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Road

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NOTE: I posted this last summer in the thread North-East OB Presence and received some interest/likes from @Chris Jones and possibly @Ironhide Fx4, but not many others. So I'm posting here in Overland Trip Planning to see who else may be interested.

I have no definite dates as yet, and my own participation may depend on when I can get in some shops out west for some work I want done to my van.

I would like to limit this to four or five vehicles, max, but may be gone longer than many might like, so am willing to entertain the notion that some may like to do part but not all, or may like to come up at a different time during this trip and meet up then. All sort of up in the air and flexible, right now, but I'm putting it out there to see what interest there may be.

My main goal is to explore trail possibilities in the three provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia with a secondary goal of including not just back country but exploring some of the cites, towns, and villages encountered along the way.

Once I/we have things nailed down a bit more, I'll put it in Rally Point Events if we need to.

Here's the original post, edited a bit:

I think it'd be a blast to get a few of us together to do the Cabot Trail. Head up from somewhere in Maine like Portland (or Bar Harbor near Acadia NP perhaps?) up the coast of Maine to St John, New Brunswick, then over to PEI (an island province with red sand, white sand, and black sand beaches), then take the big ferry from Woods Island PEI over to Nova Scotia and across the Canso Causeway (deepest causeway in the world), up around the north side of Bras d'or Lake to Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail.

While the Cabot Trail is a two-laned paved road, and not a lot of off-road ops I know of personally, there are some spots I'd like to check out on Cape Breton, like Middle River Wilderness Area, the French River Wilderness Area, Cape Smokey Provincial Park, and of course Cape Breton Highlands National Park, 235,000 acres where the mountains meet the sea. The scenery and vistas of the Cabot Trail easily rivals California's Big Sur, in my opinion.

According to the OB Member Map we have some active members in NB and NS and one on PEI we should reach out to about good spots for four-five vehicles to camp overnight, and if they know of any good back country roads we can explore.

Here are some links on the Cabot Trail:

http://www.novascotia.com/explore/t...VCVgNCh2L5guUEAAYASAAEgJO1PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

https://www.cbisland.com/cabot-trail/

http://www.cabottrail.com/

http://www.cabottrail.travel/

Here's a very preliminary route, one I've done a few times, though long time ago. There's a wicked long bridge now from New Brunswick to PEI, though the ferry that ran there was just awesome, handling train cars and semi-trailers on one deck, autos on another, and passengers on the top deck. One of my favorite Maritime memories is passing another ferry going the other way at dusk, deck lights illuminating train cars, toots of the ship's horns, etc. There still is a ferry from PEI to Nova Scotia, though much shorter, which I'd love to do again.



Here's a link to the google map, where you can change way spots: https://goo.gl/maps/SvYStNpwW432

Lots of possibilities to explore. As I said, I may be gone longer than many can do, and though I don't have a definite time frame in mind for how long, I like being gone for a month or more, often longer. I don't expect everyone can do that.

Let me know if you're interested or have input on possible dirt roads/back roads/dispersed camping spots in NB, NS, or PEI and maybe we can get something going.

Let me know, too, what you drive, what kind of gear, and what experience you have with being off-road and on the road for longer trips.

If this trip works out in a small group, I'm planning on doing a longer trip to St John Newfoundland and then up to Newfoundland/Labrado and around the St Lawrence Seaway, though may just leave from Cape Breton if I'm already up there:

https://goo.gl/maps/SM2Gz1NKUYT2:

STJohnNL-Portland-around STLawrence.png

Let me know if you're interested in just that part, too, or in just the Maine coast, etc.

This is the first part of what I hope will end up a cross-Canada trip ending in the Yukon, and then into Alaska, then down the west coast of the states.

Dry roads and open skies,

Road
 
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Road

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Once on the Northern side of Cabot Trail make a detour to Meat Cove. You'll thank me later. ;)
Oh yes, most definitely! Meat Cove is a fav spot along the coast and has been mentioned several times in these forums. I'm sure we'll get up there to explore, as it's the northernmost tip of Cape Breton.
 

Hosemonkey143

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I’m very interested in this trip! I was planning a similar trip this summer. I’d love to hear about this more


Sent from my iPhone using OB Talk
 
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Todd Jackson

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Once on the Northern side of Cabot Trail make a detour to Meat Cove. You'll thank me later. ;)
I second this recommendation. I grew up in Sydney and my dad's family are from Ingonish on the Cabot Trail. During the summers as a kid we spent a lot of time in and around Meat Cove, beautiful location for camping and star gazing.
 
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CampWithChin

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@Road When is this happen? I have taken the normal highway route twice to NB, PEI, NS. I'm hoping to do the trans-labrador highway route in short future. My last trip was short of St. John NFL and I would love to explore St. John area. I never step on Labrador, which is another interest to explore this massive land. I'm interested if you planning to explore Labrador/NewFoundland area.

Also, I'm building my off-road trailer for the trip to Labrador via Trans-Labrador Hwy. Trailer will be ready hopefully by end of summer.

@Chris Jones @Ryan Matthes Add me as interested person if you have any plan.
 
