Part 1 – Wild Roads Across Canada: Ten Provinces, One Trailer & a Whole Lot of Adventure
From Montana to Nova Scotia
When we pulled the trailer out of Rexford, Montana, on August 15, we knew we were in for a big road trip. What we didn’t really appreciate yet was just how big.
Our plan was to pull our trailer across Canada, travelling through every province except Newfoundland and the territories. We would be chasing scenery, visiting family and friends, exploring small towns, riding our e-bikes whenever we could, eating our way across the country and, of course, bringing Sarge along for the adventure.
And somewhere along the way, we realized something….Every province has its own kind of beauty.
The wide-open agricultural landscape of Saskatchewan. The rugged shoreline of Lake Superior. The red cliffs of Prince Edward Island. The fishing villages and colourful homes of Nova Scotia.
The scenery kept changing, but so did the experience.
And this was only the beginning.
Saskatchewan to Brandon, Manitoba
After spending so much time in the mountains and around our Montana cabin, it was fun to be reminded just how enormous the Canadian prairies really are.
And Saskatchewan was next.
We expected farms and wide-open spaces, but the sheer beauty of the crops surprised us. Miles and miles of fields stretched across the landscape, creating their own kind of prairie artwork.
And then there were the trains! We knew trains were part of the prairie landscape, but we weren’t prepared for just how many we’d see along the way.
The mountains may get all the attention, but there is something pretty spectacular about watching the Saskatchewan landscape roll past the truck window.
Our first real stop was Brandon, Manitoba, where we stopped to visit family on our way east.
Lake Superior: Kakabaka Falls
As we continued east, we entered a completely different landscape.
Our first stop along the Lake Superior route was Kakabaka Falls.
And wow.
The falls were impressive — not quite Niagara Falls, but surprisingly close in scale and definitely one of those stops where you pull out the camera and immediately start taking pictures.
We also did something that became a bit of a theme for our trip…We got on the e-bikes.
We rode into the village, exploring along the way and enjoying the freedom of being able to leave the truck and trailer behind.
Having the e-bikes with us turned out to be one of the best decisions we made.
They gave us a completely different way to explore the places where we stayed.
Neys Provincial Park: Lake Superior at Its Best
From Kakabaka Falls, we continued to Neys Provincial Park.
If you’ve never experienced Lake Superior from this side, it’s hard to describe just how beautiful it can be.
The water, the beaches, the rocky shoreline and the sheer size of the lake made this stop feel almost like being beside an ocean.
We had another reminder that Canada doesn’t need an ocean coastline to give you incredible beaches.
Lake Superior certainly knows how to put on a show.
Spanish, Ontario: One Catfish and a Mosquito Army
Next up was Spanish, Ontario, on the shores of Lake Huron.
This stop gave us two very different experiences.
Anthony caught a catfish.
I was eaten alive by mosquitoes.
I’ll let you decide who had the better experience.
The scenery around Lake Huron was beautiful, but apparently the local mosquitoes had decided I was the main attraction.
Bug spray is not optional, especially when camping, especially when you’re me.
Bonnechere River: Family, Friends & One Very Happy Dog
From Ontario, we headed toward Ottawa and stayed on the Bonnechere River on the Shore’s property.
This turned out to be one of those stops that wasn’t necessarily about seeing a famous attraction.
It was about the people.
And Sarge.
Sarge had one of his best days of the entire trip.
He spent the day swimming, hanging out with Percy and generally living his best dog life.
Watching him swim and play was one of those moments that reminds us why we bring him along on these adventures in the first place.
Sometimes the best memories are simply the days spent with friends, good dogs and nowhere you need to be.
Quebec: From Mont-Laurier to Lévis
From Ottawa, we continued into Quebec.
Our stops included Mont-Laurier and Lévis, and this was where our road trip started becoming a little more about food.
Specifically…
Cheese.
We discovered the amazing world of Quebec fromageries, and let’s just say we were very happy to make room in the truck for some local cheese.
Quebec was another reminder of how quickly the character of Canada changes as you travel from province to province.
Different food, Different architecture, Different landscapes, Different culture.
And somehow, we’re still pulling the same trailer behind the same truck.
New Brunswick: Fundy Country
From Quebec, we headed into New Brunswick and stayed near Alma at a small private campground called West River. This was another favourite.
Alma is a cute little town sitting right on the Bay of Fundy, and it felt like exactly the kind of place we had hoped we’d find on this trip.
We wandered around town, explored the area and, naturally, ate seafood.
There was lobster.
There was crab.
There was absolutely no complaining from either of us.
Hopewell Rocks
One of the big attractions in the area was Hopewell Rocks.
We were a little surprised to discover that there was an admission fee to enter.
But once we got there, we understood why it was worth seeing.
The rock formations and massive tides make this place completely unique, and standing there looking at the shoreline made us appreciate just how powerful the Bay of Fundy really is.
It was one of those stops where the pictures don’t quite capture the scale.
The 24-Kilometre E-Bike Adventure
Then came one of our favourite adventures of the trip. We decided to e-bike to Cape Enrage.
What I apparently failed to fully understand was that 24 kilometres doesn’t necessarily mean 24 kilometres of relatively flat riding.
There were hills.
There were more hills.
There were some why did I think this was a good idea? moments.
