I love driving. I do not understand young people today that either 1) don’t have a driver’s license or B) don’t care about getting one and figure they’ll get it at some point.

I could NOT WAIT until the day I turned 15 1/2 so that I could get my learner’s permit. I bugged my parents all the time to let me drive to the store or the post office or wherever just to get behind the wheel. As an adult, my love of driving translated into being able to save money and buy/lease sports cars. I’ve done autocrosses and driven on tracks and done advanced driving courses.

Yes, I can and do currently drive a manual. I’m offended you even asked the question.

I’ve mentioned before that, in my 20s, I did a LOT of road trips from LA to Las Vegas. LA and even San Diego people will back me up when I say that doing the Vegas road trip is a rite of passage for Southern California youth. Whenever my friends and I went, guess who was behind the wheel?

So, I love road trips. However, we recently were talking with our Canadian contingent and, as they used to say, Game Recognize Game. You boys put me and the rest of the Americans to shame when it comes to road trips. Y’all think absolutely NOTHING of driving for hours on end. You probably think of my little LA to Vegas run as a nice cute little trip to the store.

Of course, it is a lot easier for you since

My curiousity was piqued about the Canadian Road Trip and Canadian Driving Customs in general. So, I reached out to our Canadian contingent and asked some questions. Here are their responses.

1 – How good are the highways?

Litre_cola: Actually, quite good if there isn’t the constant construction.

BC Dick: Depends where you are. Garbage in rural, great anywhere else. Not much different between Van and Seattle.

Game Time Decision: Highways for the most part are good. I live close to Toronto and have driven west to Thunder bay and east to Quebec without any problems. Have also been to Vancouver and St. Johns and drove around there too. So for the most part the highways are in good condition and are similar to the Interstate highways in the USA

Maestro: Overall, highways are very good… the busiest ones, that is. The busiest highway in all of Canada, Ontario Highway 401, which runs from the Ontario-Quebec border in the northeast to the US border between Detroit and Windsor is on-par with the busiest and best-known American highways (I-95 through the Eastern seaboard, I-405 through LA/Orange County, I-10 through Houston… you name it). Many others through Ontario and Quebec (the Ontario 400-series highways and Quebec’s Autoroute system) are virtually identical to the American Interstate system, in terms of controlled access points, average driving speed, and traffic flow.

Unlike the American Interstate system, which features many separate methods /routes of being able to drive across the country, your options in Canada are very limited – we have virtually a single route

that connects all ten provinces from coast-to-coast, which has been designated as the Trans-Canada Highway. While much of the Trans-Canada route does run on four-lane, divided and controlled-access highway, there are also gigantic stretches (particularly through sparsely-populated Northern Ontario and through some of the major mountain passes in Alberta and BC) that are still just two or three lanes, similar to the American federal highway system. While these stretches are still well-maintained, they’ve also still proven statistically to be more dangerous than more modern stretches of the Trans-Canada. The issue with trying to upgrade the entire Trans-Canada to be a minimum of four lanes, divided, and controlled-access, is that for most of those two-lane stretches, there simply isn’t enough demand/need to upgrade the road despite its inherent risks, and that even though there is still federal oversight on ensuring the highway provides access to all regions of southern Canada, the large discrepancies in provincial tax revenue (as highways and roads are a provincially-designated responsibility) means that it would be crippling for some regions of Canada to have to upgrade their roads to match much of what is found in more densely-populated regions.

2 – Are they well-maintained?

LC: Constant construction

BCD: If they are clean, then yeah.

GTD: I’d say yes. We have 2 seasons on the highways: Winter and construction. You either get caught behing the (Mr.) plow or it’s down to 1 lane.

Maestro: Overall, roads are… decent. Some areas are absolutely stellar (New Brunswick finished twinning their stretch of the Trans-Canada probably about 20 years ago, and you can absolutely rip that stretch of the drive out east). Other areas, such as Québec, tend to be overall worse for wear. Québec in particular has road issues in part due to strange allocations of tax revenue as well as the funding models they use to allocate money for specific infrastructure projects… and on top of this, there’s also a serious problem with organized crime and their involvement in road and infrastructure projects in the province, particularly in the Montréal area. (And on that note: you have to have some fucking balls to drive in Montréal. The only worse place I’ve driven in was in Manhattan, which was a ludicrous choice on my part, but hey, fuck it. I survived, and so did my car at the time.)

For less-travelled roads, like any US state, it can definitely be a bit more hit-or-miss. One thing that the majority of Canada experiences, unlike many southern US states, is the impact of winter weather on road quality. Because of heavy snow in many areas, many regions see snowplows prematurely shorten the life of asphalt and concrete, and, of course, the use of road salt, which is incredibly harsh on road networks. Some areas of Canada (such as Québec) actually only use sand because of the studies done showing the destructive nature of calcium chloride.

To sum up, your gauge of whether roads are good or bad is largely regional, highly dependent upon the weather, and what vehicle you’re driving. (All-wheel drive is useful, though I went years without having it prior to my current Subaru Outback, but snow tires are ESSENTIAL. No ifs, and or buts about that part. Many regions actually have snow tires and/or chains mandated by law… BC and Québec, to think of at least two.)

3 – Do Canadians have good driving manners/discipline?

LC: Fuckwits everywhere. Probably about halfway between American freeway drivers in the left lane and strict German drivers.

BCD: Prairie drivers don’t know how to drive around corners.

GTD: I’d say that the driving sucks everywhere, just in the cities you are more likely to encounter the bad drivers, whilst in the boonies, you don’t see as many. But you always encounter these:
Driving in the fast lane at the speed limit, check.
Signalling optional, check
driving so close to me that I can’t see your hood, check
cut me off and then drive slow, check
cut me off and then immediately turn, check
stop signs optional, check

Maestro: I would say overall yes… but certainly, big cities have their fair share of absolute dumbshits on the road. For me the big anomaly is Québec … particularly Montréal drivers. (One weird quirk of driving on the Island of Montréal is that you’re not allowed to turn right on a red light, even if your lane is clear. I believe this stems from the early days of cars having to deal with an especially narrow grid of streets in the downtown core. I don’t know if this law change gives every driver in the province a complex or something, but holy fuck, taking the Ville-Marie Expressway through downtown Montréal at the same time that truckers are making deliveries is oftentimes very harrowing.) Even with drivers outside of Montréal, it appears as though many Québécois drivers must feel that signalling lane changes is an entirely optional activity. Have your horn and your middle fingers at the ready. And if you have Ontario plates driving in Gatineau, QC, do not speed. The Sureté dû Québec make fat stacks of cash pulling over Ontario drivers on the other side of the Ottawa River.

Balls Note: I’m guessing there are a lot of BMWs sold in Quebec…

4 – Are there many gas stations en route?

LC: If there isn’t you get signs telling you.

BCD: Yeah, plenty.

GTD: There are some remote parts without gas stations for miles, but you are warned that this is the last place for gas for XXXX kilometers. Aka gas up now dummy.

Maestro: I’ve never really experienced issues finding gas. The Trans-Canada has very good coverage, as do most of the major Ontario 400-series highways and Québec Autoroutes. For areas that are less busy, I think that the reduction in available gas stations is overall proportionate to the reduction of traffic on the road. I haven’t had a chance to drive through extremely remote areas of Canada such as northern BC/Alberta, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories, but I would probably expect that to be a fair bit dicier. In some Western mountain passes or on some stretches of Highway 17 through Northern Ontario, there are occasionally signs that will indicate the next available gas, but for people using these roads on the regular, they typically tend to be comfortable with understanding how to keep their vehicle ready for drives where fuel availability might be a problem.

5 – Do drivers look out for each other?

LC: In winter, hell yeah. Summer, fuck you dumbass!

BCD: Agreed with LC

GTD: In major cities not so much, but have been pushed out of snow banks and helped peeps out of snowbanks in far too many places.

Maestro: Absolutely. With wild weather a regular feature of the Canadian experience, I think most people are pretty good about keeping an eye out for fellow travellers. I’ve pushed many stuck cars out of snowbanks, and I’ve seen many would-be rubberneckers also stop their vehicles to get out and help others out on the side of highways. I’m sure there are stories that may have different outcomes, but overall, I think that the majority of drivers are pretty considerate here.

6 – What regional differences do you see? (East vs West, North vs South, City vs Country, Québec vs the Rest of the Country)

BCD: Flatlanders get scared with corners. They drive 70 in a 100 zone.

Balls Note: We are talking Canadia, so that’s kilometers. For you graduates of the US educational system, that’s 43 in a 62.

LC: When BCD and I first met, he hated us red plate people (Alberta). I will say Vancouver is very treacheroUs to drive in due to others. I would put it on par with Greece. Keep your head on a swivel.

Balls Note: When I visited Vancouver, my brother drove from Seattle to Vancouver in a rental and I didn’t notice the drivers being THAT bad. However, I live in LA and I’m used to absolute morons that should not be anywhere close to the wheel of a car, so I’m sure that greatly colours my judgment.

GTD: I haven’t noticed too much difference between most regions, but having all the signage in ONLY French when in Québec takes a bit to get used to, and driving while trying to figure out what the sign means is stressfull. Nawt a French speaker, I have “back of the cereal box French”, aka know a few words but nothing useful.

