General travel time by car...
Jan 13th, 2006, 01:09 AM
#1
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General travel time by car...
I was wondering if anyone could recommend a website that might give aprroximate travel time in a car for different parts of Canada. We are coming from Australia in June and are travelling from Toronto to Portage La Prairie, then on to Vancouver over a couple of weeks with stops on the way but I'm having trouble gauging how far I will get each day of driving. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
Jan 13th, 2006, 04:39 AM
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You might try auto pilot.
http://www.freetrip.com/
I have used it frequently and found it helpful for US travel. You may have to break your request into small sectors, as the route plotted may not fit your needs exactly. (e.g. if you request Toronto to Winnipeg your route out of Toronto is rather circuitous and confusing as the intent is leaving from downtown) It's much quicker and easier to access 400 than indicated.
If you have good maps to supplement this, and play around with what you type in as origination/destination points, it will give you both mileage and average drive times which are helpful.
BTW --Toronto to Vancouver in a "couple of weeks" will not allow for lengthy stops on the way -- it's approx 2700 mi./4500 km. one way.
You might check this site as well -- compact easily read info plus maps.
http://www.canadatravelguide.info/
http://www.freetrip.com/
I have used it frequently and found it helpful for US travel. You may have to break your request into small sectors, as the route plotted may not fit your needs exactly. (e.g. if you request Toronto to Winnipeg your route out of Toronto is rather circuitous and confusing as the intent is leaving from downtown) It's much quicker and easier to access 400 than indicated.
If you have good maps to supplement this, and play around with what you type in as origination/destination points, it will give you both mileage and average drive times which are helpful.
BTW --Toronto to Vancouver in a "couple of weeks" will not allow for lengthy stops on the way -- it's approx 2700 mi./4500 km. one way.
You might check this site as well -- compact easily read info plus maps.
http://www.canadatravelguide.info/
Jan 13th, 2006, 05:54 AM
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Another good web site for driving distances and times is Map Quest at
www.mapquest.com
Map Quest has an advantage over Free Trip in that Map Quest also provides a route map, which I find very helpful.
By default Map Quest shows distances in miles. However, it does allow you to change the settings (via a button near the top of the home page). If you "think" in kilometers, you might be more comfortable reading distances in kilometres.
Free Trip, by the way, does give you the option of requesting kilometres as well.
I've found that Free Trip's estimated driving times are shorter than those of Map Quest. In the past there have been debates around here about which time and distance web site is more accurate. Many people say that Free Trip's times coincide with the driving times they personally have experienced. My experience is the opposite. I've found that Map Quest's times agree with my actual driving times (for the territory with which I am familiar).
Further to what bert2 said, two weeks can get you from Calgary through the Rockies to Vancouver at a comfortable pace. If you were to drive from Toronto to Vancouver (and taking into consideration the fact that you might like to see a bit of the cities at the beginning and end), you would have to keep up a pretty good pace if you were to accomplish that in two weeks.
Last July someone at the TripAdvisor forum asked for a Vancouver - Toronto itinerary over three weeks. I will copy and paste my response to them in the next message. I think it will demonstrate that, to cover that ground even in three weeks, the travellers in question would have had to keep up a steady pace. My message will make reference to losing an hour when the traveller crosses this or that time zone. That was because they were planning to travel from west to east. Since you will be travelling from east to west, you instead will gain an hour at each of those points.
www.mapquest.com
Map Quest has an advantage over Free Trip in that Map Quest also provides a route map, which I find very helpful.
By default Map Quest shows distances in miles. However, it does allow you to change the settings (via a button near the top of the home page). If you "think" in kilometers, you might be more comfortable reading distances in kilometres.
Free Trip, by the way, does give you the option of requesting kilometres as well.
I've found that Free Trip's estimated driving times are shorter than those of Map Quest. In the past there have been debates around here about which time and distance web site is more accurate. Many people say that Free Trip's times coincide with the driving times they personally have experienced. My experience is the opposite. I've found that Map Quest's times agree with my actual driving times (for the territory with which I am familiar).
Further to what bert2 said, two weeks can get you from Calgary through the Rockies to Vancouver at a comfortable pace. If you were to drive from Toronto to Vancouver (and taking into consideration the fact that you might like to see a bit of the cities at the beginning and end), you would have to keep up a pretty good pace if you were to accomplish that in two weeks.
