Author Topic: NE USA / Canada trip. Suggestions wanted. (Read 1378 times)

Pete_R · « **on:** May 20, 2016, 04:56:59 PM »

Myself and Mrs R are planning a trip to the NE USA and SE Canada in September. We'll be there for about 12 days. Start/end point will be Montreal - that's already fixed. And we have a reservation at Niagara (Canadian side) during the second week - also fixed. We're planning on touring the rest of the time. Hopefully do some leaf peeping depending on where and if the leaves are turning.

So does anyone have any suggestions on where else we should/could visit or maybe a route that we might follow?

02Pilot · « **Reply #1 on:** May 20, 2016, 05:22:18 PM »

How much driving do you want to do? Montreal to Niagara is about 6.5 hours each way direct. Are you looking to put in a lot of road miles, or are you just looking for interesting ways to cover that distance?

Pete_R · « **Reply #2 on:** May 20, 2016, 06:11:20 PM »

Quote from: 02Pilot on May 20, 2016, 05:22:18 PM

How much driving do you want to do? Montreal to Niagara is about 6.5 hours each way direct. Are you looking to put in a lot of road miles, or are you just looking for interesting ways to cover that distance?

Definitely want to do more than just drive to Niagara and back. Maybe, up to, around 1500 miles.

Couple of areas we thought about were the Adirondack Mountains and/or the Finger Lakes area.

02Pilot · « **Reply #3 on:** May 20, 2016, 08:33:52 PM »

Quote from: PeterR on May 20, 2016, 06:11:20 PM

Quote from: 02Pilot on May 20, 2016, 05:22:18 PM
How much driving do you want to do? Montreal to Niagara is about 6.5 hours each way direct. Are you looking to put in a lot of road miles, or are you just looking for interesting ways to cover that distance?

Definitely want to do more than just drive to Niagara and back. Maybe, up to, around 1500 miles.

Couple of areas we thought about were the Adirondack Mountains and/or the Finger Lakes area.

Finger Lakes are nice, especially if you like white wine. Some excellent rieslings come out of Finger Lakes wineries, among other varietals. I don't know the area very well, but by September the summer traffic jams should be mostly gone. There are some neat parks around there too, Watkins Glen in particular. And of course, you'll be close to Rochester, so you can do the George Eastman museum.

I don't know the Adirondacks very well either, unfortunately, but I don't think you'll go too far wrong if you pick one or two spots around the lakes. Lake Placid, of course, still has a lot of the Olympic infrastructure.

Aside from the Finger Lakes, western NY state is pretty flat and not terribly interesting. The eastern portion, from the Hudson Valley up to the Adirondacks, tends to be more interesting terrain to drive through.

Terry · « **Reply #4 on:** May 20, 2016, 09:26:36 PM »

Ditto that: I'm particularly fond of Lake Champlain. Any thoughts of travelling further south to NYC? And east of the Hudson...it'd be a shame to skip New England. It's a short hop over the border from Montreal to Vermont....

Francois · « **Reply #5 on:** May 20, 2016, 09:27:05 PM »

I know Vermont is always nice. Lots of quiet little villages. If you or your wife are fans of The Sound of Music, a trip down to Stowe is a must. This is where they have the Trapp Family lodge. Last time I went there they had a buffet for dinner and my mom just loved the place. Though I must say it's a ski resort town and is a bit of a mix between very beautiful scenery, fandom domination and tourist trap (but this is just me).

But if you drive from Toronto to Montreal, you might want to do a stop by Picton Ontario and visit the Sandbanks Provincial Park. It's got nice sandy beaches just next to lake Ontario. There could be some interesting sea-like views there.

In Quebec, there's the Eastern Townships (Estrie region) which is east of Montreal and is covered by the Appalachian mountains. These are pretty old so they offer soft contours. On the other side is the Adirondacks and Vermont.
During fall colors season, you just want to avoid traveling there on the week-ends as there are traffic jams on the autoroute.

I have the French version of a book by Reader's Digest that contains a bunch of road trips to go around the country using only the back roads. If you want I can scan a few pages.
I also have a book by National Geo that is in the same style but for the states.

