Things to do, places to see? Ontario to Nova Scotia

I’ll be headed to the Bay of Fundy Sea Kayaking Symposium with my wife in September. We’ll be taking some extra time on either end to leisurely drive there and back and enjoy what the trip has to offer. Since this is my first time taking the trip east, I have no idea what there is to see and do along the way so I’d appreciate suggestions. Whether you’ve been there, or just always wanted to visit somewhere, it’s all fair game here. My focus would be on things related to nature, science, geology, technology, and of course kayaking, but anything “unique” and “different” is always satisfying.

Our default plan is to take the Trans-Canada Highway which will bring us through Toronto, Kingston, Montreal and Quebec City. After that, I’d prefer to stay in Canada and continue along the Trans-Canada up toward Riviere-du-Loup before traveling back down along the border through Fredericton and on to Saint John. Here we’d take the ferry across the Bay of Fundy and continue driving down to near Yarmouth. There’s time to take a few days here and there for side trips, but the goal is to arrive a day early to relax and unwind the kinks from driving.

I’ve already noticed that the route takes us very near to the Saguenay - St-Lawrence Marine Park (Tadoussac), where there are whale watching opportunities for paddlers. This freaks me out a bit, but I can get over that for the experience. We’d be on the “wrong” side of the river without taking a long detour, but there’s a ferry just downstream at Trois-Pistoles that runs across the St. Lawrence. There’s also a chance we might take the land route one way through Truro and Moncton in order to stop at the Fundy Geological Museum.

All the cities have something to offer. I am particularly fond of Quebec City. Mt Carleton in NB is not far off your path…

Its a shame that the Chic Chocs and Forillon National Park and the Perce Rock are off your travel route. The opportunity to see whales from shore and also caribou in the mountains is outstanding… We kayaked to Bonaventure Island off Perce Rock to see the hundreds of thousands of nesting birds.
While your route is charming as Quebec has a church it seems every 5km you will also see windfarms.
I see from your map that you havent included Maine at all. A shame. Its a world class kayaking destination… Cobscook State Park is incredibly wild. There are a couple of hundred islands off the Maine Coast for camping and 6500 miles of shoreline to explore with 13-25 foot tides and tidal races, lobster and seals and dolphins and some whales.
Not to mention the kayaking possibilities on some of the large inland lakes. Moosehead takes several days to cross ( its 70 km long) not built up at all.

I see you Google mapped the USA route via NYS Thruway and the MA tpk and ME tpk. not at all scenic and not at all what I do to get to Toronto. But you have to pick and choose. The Adirondacks have mountains and big lakes with free camping. But no whales…

Cape Breton at the other end of NS is stunning. We don’t stop there any more as we are in a hurry to get to the ferry to Newfoundland. Now THAT is kayak country

Thanks for the tips so far. The route is open to change, but I have to admit that the current US administration only amplifies my existing hesitation to travel to your side of our border these days.

Aside from the symposium proper, I won’t likely be doing much paddling in tidal areas on my own, as I have no experience with tides and oceans. Of more interest would be inland lakes and rivers for short paddles. We only have about two weeks, so unfortunately this will limit the quantity and duration of side trips we do end up taking.

@kayamedic: If I were to modify one leg of the route to pass by Mount Marcy, are there other recommendations that you’d make? Regarding the free camping, is that for anyone, including non US-citizens? In Canada, Crown Land camping is free for all Canadians but non-Canadians need to pay something like $10 for a permit. I doubt there’s any enforcement to speak of though.

I looked at the Wikipedia page for Mount Marcy and the number of people on the summit really turned me off, but maybe it’s less crowded in September? Or maybe there are some other “high points” in the Adirondacks that are just as nice or nicer but less overcrowded?

The US route was just the default that Google offered, and most likely just the fastest calculated route. I’ll have to strike a balance between efficiency and scenery, so that probably means that majority of the time on major routes with a few hours here and there to enjoy the scenery. If I were to cross into the US, I’d probably do so at Kingston and make my way through NY, VT, and ME before crossing back into Canada. There’s the option to take the ferry from Portland, ME to Yarmouth, NS but I think we’d see more driving along the coast to Saint John.