Last July someone at the TripAdvisor forum asked for a Vancouver - Toronto itinerary over three weeks. I will copy and paste my response to them in the next message. I think it will demonstrate that, to cover that ground even in three weeks, the travellers in question would have had to keep up a steady pace. My message will make reference to losing an hour when the traveller crosses this or that time zone. That was because they were planning to travel from west to east. Since you will be travelling from east to west, you instead will gain an hour at each of those points.
Jan 13th, 2006, 06:01 AM
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All times that I quote are driving times only. They do not take into account the fact that you need to stop along the way to eat and to fill your car.
1 : Land in Vancouver.
2 : Visit the attractions in the central part of Vancouver (Stanley Park, Robson Street, Yaletown, Granville Island Market).
3 : Visit Vancouver's "North Shore." See Lynn Canyon and Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver. Drive to Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver.
Vancouver easily deserves 3 full days, and it would be nice to have a day or 2 in which to visit Victoria on Vancouver Island but, if you want to drive the distance from Vancouver to Toronto, I don't believe you can afford any more time in Vancouver.
4 : Drive to Kelowna on the shore of Lake Okanagan (4-1/2 hours). In the afternoon enjoy the lake or visit a nearby winery.
5 : Drive between 6 and 6-1/2 hours to Lake Louise / Banff. In addition to actual driving time, you will lose an hour when you cross from the Pacific to the Mountain Time Zone.
6 : Explore Banff / Lake Louise area. This will need to be a very abbreviated exploration, involving only the absolute highlights, as this area easily can occupy 2 to 3 days.
7 : Drive to Jasper. The drive nominally takes 3 hours. However, there is outstanding mountain scenery along this route, which is known as the Icefields Parkway. If you stop at even the minimal lookout points, the drive will expand to 6 hours. It would not be difficult for it to balloon into 7, 8 or 9 hours, depending how much you want to stop and see and whether or not you would like to do one of the lovely hikes along this route.
8 : Spend the morning walking in Maligne Canyon and driving to Maligne Lake. In the afternoon do the 4-hour drive to Edmonton, which is the capital of Alberta. There are people, but I am not one of them, who will tell you to spend a day at West Edmonton Mall.
9 : Drive 3-1/2 hours to Drumheller. Spend 2 hours at the Royal Tyrrell Museum with its amazing collection of dinosaur skeletons. Drive 3 hours to Medicine Hat, Alberta for the night.
10 : Drive 5 hours to Regina, capital of Saskatchewan. Spend the afternoon looking around Regina. Saskatchewan is in the Central Time Zone but, because it does not observe Daylight Savings Time, you will not lose an hour when you cross from Alberta's Mountain Time Zone into Saskatchewan.
11 : Drive 6-1/2 hours to Winnipeg, Manitoba, which is the capital of Manitoba and the geographical centre of Canada. Manitoba also is in the Central Time Zone but, because it does observe Daylight Savings Time, you will lose an hour when you drive eastwards on this day.
12 : Drive 2-3/4 hours to Kenora, Ontario. Spend the rest of the day hanging out at Lake of the Woods.
13 : Drive 6-1/2 hours to Thunder Bay on the shores of Lake Superior. Lose an hour when you cross from the Central to the Eastern Time Zone.
14 : Thunder Bay is a historically significant place. Spend a day visiting a couple of the museums that depict the history of the region.
15 : Drive 9-1/4 hours to Sault Ste Marie.
16 : Drive to Sudbury, then Barrie, then Toronto. This will involve 9-1/2 hours of driving.
17, 18, 19, 20 : Explore Toronto and its environs. Spend one of these days visiting Niagara Falls from your base in Toronto. You could also consider doing an overnight trip to Niagara Falls.
21 : Fly home.
Postscript. I meant to say that it's possible to devise this itinerary in such a way that a small, medium or large part of the route dips down into the United States and then swings back up into Canada. In the absence of any clarification as to whether or not you were interested in driving a combined Canadian-American route, I provided you with a purely Canadian one.
1 : Land in Vancouver.
2 : Visit the attractions in the central part of Vancouver (Stanley Park, Robson Street, Yaletown, Granville Island Market).
3 : Visit Vancouver's "North Shore." See Lynn Canyon and Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver. Drive to Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver.