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Road

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Fall Foliage over Cabot Trail will be spectacular.
I've been toying with the idea of doing another trip--aimed more specifically at fall foliage and autumn colors--starting on Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and following the colors down through Canada and the US all the way to the Gulf.

AutumnColorsTrip.png
 

HEYElliott

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I have done the round trip from Ontario with the exception of Newfoundland and Labrador. Fortunately I went in the spring 2 years ago and the National Parks were unmanned so I was able to get some primo camp spots. If the timing lines up I would do the trip again in a heart beat and meet you guys out there.
 

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Road

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Advocate III

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@Road When is this happen? I have taken the normal highway route twice to NB, PEI, NS. I'm hoping to do the trans-labrador highway route in short future. My last trip was short of St. John NFL and I would love to explore St. John area. I never step on Labrador, which is another interest to explore this massive land. I'm interested if you planning to explore Labrador/NewFoundland area.

Also, I'm building my off-road trailer for the trip to Labrador via Trans-Labrador Hwy. Trailer will be ready hopefully by end of summer.
@MolangiNaeda - keep me posted on your trailer progress; perhaps we can make a little road trip somewhere more local, then if we like how we work together, talk more seriously about Trans Labrador. Let me know if you come up this way sometime soon, and we can meet and talk about it all.
 

Road

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I have done the round trip from Ontario with the exception of Newfoundland and Labrador. Fortunately I went in the spring 2 years ago and the National Parks were unmanned so I was able to get some primo camp spots. If the timing lines up I would do the trip again in a heart beat and meet you guys out there.
Keep an eye on the thread, @HEYElliott - I suspect I may end up running up across the border on short notice for some short trips, then will make more of a plan for up into Cape Breton then over to Newfoundland/Labrador, but a lot depends on work I want to get done out west and when that might get scheduled.

In the meantime, if you find yourself out this way in coastal Maine, or if I find myself out near you in Ontario, let's get together and discuss the potential.
 
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carbonbased

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Hi @Road — Did you complete this Canada Maritime Tour? I'm planning something very similar for September.
Thanks!

Edit: Rough combination of your two maps, 8hrs a day, 16 days.
 

Rocksylvania

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Hey @Road et al. I'm planning a 4 week trip from PA to Nova Scotia for July or September this year. Would like to pick your brain if you've been already and/or discuss being part of the group if this is still in the works.
 

RJ Howell

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Hey @Road et al. I'm planning a 4 week trip from PA to Nova Scotia for July or September this year. Would like to pick your brain if you've been already and/or discuss being part of the group if this is still in the works.
I've been to Hopewell Rocks NB (only area in lower NB), across NS to Meat Cove (Cape Brenton), around PEI, up the east coast of NB (love the Arcadian Islands) and over Gaspe coming back down on the western side of the St Lawrence (crossed in Matane, Gaspe to Godbout, Quebec) through Saguenay into Quebec City.

I'm going back, only this time taking it much slower! I plan on two weeks creeping up the Maine Coastline, then entering NB for a couple more weeks and see just how far I get. Hopes are to reach Fundy National Park. I see many possible routes on Gaia up through NB.
 
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CampWithChin

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Hey @Road et al. I'm planning a 4 week trip from PA to Nova Scotia for July or September this year. Would like to pick your brain if you've been already and/or discuss being part of the group if this is still in the works.
Feel free to ask any question. I also just finish a route through Quebec and Canada Maritime. I've been up to Nova Scotia, PEI, NB several times. It's all depend where is you destination.
 
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Rocksylvania

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I've been to Hopewell Rocks NB (only area in lower NB), across NS to Meat Cove (Cape Brenton), around PEI, up the east coast of NB (love the Arcadian Islands) and over Gaspe coming back down on the western side of the St Lawrence (crossed in Matane, Gaspe to Godbout, Quebec) through Saguenay into Quebec City.

I'm going back, only this time taking it much slower! I plan on two weeks creeping up the Maine Coastline, then entering NB for a couple more weeks and see just how far I get. Hopes are to reach Fundy National Park. I see many possible routes on Gaia up through NB.
Feel free to ask any question. I also just finish a route through Quebec and Canada Maritime. I've been up to Nova Scotia, PEI, NB several times. It's all depend where is you destination.
Right now I believe PEI will be my turnaround point. I'm hoping to take my time as much as possible and just enjoy things as I go. Very early planning right now, just started this morning, all subject to change as I go, but I'm thinking 3 weeks will be in Canada. Hoping to have few deadlines, like camping permits, to keep me on a schedule.
 

CampWithChin

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Right now I believe PEI will be my turnaround point. I'm hoping to take my time as much as possible and just enjoy things as I go. Very early planning right now, just started this morning, all subject to change as I go, but I'm thinking 3 weeks will be in Canada. Hoping to have few deadlines, like camping permits, to keep me on a schedule.
3 weeks is a lot to spend in NB, NS and PEI. Are you planning to explore Quebec too? The St. Lawrence/Gaspe area in Quebec is highly recommended. :grinning: