Canadian Road Trip!

The area that you have chosen is absolutley wonderful!! Driving through Kenora and ThunderBay will be very enjoyable. The land there is still very much untouched and will promise you a sight to behold. Keep a watch especially at night for moose. However, your trip will surround you with mother nature, as there are no large cities or highrises, only very tall trees and if you are a fisherman ( no boat necessary) you can catch your bass of a lifetime. Lots of forest and water. No need to learn the french language everyone speaks english. Kenora and ThunderBay are areas where peolple stll leave their screen doors unlocked as well as their car doors. I have been moose hunting in ThunderBay for 15 years (which is an 18- 22 hour drive from my city in Ontario) and love the trip more each year!!

 

Steve:

You will especially like the scenery from the Manitoba/Ontario border on the Trans Canada to 50km east of Kenora. The area is typical Canadian Shield with rolling hills and dotted with many small lakes. There are many scenic pulloffs where you can take in the colors.

The road has many curves through here, and the posted limit is 90 km/h. Watch out for pulp trucks. About every 15-30km are passing lanes, since this part of the Trans Canada is strictly a two-lane affair.

I recommend the Trans Canada bypass of Kenora instead of going right through Kenora. Ever since most of the paper mill shut down, it has become a depressing town.

Oh, if as a youngster you remember this magical place known as Minaki Lodge, even frequented by the Hollywood circle, it doesn't exist anymore. It went bankrupt around 15 years ago and fell into disrepair, then burned around 2 years ago.

I haven't been to Red Lake in perhaps 20 years. It's still quite popular with fly-in fishing folks. You turn off to Red Lake at Vermillion Bay. In summer watch out for moose and deer. In winter the road is outright dangerous, folks have been stranded after a blizzard.

As an option instead of going all the way to Thunder Bay, perhaps turn off at Dryden and take Hwy 502 south. Hwy 502 also has awe-inspiring scenery. The lakes aren't quite as plentiful, but the rolling Canadian Shield makes up for it. The posted limit is 80 km/h for good reason, many curves.

Hwy 502 ends at hwy 11/71, which you turn right to head west into Fort Frances. In Fort Frances you cross the border at International Falls, MN. From The Falls, you can take SR 53 down to Duluth, which avoids the extra drive of going to Thunder Bay and Rat Portage crossing.

A lot of folks here in Winnipeg like to take a nice summer drive through Kenora and Dryden, then down to Fort Frances. Sometimes they go as far west as Emo and turn north back to Kenora.

Or they head west again to Rainy River, cross into Baudette, MN, drive west to Warroad, turn north again, then cross into Manitoba at the Sprague crossing. I've driven both routes many times and am planning on another drive soon in my Prius.

Last year I took the drive in my 2000 GMC Sierra and it cost me $95 in gas. The Prius is a lot more economical to drive around in.

In addition to moose, which are primarily a night-time hazard except during rut, deer are plentiful and you have to pay attention. They like to graze alongside the road, especially now with all the rains and everything lush and green. They can jump without warning.

A caveat about cell phones: from the Manitoba/Ontario border to Thunder Bay, the cell phone coverage is very spotty and usually Analog. It's provided by partnerships with Thunder Bay Mobility, so make sure your cell phone provider has a roaming agreement with them. Many tourists are surprised they can be standing right next to a cell tower and get nothing.

I have some old cell phones, including a 3 watt Motorola AMPS/TDMA bag phone from 1992. The bag phone, programmed for analog only, would be ideal for driving in NW Ontario. When I used it for a drive in 1994, I had very good coverage and signal quality.

Some American citizens with summer cottages near Kenora or Dryden were smart enough to hang onto old bag phones, or especially those old Motorola "brick" style "portable" cellular phones. They have them locally programmed with a local Kenora or Dryden number to avoid roaming/long distance charges, and when they leave for the season they deactivate the phone.

I hope this helps. If you need a heads-up on what to see or avoid, or what will be closed (I assume you're making the drive in fall?) let me know.

Jay

 

Steve:

I don't think you have to be too worried about a breakdown, if it should happen.

I think every Toyota dealer in Winnipeg is Prius Certified. The easiest one to find is Woodhaven Toyota, which is at the Pointe West Automall at the west edge of Winnipeg. It's north of the Trans Canada and next to the Perimeter and the Downs racetrack.

If you don't want to deal with Winnipeg city traffic, just take the South Perimeter right there and bypass the city. It comes out to the Trans Canada near the floodway. About 3km east is a truckstop if you need gas/food.

The next Toyota Prius dealer is 45 km east, actually 18 km south of the Trans Canada, in Steinbach: Funk's Toyota. Further east on the Trans Canada, the next Toyota Prius certified dealer is Bayview in Kenora.

After that the next Toyota dealer is in Thunder Bay, around 330 km away.

Jay

 

Taylor Toyota in Moose Jaw and also in Regina Sask are Prius certified.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Canadian Eh\";p=\"101622)</div>

Hmmmm? Maybe 20 years ago. Those places are now just as concerned about crime as anywhere else.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Steve Zettel\";p=\"101936)</div>

Steve:

You've described the cellular coverage through most of NW Ontario. Indeed many government workers, especially Ministry of Natural Resources, use satellite phones instead of cellular phones.

