My wife and I have spent countless hours dreaming about our trip. So far the topic we’ve spent the most part talking about is the route we plan on taking. I wanted to go ahead and share what we hope to do in our first 3 months of the trip. I expect much to change over the next 900+ days but this is the current view we are working with.
We would begin our trip just after Canada Day 2022 (which is July 1st for everyone outside of Canada) and would spend the next 3 months driving across Canada and potentially the United States. We live in Toronto and would take a route along the north shore of the great lakes. From there we would cross the Canadian Prairies and then the Rocky Mountains. Paige’s childhood cottage was on the gulf islands in the Pacific off the coast of Vancouver so we would spend some time there. After reaching the Canadian west, we would then drive back but have not made a decision on the route.
We are split on 3 current options. The first would be to then hightail it back as fast as possible to Toronto and then do a tour of Eastern Canada. The second option is to drive back through the northern USA states and stay. The final option is a lengthy drive dove the US west coast and then a cross country drive back to Toronto.
We have budgeted 3 months for this North America leg of our trip. We have allocated the prime summer months for this journey. I will elaborate more at a later date but this part of the trip will be done by automobile (maybe a van) and will involve some serious car camping.
We believe this route will give us a good blend of city and nature. There are some pretty well known national and provincial parks that we plan to visit in Canada. We also hope some of the sites will be memorable for the children. Below are the 10 sites/locations that have influenced our thinking on the route
- Salt Spring Island – Paige’s family had a cottage there when she was little. We want to share the memories with our children
- Jasper National Park – Have to show the kids what an icefield is
- Banff National Park – When I was 10, this was the highlight of my family’s cross Canada journey.
- Winnipeg – I collect coins, the Canadian mint is there.
- Thunder Bay – I lied when I went there as a child and said I could see the Sleeping Giant. Now I want to see it.
- Drumheller – Dinosaurs. I love everything about them.
- Vancouver – We have a soft spot for big, beautiful cities
- Wawa – I have yet to see the goose
- Kelowna – Never, been. Have heard many good things.
- Lake Superior – It will probably be our first day of camping so just thrilled about the prospect
Family Travel Countdown 