’re not going to list every activity as we want them to be a surprise. However, you’ll get a fairly solid idea of what provinces and cities we’ll be in throughout the year. Come say hi! [Read more…] about Canada Road Trip | Our 150-Day Schedule

Three Day Jasper Itinerary

By Matthew G. Bailey 7 Comments

Driving the Icefields Parkway

Driving the Icefields Parkway

Our trip began under a blanket of clouds but it wasn’t long before they opened up to reveal the mighty peaks that make the Icefields Parkway so famous. Known as one of the world’s most scenic drives, it didn’t take long to understand why. Snow-capped mountains, lush pine valleys, sparkling glaciers, and turquoise-coloured lakes are just some of the attractions that make the drive so spectacular.

Although the drive between Lake Louise and Jasper only takes three hours, you’ll want to double that for the many scenic stops you’ll be making along the way. While it’s incredibly easy to keep busy for weeks in both Banff National Park and Jasper National Park, we only had three days and decided to pack them with as much activities and scenery as possible. [Read more…] about Three Day Jasper Itinerary