Across Canada and back........

[Dcm1379]

I might be early with this idea / plan but looking at leaving from southern Ontario Canada in the summer of 2019 for an 18 day trip to Kootney National park for 4 days of camping then on to Lake Louise for another 4 days wishing we had more time but unfortunate that we don't, according to Google maps its about an 8000 km round trip.

That's giving me 5 days out and 5 days back and approx 8 hrs each days seems tight schedule but i think its doable wish we had another week or two but not possible,

We will be taking out TT which is 6500 lbs and the TV is a ram 1500 5.7 hemi rough calculation on gas is around the $3000 mark my question is does this number sound about right?  Everything else food campsites, things we do are all going to be different depending on what we do. Gas i would like to say is something that wont change that much but then again it does change quite abit sometimes and without notice.

Anyways just looking for a rough idea on costs?

Thanks Dave

 

[Seilerbird]

500 miles per day is not doable for more than a day or two. Most of us here limit it to 300 miles a day. The trailer appears to be too heavy for a half ton. Good luck.

 

[kdbgoat]

Please explain why a 6500# trailer is too much for his Ram? I would have pulled a 6500# trailer all over the place with my Ram without a worry. Another one ton dually to get a 20# bag of dog food from the store statement.

 

[Dcm1379]

Well i dont have much experience on towing in the mountains but have done alot of research on it and it seems that erring on the side of caution and just taking my time is good idea,

As for pulling my trailer the ram will pull it in half if it could and stopping doesnt seem to be an issue. I  tow with a hensley hitch which is awesome however it is only an aid you still have to drive like you are towing a trailer. In which case i do drive appropriate for the conditions.

As well I dont mind taking advice from people who have done it and do it regularly after all that is how we learn as well.

 

[Rene T]

Converted, 8000 km is 5000 miles. For me it would be almost like driving from NH to Washington State for a 8 day vacation. Once I got there, I'd have to take one day each way just to rest. So I'd loose 2 days for that. No way would I do it

 

[Seilerbird]

Please explain why a 6500# trailer is too much for his Ram? I would have pulled a 6500# trailer all over the place with my Ram without a worry. Another one ton dually to get a 20# bag of dog food from the store statement.

Not all Rams are created equal. It won't be 6500 pounds after he gets it all loaded up for a cross country trip.

 

[Dcm1379]

Well it is in the planning process would love to take more time but don't know if it is manageable to get more time off work to experience this adventure.
have done numerous trips of 5-6 hrs driving and it doesn't seem to be that hard on me as for fatigue have even done a couple 11 hr days when in a pinch.

however I agree that in ideal situation is to drive 3-4hrs / day and see the sights and enjoy the route etc. however when that is not possible should we stick within a couple hours of home ?

Does anyone try things like this or am i off the wall with this idea?

 

[Dcm1379]

You are right not all Rams are equal however I have made a few upgrades 1) is the addition of air bags to help the ram soft coil spring issue 2) I tow with a Hensley hitch which is a huge improvement over any WD anti sway hitch, only thing i can say is try one before knocking it.

The 6500# is loaded would still be under 7000 with the water tank full in which case it probably would be for a trip like that. Or at least some water for use during the day, each night we would probably be at a site.

 

[Seilerbird]

There are people who come in here asking about taking long trips requiring 12 hours a day of driving. They usually argue with us tell us that they have driven X number of hours in a car without issue or X number of days like that. They never seem to believe us. But then they never come back after they are done and tell us they had no problems. 500 miles a day means at least 10 hours driving but in Canada going across country it might be more than that. I don't know the condition of the roads in Canada or if they are equal to the Interstates here in the US. I also don't know how much mountain driving you will have to navigate but towing that heavy of a load with a 1/2 ton means you won't make very good time.

Don't get me wrong, I wish you the very best and I hope you make it and the trip turns out OK. I am just very safety conscious and I worry about such a heavy load especially in the mountains. I just did a trip from Toronto to Lake Louise and one was is 3455 km. That would be 2100 miles which is doable in five days, only 400 miles per day. But still quite a stretch.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Toronto,+Ontario,+Canada/lake+louise/@45.0977794,-115.7380496,4z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x89d4cb90d7c63ba5:0x323555502ab4c477!2m2!1d-79.3831843!2d43.653226!1m5!1m1!1s0x53775d28a0e1ce11:0x3c373c7b6365bce6!2m2!1d-116.1772552!2d51.4253705

 

[Dcm1379]

Yes I agree just some people you just cant give your wisdom too, I don't believe I am one of them but I guess its who you ask ...... don't ask the wife ........ lol

However I guess giving the right info being a 7000 km  trip as opposed to 8000 km  I thru the extra in for off the route jaunts here and there, and I was looking a 6-8 hrs / day of driving should not be that difficult to achieve won't leave much time to stop and enjoy the sites on our way there or back , like I said have done close to that many times.