Mt Marcy is a 14 mile roundtrip hike. Its often mobbed. IMO there are other peaks in the Adirondacks but boy all the trailheads are busy… The last 700 feet is above treeline.

For more above treeline exposure and somewhat less crowds pick the peaks in Franconia Notch ( save for Cannon) and Mt Katahdin in Maine. That latter has the best view of all… There are many peaks in the Whites above treeline ( about 4500 feet or more)

So far no problems for me crossing the border but I did share your concerns with the administration at one time However I thought I would never have trouble till trying to reenter and well that might not be a bad thing. There is property in Newfoundland we are eyeing… We will be going cross Canada again this year with paddlecraft. Yukon RIver and Bowron Lakes BC in our target.

Get a good atlas and look at rt 1 in Maine… It seldom hugs the coast and the best experiences are off Rt 1. All those southward facing fingers. Not to miss is the coast between Lubec and Cutler. Magnificent ocean views. Close to NB
http://www.mainetrailfinder.com/trails/trail/cutler-coast-public-reserved-land

Acadia National Park is wicked busy in the summer and the fall but the views and hiking are outstanding ( you can’t camp in the back country though)

Camden Hills has an extensive network of trails again overlooking the ocean.

Yes there are free campsites in Maine… Donnell Pond just east of Acadia has beachfront campsites walk in… Climb Schoodic Peak. The DeLorme Atlas and Gazeteer has all of them and there are literally thousands.
Backcountry camping in the Adirondacks is free to all regardless of nationality. Most people who climb Marcy park at the High Peaks Information Center. I don’t know the current parking fee but several years ago I though it was ridiculous. I kind of understand the rationale for Crown land fees for non residents but till the last two years it was a PITA to find a Service Ontario center that actually HAD the permits. Now it can be done online.
If you hike in the Eastern High Peaks of the ADKS overnight be aware that bear canisters are required.

I have not taken the Portland to Yarmouth Ferry simply cause it costs and really does not save that much time. Even though the ferry terminal is 45 minutes away by driving… The ferry is sloow.

Going to Tadoussac does complicate your route but the Saguenay is really worthwhile. If you elect to go I would suggest crossing the Ste. Lawrence at Quebec City and taking the highway along the north shore – it is a steep but spectacular drive, much more scenic than the bland flatlands south of the river. And at the mouth of the Saguenay you get to take the free car ferry across where the highway literally ends. There is a nice museum of marine mammals in the town and a wonderful restaurant, Cafe Boheme (the best breakfast I have every had, anywhere.)

But before crossing to Tadoussac I would advise first turning north on route 170 and heading to the Parc Nacional at Baie Eternite. There is a wonderful campground there and you can put into the bay just behind the nice visitors center and paddle out into the fjord and along the impressive steep cliffs. If you turn upriver when you leave the bay, there is a small sandy beach you can pull onto for lunch or camping. On the other side of the fiord is Baie Marguerite, which also has wonderful campsites right along the beach. You aren’t allowed to paddle in this bay because it is a nursery for the pod of beluga whales that live in the fjord, but there is a trail and boardwalk to a viewing deck along the bay where, if you are as lucky as we were in August of 2015, you will get to see the belugas surfacing and feeding offshore.

There is also camping farther north along the shore from Tadoussac which would be on your way to the ferry at Baie-Comeau to cross over to Matane to continue your trip. The ferry is about US$45 for a vehicle each way and US$15 each per person.

I was concerned about paddling in the fjord because I had heard that it was rough and cold, but when we were there the water at the surface was very warm and the surface only had occasional light chop. The biggest problem the week we were there was heavy winds coming up the fjord and heavy rain every night from just after dinner until dawn. We met a group who had tried to paddle and camp, starting from Saguenay city and coming downriver, but they were able to make no headway and finally gave up the first day. But the deep bays are sheltered and fascinating. It’s really a remarkable place. The highway along the north of the Saguenay reminded me of driving in the Pacific Northwest with its steep mountains and dense pine forests.

Be prepared – I found that few people there speak English, even in the tourism industry. A French phrase book is awfully handy in those parts.