Pete_R · « **Reply #6 on:** May 20, 2016, 09:34:10 PM »

Quote from: Terry on May 20, 2016, 09:26:36 PM

Ditto that: I'm particularly fond of Lake Champlain. Any thoughts of travelling further south to NYC? And east of the Hudson...it'd be a shame to skip New England. It's a short hop over the border from Montreal to Vermont....

NYC is probably out. We're not city loving people. We prefer small town America, mountains and lakes etc.

East of the Hudson is probable but it's going away from Niagara so would need to be a reason for it???

SLVR · « **Reply #7 on:** May 20, 2016, 09:43:24 PM »

I'd stop in to Ottawa as well. The parliament buildings are interesting. Algonquin is always good and big.

Closer to Toronto you should check out the Cheltenham Badlands. Google says they are closed but I'm not certain.

Elora, Ontario is a small interesting town. I would recommend if you are into hiking/landscape.

Im not sure what september weather has been like. We're just getting our first warm weekend. Though It's not uncommon for it to still be cooler this time of year. Hopefully september is still warm for you.

Pete_R · « **Reply #8 on:** May 20, 2016, 09:48:06 PM »

Quote from: Francois on May 20, 2016, 09:27:05 PM

I know Vermont is always nice. Lots of quiet little villages. If you or your wife are fans of The Sound of Music, a trip down to Stowe is a must. This is where they have the Trapp Family lodge. Last time I went there they had a buffet for dinner and my mom just loved the place. Though I must say it's a ski resort town and is a bit of a mix between very beautiful scenery, fandom domination and tourist trap (but this is just me).

But if you drive from Toronto to Montreal, you might want to do a stop by Picton Ontario and visit the Sandbanks Provincial Park. It's got nice sandy beaches just next to lake Ontario. There could be some interesting sea-like views there.

In Quebec, there's the Eastern Townships (Estrie region) which is east of Montreal and is covered by the Appalachian mountains. These are pretty old so they offer soft contours. On the other side is the Adirondacks and Vermont.
During fall colors season, you just want to avoid traveling there on the week-ends as there are traffic jams on the autoroute.

I have the French version of a book by Reader's Digest that contains a bunch of road trips to go around the country using only the back roads. If you want I can scan a few pages.
I also have a book by National Geo that is in the same style but for the states.

Sound of Music? Er, hum, how can I put this - we'll definitely consider that but don't make us any reservations. OK?

Picton sounds interesting and we may be heading back to Montreal that way.

The RD book would be useful but if it's in French then, like a typical Brit, I don't speak a word of it. Maybe I'll search for an English version.

Pete_R · « **Reply #9 on:** May 20, 2016, 09:55:33 PM »

Quote from: SLVR on May 20, 2016, 09:43:24 PM

I'd stop in to Ottawa as well. The parliament buildings are interesting. Algonquin is always good and big.

Closer to Toronto you should check out the Cheltenham Badlands. Google says they are closed but I'm not certain.

Elora, Ontario is a small interesting town. I would recommend if you are into hiking/landscape.

Im not sure what september weather has been like. We're just getting our first warm weekend. Though It's not uncommon for it to still be cooler this time of year. Hopefully september is still warm for you.

I was in Cheltenham on Monday... I wonder if Cheltenham UK knows here's some badlands in Canada named after them. Looks worth a look though.

Elora looks like our sort of place. Will put that on the list of possibilities.

Terry · « **Reply #10 on:** May 20, 2016, 09:57:17 PM »

The best reason to go east is that's where the scenery gets good. Finger Lakes/Adirondacks are very picturesque too, but for my money eastern NY and Vermont do the scenic countryside to perfection. I'm sure others will disagree, but that's my two cents' worth. I often take the train from New York to Montreal--it's a 10-hour trip (driving is only 6-7) but the last leg of the journey along the western shore of Champlain is to die for.

Francois · « **Reply #11 on:** May 20, 2016, 10:26:20 PM »

Quote from: PeterR on May 20, 2016, 09:48:06 PM

The RD book would be useful but if it's in French then, like a typical Brit, I don't speak a word of it. Maybe I'll search for an English version.

The english version of the book is called:Back Roads and Getaway Places of Canada
It dates back to the late 1990's but you should still be able to get it.

SLVR · « **Reply #12 on:** May 20, 2016, 10:38:25 PM »

Youll find there's a lot of English names for places here. Sometimes it confuses me reading online if they are talking about the ontario Cambridge or Waterloo or the UK versions.

