Friday, December 16, 2011

Driving directions from Ottawa to Penticton BC through trans Canada highway.no US directions please!?

I have searched all the places i could possibly think of(google,mapquest,yahoo,ask) they only give directions on how to drive through the US and i don't want to drive through the US! I have lived in canada my whole life and never traveled across the country, yet i have traveled alot in the US so naturally i wanna see the beauty that is Canada from east coast all the way to the west coast. can anyone give me some ideas?? Thanx A Million|||First:


http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d%26amp;hl=en%26amp;geo鈥?/a>





After that:


http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d%26amp;hl=en%26amp;geo鈥?/a>|||The US route is shorter, but the TC is a more relaxed drive. But I'd suggest going thru Lethbridge instead of Calgary, and bypass Winnipeg. Coming into Penticton from the North with the construction and road closures may not be a good idea.

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|||get on the #1 highway[trans-canada]drive for 3 days


when you get to sicamous,BC, take 97 south,drive 3hours through vernon,and kelowna,and voila your here!!!|||go to auto club if your not a member is worth it see allso hellobc|||Your best bet is to take the Trans Canada Highway which, like its name, runs all across the country. Depending on how far you want to drive in one day it will take you at least 3 days however if you want to see Canada allow a bit more than that. Once you reach BC continue until you reach Sicamous then take the 97A towards Vernon. Continue until it becomes the 97 and follow it down through Kelowna. You will be driving alongside Okanagan Lake and Penticton is at the south end of the lake. There is quite a bit to see and do all across the country so I would allow several weeks if you plan a return trip. Don't try to see everything at once but make stops going both ways.





Of course if you want to see the west coast continue on the Trans Canada to Vancouver and Horseshoe Bay. Going via Penticton you can either retrace your steps to the 97C and head for the Coquihalla Hwy (toll road) travelling towards Hope where you will meet the Trans Canada again or head south from Pentincton to the 3A and follow it to the No. 3 to Keromeos, Princeton, and Manning Park then on to Hope. Take the ferry to Nanaimo and continue on the Trans Canada (No. 1) to Victoria. That way you will get a chance to see the Pacific Ocean and I have always found Vancouver island a nice place to visit.





The problem with most online maps are they are made for Americans by Americans and tend to direct people through the US if at all possible. If you belong to an automobile club check with them and they will have maps and other information to help your journey. If not make sure to stop at the Tourist Information Centres in each province you pass thourgh for maps and other information.|||Head west from Ottawa to North Bay. In North Bay take the northern TCH through Hearst, Cochrane. You meet the southern TCH in Nipigon, about an hour east of Thunder Bay. You can either stay on the TCH all the way to Sicamous in B.C. where you head south into the Okanagan or just west of Portage La Prairie, you can take the Yellowhead which runs parellel to the TCH and instead of going through Calgary you go through Edmonton and in Tete Jeune Junction, west of Jasper, you head south to Kamloops where you take the Cocahalla to Kelowna and on to Penticton. The Yellowhead is an easier route through the Rockies, less chance of road closures in winter and the distance from Winnipeg to Kamloops through either Calgary or Edmonton is basically the same. If it is beauty, take the southern TCH through Sault Ste. Marie for views of the Great Lakes, more traffic and chance of snow squalls that way and going the Yellowhead through Jasper instead of Banff is less traffic and easier grades through the mountains. Depends on what you want to see and time of year you plan on doing this, lots of campers on the TCH southern route in summer as well as through the Rockies. As you approach Winnipeg from the east, take the southern by-pass route and you meet the TCH again on the western side of the city.|||It's tricky, but it can be done on Mapquest. You need to "Add Another Stop to Your Route". Get directions for your first two points and then you will see this option at the top of the page.





Having travelled most of this route, I suggest trying Ottawa to Sudbury to Thunder Bay to Winnipeg to Penticton.|||From Ottawa, go to highway 401 (the Macdonald-Cartier highway), turn north onto highway 400 and go through the following cities:


Sudbury,


Sault Saint Marie,


Thunder Bay


Winnipeg


Brandon


Regina


Moose Jaw


Swift Current,


Medicine Hat,


Calgary and Golden BC.


Go past Golden about 3 hours and then turn south onto the highway that runs north south through the Okanogan Valley. That will take you south through Vernon, Kelowna and then right in to Penticton.








That obviously, is a very condensed version of what you should see and do. If you can get to the Trans-Canada highway by a route other than highway 401, then take it.


I have driven this route several times and like to stop at interesting places along the way.





Come to think of it, I'm of the very firm belief that each and every Canadian should be required to take a drive across Northern Ontario and the prairies at least once in their lives, just to inform them firsthand about the wonderful, joyful immensity of this great nation. I realize I'm sounding a little bit maudlin and boosterish, but this is a pretty amazing country and there's no better way to see you then from the ground





Here are few things that I either have seen, or would very much like to see, along the way:


Science North science center in Sudbury


Canadian bush plane museum in Sault Saint Marie


the old fort (Fort William, is it?) in Thunder Bay


The museum of man, the Royal Canadian Mint, the arboretum and the Western Canada aviation museum in Winnipeg


The RCMP heritage center and Taylor Field (home of the legendary Saskatchewan Roughriders) in Regina


The tunnels of Moose Jaw and geothermal spa in the same city


The Glenbow museum in Calgary


Downtown Banff

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