Portland Me. to Toronto
 

What is the best way to drive to Toronto from Portland Me.? Through Canada or through the US? I will be traveling this summer and will not be a a huge rush. Distance?<BR>Thanks

It's about a 10 to 12 hour drive depending on traffic and weather. We prefer going through vermont and then Quebec or crossing the border from NY to Ontario via Thousand Islands. Since we live in TO and Portland is our "halfway point" I can't remember what would be halfway between Portland and TO but we have stayed various times in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Lake Placid and the finger Lakes regions of New York. All absolutely wonderful!! We just found there were more choices of interesting places with hotels on the US routes than driving through New Brunswick/Quebec. New Brunswick is gorgeous in parts and if you have the time to stay in New Brunswick and then drive to Quebec City, that is also outstanding. However, as I said, the trip we make each year, our "halfway point, if driving through Canada, would land us in a part of Quebec that has no hotels.

Thanks. That was very helpful.<BR>sj

Don't know how long it will take, but here's a route you could do: Take 302 West from Portland to Littleton NH. Hop on I-93 N to I-91 N. Cross the border at Derby Line. Follow the highway to the Autoroute (Rt 10) take that west to Toronto. To give you an idea on "time", Portland to St. Johnsbury VT (I93/I91 intersection) is about 3 hours, and Montreal is about 2ish hours from St. Johnsbury. As you probably know, Route 302 is very scenic and since you're not in a rush, it may be a nice way to go.

We've done this route several times, exploring many different highways but these are our favourite routes, with a nice mix of thruway and secondary highway travel. <BR>Westbound: Pick up rte. 2W at Bethel, continue through St. Johnsbury to Montpelier, then I-89W to Burlington VT. We sometimes stay overnight there, or drive up to Stowe, then double back and take the ferry across Lake Champlain the next day. Stowe is an interesting spot to visit in any season. Off the ferry, continue west on rte. 2 through Lake Placid to Watertown, then north on I-81 to cross at Ivy Lea Bridge near Gananoque. You could stay overnight here and take the Thousand Islands Cruise, then continue west on Hwy 401 to Toronto. Another place with a wide range of accommodations/restaurants is Kingston. Milo's dowtown for Greek food is excellent. You can take the T. I. Cruise from here, but we prefer the one out of Rockport (just east of Gananoque) Upper Canada Village and Old Fort Henry are also worth a visit in the Kingston area. From Kingston it's flat and fast all the way to TO. <BR><BR>Eastbound from Toronto: Take the QEW to Niagara, then 405, crossing at Lewiston. Take 290 to I -90 E (Albany) , then rte 7 around Troy, which becomes rte. 9 in Bennington VT. We usually stop in Bennington, at the Bennington Motor Inn. (Just around the corner from Robert Frost's* gravesite) and also so we can have dinner at the Publyck House. Continue rte. 9 (Molly Stark Trail) through some wonderful mountain scenery, stopping at the Skyline Restaurant, between Wilmington & Malboro for breakfast. Pick up rte. 4 at Concord, continue to I -95 or stay on 4/202 all the way home!<BR><BR>*Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—<BR>I took the one less traveled by,<BR>And that has made all the difference.<BR><BR>Happy trails! <BR>