But there were also incredible views, winding roads and the kind of scenery that makes you glad you decided to keep going.
And yes…
It was a lot of fun.
Prince Edward Island: Red Cliffs & a Province We Didn’t Want to Leave
Then we crossed into Prince Edward Island and stayed at Cavendish Provincial Park.
And PEI immediately grabbed us.
The beaches, The red cliffs, The ocean, The little towns,The food.
Everything felt completely different from the provinces we’d just travelled through.
And the red cliffs were spectacular.
We spent time exploring the coastline on our e-bikes, riding along and stopping to take in the views.
And, of course, there were oysters.
Because apparently you can’t travel through the Maritimes without making seafood part of the itinerary.
One of the things we loved most about PEI was how welcoming it was to Sarge.
He seemed to be welcome everywhere — even in retail stores.
Which, honestly, is exactly how we think it should be.
By the time we were ready to leave, PEI had us wondering whether we should just stay.
Then Cape Breton Said, “Not So Fast.”
We took the ferry toward Cape Breton, excited about the next part of our adventure.
And then…
The weather arrived.
Almost immediately after we got there, Cape Breton was dealing with a state of emergency.
Winds were reaching approximately 150 km/h, and more than 200 mm of rain was coming down.
Then the power went out….Then the water went out.
At that point, we looked at each other and basically decided… Maybe Cape Breton doesn’t want us here.
So we made the decision to try to get out
Lunenburg: One of Our Favourite Stops
Lunenburg was adorable.
The colourful historic homes, narrow streets and unmistakable Maritime character made it one of our favourite stops of the entire trip.
And then there was the Bluenose. The famous schooner is such an iconic part of Canadian history.
We wandered around town, explored the waterfront and soaked up the atmosphere.
We also visited Peggy’s Cove and Blue Rocks, both of which gave us completely different glimpses of Nova Scotia’s rugged coastline.
By this point in the trip, we had crossed province after province and the scenery seemed to get better every time we thought we’d already seen the best of Canada.
And we still weren’t done. (follow our TikTok to see pictures from our adventures)
What We Learned Up to this Point
A road trip this big teaches you a few things pretty quickly.
And sometimes the lessons come with a little more excitement than you were hoping for.
1. Your truck might choose the first day of a cross-country adventure to overheat.
On our very first day, our truck started overheating. Nothing like starting a massive cross-country trailer adventure with a little mechanical drama.
Anthony ended up taking the truck in that evening, where they discovered an air lock and were able to blow it out.
Problem solved — but it was definitely a reminder that when you’re towing a trailer thousands of kilometres from home, you don’t want to ignore anything that doesn’t look or sound right.
2. Don’t trust a combination-lock hitch pin.
This one could have ended very differently.
While we were at Neys Provincial Park, the combination-lock hitch pin we had just purchased failed.
And when we say failed, we mean the trailer actually came off the truck. We ended up dragging the trailer.
Thankfully, we were on a side road and not travelling at highway speed when it happened.
It was one of those moments where you go from “What the hell just happened?” to “Holy crap, that could have been really bad.”
The takeaway?
We’re done with combination-lock hitch pins.
3. Always check your windshield wipers before a 5:00 a.m. departure.
This one deserves its own story.
The day we were leaving PEI to catch the ferry, it was raining. And when I say raining, I mean the kind of rain where you’re not particularly excited about driving a truck and trailer before sunrise.
We had to leave around 5:00 a.m. It was dark. It was raining.
And then…
The windshield wipers stopped working.
Not exactly the morning we had planned. We were already committed to getting to the ferry, so we had to improvise.
We used a spare wiper and, at times, were literally wiping the windshield by hand so we could see well enough to keep going.
It was scary.
We eventually made it to the ferry, but that experience taught us something we never would have thought about before this trip.
4. Western vehicles and salty Maritime air apparently don’t always get along.
Later, we learned that the combination of salt and moist coastal air can be hard on the electrical systems of vehicles from the West.
A fantastic mechanic we met in Nova Scotia explained that the electronics and electrical connections should be sprayed with a protectant to help prevent corrosion and moisture-related problems.
It’s something we’ll definitely be doing before future trips to the East Coast.
Lesson learned: If you’re taking a Western vehicle to the Maritimes, protect those electrical connections before the salt and moisture get to them.
5. E-bikes are one of the best travel accessories we’ve added to our RV setup.
They allowed us to explore villages, beaches and coastal roads without moving the truck and trailer.
Some of our favourite memories came from those rides.
Even the ones where I dramatically underestimated the hills.
6. Sarge has his own travel requirements.
Good swimming.
Good people.
Good snacks.
And preferably a place where he can come inside with us.
To Be Continued…
We still had more of Nova Scotia to explore, more roads to travel, more seafood to eat and eventually a long journey back west.
And, as we would discover, the trip home would have plenty of stories of its own.
Part 2: Nova Scotia, Montreal, Ontario & the Long Road Home — coming next.
One thing we learned very quickly on a trip like this is that the right gear makes life on the road a whole lot easier.
We’ll be putting together a list of the things we actually used throughout the trip — from RV and trailer gear to e-bike accessories, camping essentials and the things that made travelling with Sarge easier.
We’ll share those favourites here as we continue adding them to our Wild Roads Amazon lists.
Some links may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products we actually use or genuinely think are useful for RV travel and road trips.
