CONSUMMATE CANADIAN DETOURS
Make time for these 10 highlights along the Trans-Canada Highway
From coast to coast, the Trans-Canada Highway connects the smallest hamlets to the largest cities, passes through hills and mountains, across prairie, over rivers and winds its way through vast forests. To drive its length is to know Canada.
There is something to see i n every province along the Trans-Canada. The endless lakes of northern Ontario and the non-stop fields of the Prairies might get monotonous, but just when you start to nod off, you see a sight that punctuates the beauty of this land.
To pick 10 of these sights as the best is pure folly. You could easily pick 10 in every province and have a solid argument as to why each deserves to be crowned as a must-see attraction.
With that caveat in mind, we’ve chosen 10 highlights from a crosscountry drive along the Trans-Canada Highway that we think every road tripper must visit. For the sake of Canadian unity, we’ve chosen one for each province.
1. NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
Good luck trying to find the starting (or ending) point of the Trans-Canada in Newfoundland. It doesn’t even begin at the ocean, but instead starts at an unmarked street corner in St. John’s. A better place to admire this country’s youngest province is along the stretch of the Trans-Canada that cuts through the rugged terrain of Terra Nova National Park. Stunted pines, marshy bogs and moose abound.
2. NOVA SCOTIA
The Scots and the Americans claim him as one of their own, but we all know that Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, was really a Canadian. Bell built a summer estate near Baddeck on the shores of Bras d’Or Lake in Cape Breton. Today that estate is a national historic site that features a wonderful museum. Visitors learn about the career of the genius whose name is synonymous with the telephone, but they will also discover he was involved in many other projects, including efforts to fly the first airplane in Canada.
3. PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Canada’s smallest province has plenty of attractions for visitors, but one of its most impressive is its newest, Confederation Bridge, the land-link that changed access to the island forever. The engineering triumph is a marvel to behold, so be sure to get a good look at it from New Brunswick before you head over. Unfortunately, driving the bridge itself is a bit of a disappointment because its tall walls make it hard to admire the view of the Northumberland Strait below.
4. NEW BRUNSWICK
Step back in time to the 1800s with a visit to Kings Landing Historical Settlement, an attraction that recreates life in rural New Brunswick during a less hectic time. Interpreters in period costumes go about their lives in the village just outside of Fredericton that includes several historic buildings that were relocated to save them from a flood plain created by the construction of the Mactaquac hydroelectric dam.
5. QUEBEC
The Trans-Canada passes right through the middle of the Island of Montreal, Quebec’s largest city and one with centuries of history. Soak up some of that history by taking a quick detour down to Old Montreal, the city’s historic quarter, where you can enjoy a sunny day by the Old Port or wander the cobblestone streets of the old city.
6. ONTARIO
No province boasts more kilometres of the Trans-Canada than the country’s largest, so there is a plethora of standout locations along this stretch of road. The drive out of Sault Ste. Marie along Lake Superior is one of the most beautiful in Canada, the monument to Canadian hero Terry Fox is another pilgrimage spot and the highway passes through Ottawa. They’re all worth seeing, but our pick is the unheralded natural wonder of Kakabeka Falls. Nicknamed the Niagara of the North, this site near Thunder Bay is sure to impress any visitor.
7. MANITOBA
Near the halfway point of the TransCanada Highway is Winnipeg, a city that its supporters once thought would make a good capital for this nation due to its central location. It never did claim that role, but it has always been a meeting place for people of different cultures, which is perfectly symbolized by the national historic site of The Forks, the city’s popular riverside attraction that continues to bring people together.
8. SASKATCHEWAN
Is there a city name that is more Canadian than Moose Jaw? The TransCanada passes straight through this community, but you shouldn’t. Stop instead to see the city’s No. 1 attraction, the Tunnels of Moose Jaw. Linked to bootleggers in the Prohibition era and to the smuggling of Chinese immigrants, the tour of these underground passages is an entertaining look at lesser-known periods in Canada’s history.
9. ALBERTA
The Rocky Mountains have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to provincial and national parks that were created to preserve and show off their beauty. One of the best was the first national park in Canada — Banff National Park. To drive the length of the Trans-Canada through this park is a chance to test your vocabulary of superlatives because you will surely run out of words to describe its splendours.
10. BRITISH COLUMBIA
Depending on your point of view, the Trans-Canada Highway either ends or begins in B.C., Victoria, to be specific, although some will insist that mile zero is really in Tofino. For our money, the place to visit along the highway is the Fraser Valley, a route that insists you drive slowly to admire it properly.