Here are a few photos from my trip there. The last one is of that fabulous breakfast, homemade brioche with toasted almonds, local wild boreal blueberries, local goat cheese and local maple syrup with fresh squeezed OJ and a generous serving of mixed fruits.






Another interesting paddling destination near Kingston is the Rideau Canal that goes all the way to Ottawa. Very cool 19th century hand operated locks and charming cottages and towns along the route. I’ve done a little bit of the southern end of it and also around the islands in Big Rideau Lake.

@willowleaf said:
Going to Tadoussac does complicate your route but the Saguenay is really worthwhile. If you elect to go I would suggest crossing the Ste. Lawrence at Quebec City and taking the highway along the north shore – it is a steep but spectacular drive, much more scenic than the bland flatlands south of the river. And at the mouth of the Saguenay you get to take the free car ferry across where the highway literally ends. There is a nice museum of marine mammals in the town and a wonderful restaurant, Cafe Boheme (the best breakfast I have every had, anywhere.)

But before crossing to Tadoussac I would advise first turning north on route 170 and heading to the Parc Nacional at Baie Eternite. There is a wonderful campground there and you can put into the bay just behind the nice visitors center and paddle out into the fjord and along the impressive steep cliffs. If you turn upriver when you leave the bay, there is a small sandy beach you can pull onto for lunch or camping. On the other side of the fiord is Baie Marguerite, which also has wonderful campsites right along the beach. You aren’t allowed to paddle in this bay because it is a nursery for the pod of beluga whales that live in the fjord, but there is a trail and boardwalk to a viewing deck along the bay where, if you are as lucky as we were in August of 2015, you will get to see the belugas surfacing and feeding offshore.

Thank you. These are the kind of details I was hoping to elicit. I’m still working on a rough itinerary but I think we’ll make the time to head up that way.

I’m assuming these are tidal waters, judging by the one picture? I’m taking careful steps to learn and experience paddling where there are tides, but there are lots of things yet unknown to me. My wife isn’t likely to move beyond fresh water any time soon.

Be prepared – I found that few people there speak English, even in the tourism industry. A French phrase book is awfully handy in those parts.

Yeah, most of them speak english just fine - when they want to. Fortunately my french is passable, though I have a budget vocabulary.

@kayamedic said:
Mt Marcy is a 14 mile roundtrip hike. Its often mobbed.

… pick the peaks in Franconia Notch ( save for Cannon) and Mt Katahdin in Maine…

Get a good atlas and look at rt 1 in Maine… It seldom hugs the coast and the best experiences are off Rt 1. …

Acadia National Park … views and hiking are outstanding

Yes there are free campsites in Maine… Donnell Pond just east of Acadia has beachfront campsites walk in… Climb Schoodic Peak. The DeLorme Atlas and Gazeteer has all of them and there are literally thousands.
Backcountry camping in the Adirondacks is free to all regardless of nationality.

If you hike in the Eastern High Peaks of the ADKS overnight be aware that bear canisters are required.

I have not taken the Portland to Yarmouth Ferry simply cause it costs and really does not save that much time. Even though the ferry terminal is 45 minutes away by driving… The ferry is sloow.

Invaluable information. Thanks. You’ve just about convinced me to take a loop one way through the US.

Hopefully my border concerns are unfounded. I’m an upstanding citizen born in Canada with no criminal history or record. If that’s not good enough these days, then nothing is.

As to tides, the rise and fall is not great in the Saguenay. It is a high volume river feeding into another huge river that becomes an estuary, many miles from the Atlantic. While the shoreline level does go up and down over the day it is gradual and there are not noticable tidal bores, especially in the areas I mentioned, which are miles upstream from where the Sag meets the Seaway. In fact, it was so rainy when we were there, some of the water level rises may have been more due to runoff channeling into the fjord than to any tidal influence. There was a nasty storm system stalled north of the fjord that just would not let up. We were told that it was not the usual weather for late August (tough maybe the locals were just saying that to pacify the soggy tourists.)