You'd also be close to Stratford, if you're into taking in a theatre show the whole town's economy is based of their Shakespearean festival. Picturesque town where I grew up.

02Pilot · « **Reply #13 on:** May 20, 2016, 11:10:28 PM »

The comment I've often heard from foreign visitors to the US is along the lines of "We tried to do too much - we didn't realize how big a place it is." Add Canada to the mix and you're talking about monumental distances. Since you've got Niagara locked in, Finger Lakes is easier than New England, but I agree that the latter is probably the more interesting and varied area. Niagara is at the tail end of the trip, yes? How many days are you planning for Montreal at the beginning and end? How many days for Niagara? It will be easier to make useful suggestions with some idea of the free time available.

Pete_R · « **Reply #14 on:** May 21, 2016, 09:31:51 AM »

Quote from: 02Pilot on May 20, 2016, 11:10:28 PM

The comment I've often heard from foreign visitors to the US is along the lines of "We tried to do too much - we didn't realize how big a place it is." Add Canada to the mix and you're talking about monumental distances. Since you've got Niagara locked in, Finger Lakes is easier than New England, but I agree that the latter is probably the more interesting and varied area. Niagara is at the tail end of the trip, yes? How many days are you planning for Montreal at the beginning and end? How many days for Niagara? It will be easier to make useful suggestions with some idea of the free time available.

We've done road trips in the USA before so have a pretty good idea of distances. And agree it's easy to try and do to much.

Arrive Montreal 12th. Arrive Niagara 19th. Leave Niagara 21st. Leave Montreal 23rd.

No real plans for Montreal other than to stay there first and last nights. So we have six nights between leaving Montreal and arriving Niagara and one night between leaving Niagara and arriving back at Montreal.

Edit: We don't necessarily have to drop down into the US at all. Could head north further into Canada. If there's places to go???

Pete_R · « **Reply #15 on:** May 21, 2016, 10:07:26 AM »

Quote from: Francois on May 20, 2016, 10:26:20 PM

Quote from: PeterR on May 20, 2016, 09:48:06 PM
The RD book would be useful but if it's in French then, like a typical Brit, I don't speak a word of it. Maybe I'll search for an English version.
The english version of the book is called:Back Roads and Getaway Places of Canada
It dates back to the late 1990's but you should still be able to get it.

Several copies on AbeBooks. Just ordered one. Thanks Francois.

Francois · « **Reply #16 on:** May 21, 2016, 01:27:51 PM »

I know a neighbor who once went to Niagara on the lake and he says the town is super nice.

02Pilot · « **Reply #17 on:** May 21, 2016, 02:35:09 PM »

OK, so basically you're looking to fill the five days between leaving Montreal and arriving in Niagara. I see two basic options:

1) Swing south-southeast through Vermont/New Hampshire, then turn west and head to the Finger Lakes on your way to Niagara.

2) Head due south to the Adirondacks, then southwest to the Finger Lakes.

Lake Champlain gets in the way, so you have to decide whether you want to pass east or west. Option 1 is longer distance, but nicer scenery and has more interesting towns to explore; it would be my choice if I was planning a road trip. Via the shorter option 2, you're looking at maybe 600+ miles on the road, whereas option 2 is 800-1000+, depending on your route. Assuming you're not looking to just hammer across the interstates (which won't be an option in some areas), and you're going to keep moving rather than stopping in one place, you're talking about anywhere from 3 to 6 hours in the car per day.

SLVR · « **Reply #18 on:** May 21, 2016, 07:10:50 PM »

Niagara is nice. Make sure to drink wine. World class wines come from that area.

k.hendrik · « **Reply #19 on:** May 22, 2016, 04:43:09 PM »

After you see a whole lot of water going down you discover Niagara is a tourist trap. Adirondacks is beautiful. If you want to see a town on his way down visit Amsterdam. Aestethics of decline. Don't drive too much; get out of the car and walk with your camera's

Have a nice trip!

Francois · « **Reply #20 on:** May 22, 2016, 09:57:18 PM »

But I must admit that Niagara falls is pretty spectacular. AFAIK, it's been a bit of a tourist trap since that big meteorite struck the earth and made one of the biggest holes you can think of.

I can't really say much against it though since some nut job on my dad's side of the family was one of the few to go over the falls in a custom designed barrel and survive...