2007Atlantic Canada
Ride

Planning Guide

 

This is probably the best guide book available. Just the right amount of detail on accommodations, places to eat, things to see and do, and maps. If you're price conscious ( aren't we all ? ), this is a great book and it easily fits into your tank bag. About $20

My idea of a good route would be:

Ottawa - beautiful historic city. 
Quebec City - more historic beauty on the St. Lawrence. The old city dates back 400 years or so. The last part of the ride from Ottawa along Hwy 132 is a real treat.
Gaspe - as nice to ride as Cape Breton although the roads can be a bit rough. Perce is the town to spend the night.
Prince Edward Island - Charlottetown is the place to stay. The best places to ride are up the west end of the island. Lots of back roads with very little traffice. Scenic ocean vistas, seafood... A side trip for a couple of days to the Magdalen Islands looks like it would be really special.
Bay of Fundy - the NE area around Hopewell Rocks is pretty
Cape Breton - nobody should ever go to the Maritimes without doing a circumnavigation of Cape Breton Island. See the Glenora distillery, the Alexander Graham Bell museum, more sweeping ocean vistas, lobster.
 

 

 

 

 

Nova Scotia to Newfoundland, 
via Port aux Basques - this is a 7 hour ferry trip. We try to book a late night trip and get a bunk in the dorm. It saves on motel costs and it doesn't waste a day on the high seas. There's a pub & food on board.

Be prepared to tie your bike down.

 

 

 

This can be an unnerving sight. The arrival in Port aux Basques makes you wonder if the ferry turned left at Mars by mistake.

 
Gros Morne Park - for the nature lovers, this would be a good place to leave the group for a day. It's a Unesco World Heritage site and has world class hiking. I think you can also book a boat or air tour.  
St. Anthony - bird, whale, and iceberg watching trips and all that good stuff.  
Labrador - this is a must if you've come this far. It's a 1.5 hour ferry trip. Once on the other side, there's a beautiful motel in L'ans au Clair just up the road. The end of the pavement is Red Bay only 85 km's or so away.  
Newfoundland outports - the real Newfoundland (Nfld) is found in the small communities off the main roads. These really should be explored. The hospitality is second to none. Don't expect to find Denny's and Super 8 motels. Nfld is not nearly as developed for tourists as the mainland. This is one of its beauties. As Bill Gates would say, it's not a bug, it's a feature.  
St. John's and Cape Spear - the eastern most point in North America  
St. Pierre & Miquelon - these two islands off the south coast of Nfld are actually part of France. You can get there by boat or plane but no way to get your bike there. There are organized day and overnight tours though. This will be high on my list of priorities for a side trip.  
Argentia, Nfld to Nova Scotia - the return ferry is 14 hours or so. Bunks are a must, a cabin a possibility.  
Cape Breton - perhaps a more detailed exploration of the island  
Nova Scotia - a circle tour taking in Halifax, Mahone Bay, Lunenberg, Digby, Annapolis Royal and of course, Hwy 236 could easily take a week.  
New Brunswick - I didn't find too much in New Brunswick other than Hopewell Rocks and the best quality highways in the Maritimes. Maybe I didn't look hard enough.  
 Home - bikes could be shipped from Halifax or perhaps Bangor, Maine. You could then fly home. Maybe you'd want to see Boston, New York, Washington, DC as well. Maybe you ride home.  

Updated: November 16, 2008