As to the language issue, my only French goes back to one year of study in 6th grade and a sort of familial Franco-Pidgin (one of my aunts was from Grenoble so I had bi-lingual cousins – I understand the Gallic versions of “you kids, quiet the hell down” and “someone is in big trouble when your father gets home”). My vocabulary is beyond primitive, but my accent is, unfortunately, very good (though more Parisienne than Quebecois). So when I would deliver my carefully curated basic phrases (like “excuse moi, l’addition, sil vous plais” at the end of a restaurant meal) the locals would presume I was Francophone and respond with a rapid stream of French that completely eluded and flustered me. I figured out quickly that stammering clumsily with dumb Anglo renditions of French gained me more sympathetic and comprehensible (albeit condescending) quasi English responses from them that I could grasp.

I don’t understand why the populations of some places that are almost wholly dependent upon tourism for their livelihood think it’s OK to be snooty and stubborn about language differences. I had to draw pictures, like playing a parlor game, to get checked into the room I had reserved at an inn in Tadoussac. I was wiped out from a brutal 11 hour solo drive from midstate NY (got lost during rush hour in Quebec City) and did not appreciate the night clerk shaking her head and giving me the deer-in-the-headlights look at my attempts to communicate in simple English and rudimentary French. I understand cross language study is mandatory across Canada but proficiency is not a requirement for graduation. Ny impression has always been that Anglo Canadians generally speak better French than Franco Canadians speak English. Or at least that they are more willing to do so.

The Saguenay waters are saline, but I think paddling in the bays and inlets where we were would not be daunting for your wife. There was little wave action, even during the windy times that we were there, so it is really nothing like the ocean, or even like the Great Lakes. If she is comfortable on larger freshwater rivers and breezy lakes, the Saguenay would feel no different. We did not paddle in the whale-watching area near the town Tadoussac which I understand is a bit more challenging due to conditions and large marine traffic.

As you come home through New York state, it is worthwhile to run up the Northway from Albany to Saratoga Springs (my brother lives there so I am there several times a year) and points farther north into the Adirondacks. Fish Creek is a feeder to the Hudson River just north of 'Toga which is a lovely half-day stream paddle – you can park and launch at the Hearth and Harvest restaurant which has a kayak outfitter and dock, then paddle upstream and back. Don’t miss the outstanding brick oven pizzas and yummy salads at H & H afterwards. Some stretches of the Hudson north of the dam are pretty too. Here are some shots White kayak/blue shirt is the Hudson and red kayak is Fish Creek.


:

And there is always Lake George, though it can be quite mobbed on Summer weekends. Plenty of rivers and lakes in the 'Dacks.

Saratoga is a nice place for a dose of low key “civilization” on a camping and paddling trip – some cool shops in the town, lots of good eateries and you might want to check the schedule for tickets to events at SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center) , their wonderful open air concert hall. I’ve heard Yo Yo Ma, Emmanuel Ax and a Music of India Festival there. By summer my brother Nick and sis in law may be offering the genuine Mongolian guest Yurt in their back yard in Saratoga for overnight stays on AirBnB. He can direct you to paddling spots too (that’s him in the photos – I gave up nagging him about wearing a PFD, but it was warm water not even over his head in depth anyway). He plays in an alt-country rock roadhouse band and could direct you to evening entertainment. Toga has a great Saturday farmer’s market all Summer too.

Backing up to your trip across Canada – there is a very active paddling group in Kingston, the Cataraqui Canoe and Kayak Club. My friend Dennis Burr is a CCKC member and an expert kayaker (he was national champion in whitewater racing several times). You can check their online newsletter for outings that you might join them for – very friendly and diverse group of folks and non-members are welcome if they are equipped for the trips. Dennis has traveled and paddled extensively around the Maritimes and might be able to offer you tips on that portion of your trip. I had hoped he could meet us in Saguenay back in 2015 as he had been paddling in Gaspe before we got to Quebec and it would have been a slight detour from his way home. But he was not able to make it because he was hauling a teardrop camping trailer and found that his vehicle just couldn’t climb the steep highway to get to Tadoussac! It really is breathtakingly steep in parts – the only roads I have ever been on that were comparably precipitous were on Virgin Gorda in the BVI and on the pass that leads west over the mountains out of Death Valley.