Vancouver easily deserves 3 full days, and it would be nice to have a day or 2 in which to visit Victoria on Vancouver Island but, if you want to drive the distance from Vancouver to Toronto, I don't believe you can afford any more time in Vancouver.
4 : Drive to Kelowna on the shore of Lake Okanagan (4-1/2 hours). In the afternoon enjoy the lake or visit a nearby winery.
5 : Drive between 6 and 6-1/2 hours to Lake Louise / Banff. In addition to actual driving time, you will lose an hour when you cross from the Pacific to the Mountain Time Zone.
6 : Explore Banff / Lake Louise area. This will need to be a very abbreviated exploration, involving only the absolute highlights, as this area easily can occupy 2 to 3 days.
7 : Drive to Jasper. The drive nominally takes 3 hours. However, there is outstanding mountain scenery along this route, which is known as the Icefields Parkway. If you stop at even the minimal lookout points, the drive will expand to 6 hours. It would not be difficult for it to balloon into 7, 8 or 9 hours, depending how much you want to stop and see and whether or not you would like to do one of the lovely hikes along this route.
8 : Spend the morning walking in Maligne Canyon and driving to Maligne Lake. In the afternoon do the 4-hour drive to Edmonton, which is the capital of Alberta. There are people, but I am not one of them, who will tell you to spend a day at West Edmonton Mall.
9 : Drive 3-1/2 hours to Drumheller. Spend 2 hours at the Royal Tyrrell Museum with its amazing collection of dinosaur skeletons. Drive 3 hours to Medicine Hat, Alberta for the night.
10 : Drive 5 hours to Regina, capital of Saskatchewan. Spend the afternoon looking around Regina. Saskatchewan is in the Central Time Zone but, because it does not observe Daylight Savings Time, you will not lose an hour when you cross from Alberta's Mountain Time Zone into Saskatchewan.
11 : Drive 6-1/2 hours to Winnipeg, Manitoba, which is the capital of Manitoba and the geographical centre of Canada. Manitoba also is in the Central Time Zone but, because it does observe Daylight Savings Time, you will lose an hour when you drive eastwards on this day.
12 : Drive 2-3/4 hours to Kenora, Ontario. Spend the rest of the day hanging out at Lake of the Woods.
13 : Drive 6-1/2 hours to Thunder Bay on the shores of Lake Superior. Lose an hour when you cross from the Central to the Eastern Time Zone.
14 : Thunder Bay is a historically significant place. Spend a day visiting a couple of the museums that depict the history of the region.
15 : Drive 9-1/4 hours to Sault Ste Marie.
16 : Drive to Sudbury, then Barrie, then Toronto. This will involve 9-1/2 hours of driving.
17, 18, 19, 20 : Explore Toronto and its environs. Spend one of these days visiting Niagara Falls from your base in Toronto. You could also consider doing an overnight trip to Niagara Falls.
21 : Fly home.
Postscript. I meant to say that it's possible to devise this itinerary in such a way that a small, medium or large part of the route dips down into the United States and then swings back up into Canada. In the absence of any clarification as to whether or not you were interested in driving a combined Canadian-American route, I provided you with a purely Canadian one.
Jan 13th, 2006, 06:12 AM
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Jashr2000, please feel free to check out my web site:
http://groups.msn.com/CalgaryandCana...kiesTravelTips
It does not address your entire route. It provides suggested itineraries of varying lengths for the Alberta Rockies and British Columbia.
It also provides tips regarding practical topics like weather, what to pack, national park entry fees, GST refund, etc. Much of that information is aimed at the Rockies. However, some of the information is relevant to the whole of Canada.
Hope that helps.
http://groups.msn.com/CalgaryandCana...kiesTravelTips
It does not address your entire route. It provides suggested itineraries of varying lengths for the Alberta Rockies and British Columbia.
It also provides tips regarding practical topics like weather, what to pack, national park entry fees, GST refund, etc. Much of that information is aimed at the Rockies. However, some of the information is relevant to the whole of Canada.
Hope that helps.
Jan 13th, 2006, 11:43 PM
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Thanks for that everyone. We are actually in Toronto for a week before we begin our road trip and in Vancouver a week as well as the two weeks crossing the country. Hopefully we will have time. We are going to meet our canadian family for the first time in Portage La Prairie and that is the whole reason for the trip.
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