As for the roads most here are in fairly decent shape and I would say much like the interstates in the USA
As for mountains we wont hit any until we get almost to BC most of AB,SK and MB are parries and flat land for the most part, Ontario in the north has some big hills and rocks trees and water but nothing to major, I think the biggest pass I will be experiencing is around 1500 m which is about 5000 ft roughly.

I was just looking if my cost calculation of gas sounds about right at $3000 CDN round trip.

 

[Geraldsh]

I would do it . It?s good highway all the way with easy grades in the mountainous parts. You can drive 10 hours through Ontario and still see the same forest, and you can more than 10 hours through the prairie without worrying about the scenery changing  ;D

 

[ArdraF]

Just to compare, many of us in the U.S. figure we average 50 mph on long trips.  That includes interstate highways, surface roads, fuel stops, lunch stops, pit stops, etc.  We might think we'll make better than 50 mph, but when we crunch the numbers most of us have come up with the same 50 mph average.

Also, we haven't been on the TCH for a while so this might be old information (please correct if wrong) but I think there are still long sections that are two-lane which means you'll be going slower if you get caught behind a logging truck or whatever.

ArdraF

 

[69bbc1]

We did the trip out west this summer and returned home 8 August. If your start point is London / Sarnia area then the southern US  route is best bet. Our travels were 6 days and 5 nights from Picton to Banff. Western route was up to Sudbury. Then cross border into Michigan, Minnesota then up to Winnipeg and onward. Northern route home, was a bit of construction and lots of trailer traffic. Trans Can was decent and logging trucks were passing me . LOL

 

[Elly Dalmaijer]

Living in Alberta, we have driven across Canada several times. It is n different than driving Interstates in the USA. For your cost calculation there are several factors to consider:
You mention that you are in S ON. Your shortest and fastest route would take you right through Michigan, MSP,  and across the northern US prairies, up to Minot then to Manitoba and west. A big advantage of this route is that the fuel in the USA is much cheaper than in Canada and you can save a tidy sum taking this route. This route is 3745km (from Toronto) and has the most 4 lane divided highway.
Or you can drive up to Sudbury to Sault St Marie and cross there into the USA, to Duluth and west, eventually arriving in Great Falls MT and from there north to Alberta (3653kms). You have (expensive) fuel in northers ON, but once in the USA the cost is much lower.

Finally you can go around Lake Superior (very scenic) but slower then Winnipeg and west. All about the same Kms (3611) but since it is all in Canada a higher fuel cost.


My questions for you are:
1. why go to Kootenay National Park? First of all Kootenay is west of Lake Louise so you would get to LL first. You'd be much better off driving from Banff and Lake Louise to Jasper, then return on the Yellowhead through Edmonton to Winnipeg.  Or even better: just park your trailer  for 8 days in Banff at the Tunnel Mountain campsite and enjoy the Rockies in your toad!!! One big caveat: the Rocky Mountains have become crazy busy and if you want a spot for next summer for 8 nights, you'd need to reserve in January AT THE LATEST!!


2. I would save a  chunk of money by flying to Calgary and renting a camper from an outfit like CruiseCanada.  You skip 8 days of driving through a lot of nothing and gain those days to drive a beautiful circle tour Banff-Lake Louise-Kamloops- Wells Grey- Jasper- Banff-Calgary! You will then have 14 days to see far more beautiful scenery! It would be a win-win situation.


3. I agree with many of the previous posters that you are too ambitious in planning to drive those 4000kms (we always add 10% to the google maps estimated distance) in 4 days. You need to remember that you're driving through a part of North America that is not exactly covered with campgrounds every 20 kms. You'd actually have to plan your stops pretty carefully in order to get to the Rockies in 4 days.


Just my 2 cents worth. If you have any questions about the Rockies... ask away!


Elly