If your wife paddles quiet waters there is a LOT to paddle in the Adirondacks. Fish Creek( there are more than one ! in NYS) and Rollins Pond is a good central point to hike Ampersand Mountain ( good views 3000 feet) and paddle Middle Lower and Upper Saranac Lakes. The St Regis Canoe area is right there too but its a series of small ponds connected with portages which are not what you might want to do with your kayak.

We can also divert your paddling to Maine 3,500 to 6500 miles of coastline all beckoning your kayak… Most of the off shore islands are not inhabited and about a hundred are open to public camping. Another 100 are private open to Maine Island Trail Association members. Its tidal though.

The tidal range in the Portland area is reasonable 12 feet if you use all tide ramps dealing with them is easier.However exposed rockweed is slippery. Casco Bay does not have serious tidal races which can flip the unwary.

Lobster too is common in the water and on the plate.

@willowleaf said:
There is also camping farther north along the shore from Tadoussac which would be on your way to the ferry at Baie-Comeau to cross over to Matane to continue your trip. The ferry is about US$45 for a vehicle each way and US$15 each per person.

Any particular reason you suggested the Baie-Comeau/Matane ferry over Les-Escoumins/Trois-Pistoles? I’m just looking at them on the map now. I haven’t looked into the details of either one at this point.

@willowleaf said:
My impression has always been that Anglo Canadians generally speak better French than Franco Canadians speak English. Or at least that they are more willing to do so.

Hmm… Certainly not my experience in SW Ontario. I was somewhat fortunate to have taken french immersion up to Grade 4, which means that the core french in grades 5 through 8 was a joke to me. I took some more in high school as well but eventually figured out that it wasn’t very useful unless I wanted a government job - which I don’t.

Most of the people that I know can’t string together more than a few words in french. And those are delivered in the “stammering clumsy dumb Anglo rendition” you previously mentioned. Which, I will have to remember garnered you some sympathy… because my accent is also very good, and that might get me into trouble!

@Sparky961 said:

@willowleaf said:
My impression has always been that Anglo Canadians generally speak better French than Franco Canadians speak English. Or at least that they are more willing to do so.

Hmm… Certainly not my experience in SW Ontario. I was somewhat fortunate to have taken french immersion up to Grade 4, which means that the core french in grades 5 through 8 was a joke to me. I took some more in high school as well but eventually figured out that it wasn’t very useful unless I wanted a government job - which I don’t.

Most of the people that I know can’t string together more than a few words in french. And those are delivered in the “stammering clumsy dumb Anglo rendition” you previously mentioned. Which, I will have to remember garnered you some sympathy… because my accent is also very good, and that might get me into trouble!

Not my experience either when I lived in the beautiful city of Montréal for two years. In fact the de facto definition of a bi-lingual Canadian was a French Canadian who also spoke English. Of course there are narrow minded people everywhere irrespective of the language they speak and overall I do think I got more sympathy for my rudimentary schoolboy French language skills - I did about 5 years of French at my school in England - the further I got away from the larger cities.

That was all many years ago though and my wife’s younger relatives in Nova Scotia have all taken extensive French immersion with several of them taking a year’s tuition in France. It’s a good thing.

I wouldn’t worry about the French… I try to speak it and do get by in most places save far Eastern Quebec. It seems that the Quebecois appreciate an attempt and have sympathy or a good laugh and then they try their English. It will all work out. New Brunswick is the only truly bilingual Province. People there have to take English all the way through school and all speak both.

the language barrier for me years ago was a barrier… Now I just shrug smile and get by just fine.
Once in Quebec City I asked a shop keeper if there was a bathroom… I should not have said salle de bain… Literally a bath room.( she looked at me funny…of course why would I want to take a bath in her store?) Toilette will do just fine.
If you hit northern Maine a curious Franglais is spoken. A mongrel half breed of each. Its kind of fun to listen to

On the ferries, you are probably right. I used information on ferries from a site that was apparently just for one operator (who apparently does not serve Trois Pistoles).