This was a long overdue trip! I have wanted to visit Eastern Canada for a long time and finally got around to planning it. The trip took us from Ontario to Montreal, Quebec, through Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, back to Montreal, then finally back to Ontario. The reason for the stop in Montreal was for a long awaited concert (a 2 year wait thanks to COVID). We took the route through the USA so we could see a couple states in the US and at the same time we prefer not to do any backtracking. We stopped in Montreal on the way back simply because we had an amazing time the weekend prior and wanted one more night there.
To keep in the spirit of the blog I'll be skipping the details from Montreal.
Day 1 - Ontario - Montreal
Day 2 - Montreal
If you know, you know :)
Day 3 - Montreal - New Brunswick
Today was going to be a long day! We cruised through the USA without many stops other than Walmart for some supplies and a stop in Maine to get my first lobster roll of the trip. Turns out this would be by far the best lobster roll! I still have dreams about this thing!
We were trying to stay on track and get to New Brunswick before it got too late. Our spot for the night was at New River Beach Provincial Park. As what seemed to be our luck on the trip, it got dark before we got the the campground and we had to get set up in the dark which is never fun. After pouring a drink we were able to have a fire for a couple hours before heading to sleep.
Day 4 - New Brunswick - Nova Scotia
The day started by finally seeing what our campsite looked like in the daylight. It also decided to rain all morning so we had to pack up all the equipment soaking wet.
We hit the road excited to see our sights for the day which included the sea caves, Fundy National Park of Canada, Waterside Beach and Hopewell Rocks, followed by heading just inside of Nova Scotia where we would spend the night.
Rain was on and off all day but the sights were still incredible. This is unfortunately when I started to not feel so good and caught a bug that would be with me for a while... I blame McDonald's in Saint John!
One thing that I'll mention that shouldn't come as a surprise is that all these sights are absolutely packed with other tourists. I'm not a fan of going to popular tourism stops but these are places that you just can't skip.
We got settled into the hotel, got some dinner and decided that this was the time to check out PEI. PEI wasn't going to be a place that we were going to spend a day at, so we went for an evening drive to check it out. If you decide to go to PEI, note that there is a $50 toll to cross the bridge. We cruised around for a bit, bought a bag of potatoes, watched the sunset and headed back to the hotel to get some sleep.
Day 5 - Nova Scotia
Today was going to be a rainy and foggy day. The plan was to head to the western end of Nova Scotia to go lobster fishing and stay in a river front cabin for the night. Unfortunately for me I wasn't feeling well at all and ended up sleeping for most of the drive, I was told that I didn't miss much in that portion of the drive.
When we got to the west end it was extremely foggy but I was excited to get out on a boat. I just instantly relax when I'm on the water.
It's a short and FREE ferry ride over to Tiverton with a very minimal wait.
Although we couldn't see much from the boat it was still a lot of fun with Bay of Fundy Scenic Lobster Tours and I highly recommend them! Kyle and Tamara were amazing and we learned a lot about lobster fishing.
Once we got back to the dock we chatted for a while about fishing, travelling and places that we have explored. I'll say it again, Kyle and Tamara are great!
We hit the road again and heading to Digby for some seafood for dinner followed by Bear River for the night.
Our cabin for the night was at Millyard Recreation Riverfront Cottages in Bear River. This is a private campground run by an older couple who are absolutely amazing people. That seemed to be a common thing on this trip. The cabin for the night was only $60 which was absolutely amazing!
Day 6 - Nova Scotia - Cape Breton
We packed up in the morning and made our way to our first stop at Peggy's Cove. This place was absolutely packed with people and I mean PACKED! It was a cool site but we didn't spend too much time there before heading to Halifax.
We had one thing that we had to do in Halifax and that is to try the world's best donair from King Of Donair. I had already had what I considered the best donair from a place called Donairs At Gage in Hamilton so I was excited to compare. Now this may upset some people but I was not blown away by the donair. I also tried the donair pizza and was not impressed. I can safely say that Donairs At Gage was better! Unfortunately it's closed down now so nobody will believe me.
We were now ready for the long drive to Cape Breton to spend the night.
Our destination was at a private campground called Riverside Retreat Cabins And Campground. This was another great find and we had a 5th wheel camper rented that was ready for us when we arrived. No check in, just pull up and go in. A nice hand written letter with information about the area and a map of the campground was a nice touch.
The night would be another night by the fire after a walk down to the river.
Day 7 - Cape Breton - New Brunswick
We hit the road and were excited to see Cape Breton Highlands National Park. The park is absolutely beautiful and we had a beautiful day to see it!
After we got through the park it was time for the long drive to northern New Brunswick with a few stops along the way including our must see site for the day... the Shediac Lobster.
Our destination for the night was Mount Carleton Provincial Park however, we decided later in the day to get a hotel in Bathurst as it was going to be a late arrival and we didn't feel like setting up camp in the dark and rain again. Comfort Inn's rarely disappoint!
Day 8 - New Brunswick - Montreal
We hit the road after a quick McDonalds stop for breakfast. If I can describe the drive through northern New Brunswick, it would be "boring"! If you love non-stop trees and speeding transport trucks you would probably love it but it was a boring drive. No pictures were taken today as there just wasn't any sites to see.
When we arrived in Montreal late in the day, we checked into the hotel and hit downtown.
Day 9 - Montreal - Home
We hit the road at the crack of noon and headed home. Some traffic along the way but it was an uneventful drive.
Conclusion
This is a trip that I believe we rushed a bit too much. The east coast has a lot to offer and I feel like I need to go explore it some more. With that being said, we only get so many vacation days so I didn't want to skip any main areas. With that being said, I now know where I'd like to visit again and places that I don't need to see again. Digby is an area that I fell in love with and want to explore more. The people, the sights and even the smell of the water was amazing!