I've had friends up from Utah to go on fly-in fishing trips into Canada. They'd fly into International Falls, MN, and once they crossed into Fort Frances, Ontario, their Verizon or Cingular cell phone would stop working.

I'm sure you'll enjoy the drive through NW Ontario as the scenery truly has to be experienced to be believed. A popular camping spot around 20 km east of Kenora, about 5km south of the Trans Canada, is Rushing River:

http://www.camis.com/OP/camping/maps.asp?loc=99

It's sad how most folks just stay in a motel and never explore ... good to hear you're not one of them.

Jay

 

Steve:

I had a couple days off this week as floaters, so I decided to try this route:

Winnipeg along Trans Canada, bypass Kenora, to Dryden. Take Hwy 502 South down to Hwy 11/71. Go West through Fort Frances as far as Emo, North on Hwy 71 to Kenora again, then West back to Winnipeg.

I made it all in one day, as the sun is up very early this time of year. I gassed up in Winnipeg before leaving, and out of curiosity gassed up again in Dryden: $12 Cdn with gas at 92 cents a litre. MFD claimed 4.8 litres per 100 (58 MPG Imperial gallon), but I did have some headwinds.

Taking Hwy 502 I really gained fuel economy, as the posted speed limit is 80 km/h. Try 3.8 litres per 100km (74 MPG Imperial gallon). That's also the posted speed limit for most of Hwy 71 too. Back in Winnipeg it took $21. So compare $33 to $95 in my 2000 GMC Sierra, and gas was around 8 cents a litre cheaper when I drove my truck last year.

Have to love these cars.

Jay

 

on 71 there is a camp ground at Souix Narrows that the wife and I spent a couple of holidays at. Fishing and just relaxing and getting sunburnt. Caught some nice pike and a couple of walleyes. Supposed to be good bass fishing as well but never caught any. Found it was a long trip from B.C. and after a couple of summers doing that found places closer. Riding Mountain National Park north of Wasagaming and also the area around Lake Deifenbaker north of Swift Current is very nice as well. One of the problems with rural Saskatchewan is the paved roads are breaking up and the province doesn't have the money from the gas tax to repair them, so are blading up the pavement and changing them to gravel. For any rural road in all the provinces check the road reports for the route your planning. We took the wifes Classic back to Saskatchewan 2 years ago with out so much as a hic and the whole trip averaged about 53 miles to the Imperial gallon, mountain passes and all.

 

Frank:

That campground is still there at Sioux Narrows. What did you think of the quaint wooden bridge that spans the river? It had to be rebuilt and there is a temporary one-lane bridge with traffic lights there now.

I'm surprised you didn't stop at Rushing River, the campground is very scenic and the waterfall/rapids are neat. If I recall Rushing River is around 80-90 km north of Sioux Narrows.

Riding Mountain is nice too. I really wish I had more time to explore the nice sites, many of which are only 2-4 hours from Winnipeg.

Yeah the Gas Tax is a crock. Here in Manitoba only 7% of it actually goes to the roads. The rest goes off to the magic Paul Martin Liberal Gov in Ottawa.

Jay

 

Jay we found the camp ground at SN by accident on our way back to BC from the maritimes and it was the long weekend so holed up there and had the canoe and went every where fishing and relaxing and when the weekend was over headed west. We like it so much that we went back 2 years later and enjoyed most of it but the weather turned and we went back to Riding Mt. and it was nice up there. Did some canoing and fishing and relaxing. But with a 454 in the truck and rising gas prices stayed closer to home. Didn't realize the wooden bridge was under repair. The other thing you have to watch out for around there is turtles crossing the roads.

 

I just got back from my second trip to Toronto from Springfield, MA in my Prius...exactly 500 miles each way. I did have a bit of a culture shock this trip. 1)I found the people so-o nice compared to Western, MA....(my opinion only) 2)The lax traffic rules really left me amused. 3)I found the place racially inclusive...unlike my hometown which seems more segregated. My biggest problem 3)Directions...bring a good map.

Although I have Nav, and it does work flawlessly in Canada, but I ended up in Downtown Toronto looking for St. Thomas St. for a seminar. The whole section of town was blocked off for a Pride parade, and I had to leave my car to find the seminar on foot. Long story short, most police and even a paramedic couldn't give directions to the small street. One did however and he goes "North of this, South of that"....(Then I lose my Prius!) I even had 2 people say they didn't understand my accent! Yes, it is a different country.

Canada is a great country, I am sure you will have a great time.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Frank Hudon\";p=\"102983)</div>

That part of Lake of the Woods is very nice and scenic. Also nowhere near as busy as the Kenora side. Nestor Falls is also nice but it has become a bit crowded now.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Frank Hudon\";p=\"102983)</div>

Oh c'mon, those things easily get 25 MPG on the highway!

:roll:

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Frank Hudon\";p=\"102983)</div>

Lot's of flattened turtles to be sure. They're snapping turtles too, so never try to pick one up or tease it in any way. As a kid I learned that one the hard way and have never gotten near one since.