Maestro: When you see a car absolutely ripping past you way, way over the speed limit on a controlled-access highway in Eastern Canada, you can virtually always guarantee that they’re from either Québec or Toronto. The Quebeckers don’t use a front license plate, which is a bit of a giveaway, but the key tell for a Toronto driver is that usually they’re driving Bimmers, Mercedes, or Audis.

In the West, like in Texas, it’s easy to gauge the size of a man’s member based on the lift he’s put on his truck. (This also doubles as a political litmus test.) These monstrously oversized F-150s, Rams, and Silverados are a status symbol in much of Alberta, just as they are for many people in suburban areas surrounding major cities that are still desperate to cling to a way of life that really, truly, is dead, and ain’t never comin’ back.

My one other interesting regional difference – just like the PNW, coastal BC has an incredible variety of vehicles on the road, including many cars from the “Radwood” era of the late 1970s to the late 1990s. Because this is a very wet part of the country, and which doesn’t get much snow save for the very tops of mountains, there’s hardly any road salt used at all, which is a wonderful way of making sure your car doesn’t rust out and therefore can last for decades and decades. Coupled with its geographic location, if you’re a fan of exclusive Japanese Domestic Market vehicles, it’s much more common to spot cars you’ll never find stateside. (Aside from the differences in climate, Canada also has different vehicle import laws – it’s only 15 years to wait to bring in a car from elsewhere, versus having to wait 25 in the US. American Nissan Skyline fanbois will not shut the fuck up about this on Facebook car groups, for one.) There are a number of JDM importers in the Vancouver area who routinely have cool shit that I would love to buy were I not in the market for a house right now.

Scotchnaut: Holy Bananas! It is extremely noticeable once you cross from Ontario into Québec. Feels like a tarmac rather than asphalt. And the on-off ramps in Montréal are shorter than my patience while driving.

7 – What’s the longest distance you’ve driven in one day?

LC: Lake Louise, Alberta to West Hawk Lake, Manitoba. 16 hours.

BCD: Kelowna, BC to Calgary, AB. 7 hours unless your jeep breaks down in Revelstoke, or an accident on the #1

GTD: Shared the drive from Jacksonville FL (Aunt and Uncle have a duplex just off the beach there, so free to stay and due to some dumb renting laws, half a duplex to ourselves) to home with Mrs GTD. Took about 21 hours with stops and food and such. Have also driven back from Thunder Bay by myself, but over 2 days, so about 8 hours each day

Maestro: Solo? I did 11 hours from Ottawa to Sault Ste. Marie, ON, a few years ago, to hang out for a long weekend with my old college roommate.

As a team? Innumerable drives from Ottawa to the East Coast for the summer. (It’s sixteen hours, including the time change at the Québec/New Brunswick border.) It’s fine with two drivers, but it’s cushy with three. I have yet to do it solo in a single shot, which is probably for the best, really.

8 – What’s the longest distance you’ve driven in one trip?

LC: Calgary, AB to Phoenix, AZ, with Oxipug

BCD: See above.

GTD: On our honeymoon, we stayed in Laughlin AZ as it was someone’s empty condo and drove all over the place that week. Put 3K miles on the rental car that week.

Maestro: I did 4500+ kilometres in two weeks just this past summer after being unable to visit my family in Nova Scotia for two years… but I’m sure there were some family vacations as a child that would have absolutely obliterated that number. (I would wager that as a child in 1998, we probably topped 7000 in two months in the trusty old Dodge Caravan as a family).

Balls Note: To put things in perspective, Litre’s and BC Dick’s trip from Calgary to Phoenix is roughly 2,500 kilometers one way.

9 – Has anyone done a complete cross-country trip?

LC: Nope

BCD: Nope

GTD: In Canada in a car, no. Have driven to Jacksonville FL for holidays

Maestro: Not yet, but it’s high on my list. Have not driven the stretch of the Trans-Canada between Sault Ste. Marie, ON, and Calgary, AB just yet… which is a huge chunk of the road. But I have extensive driving experience in eastern Canada, and some in BC as well.

10 – Is it possible to drive to the Arctic Ocean?

LC: You can get to Churchill, Manitoba. I believe you can make that drive in the summer.

BCD: Doubt it.

LC: We have now had a discussion and are intrigued by this.

BCD: I guess you can.

https://www.mustdocanada.com/driving-to-the-arctic-ocean-exploring-tuktoyaktuk/#:~:text=Now%2C%20thanks%20to%20the%20newly,first%20highway%20to%20the%20Arctic.&text=Well%2C%20to%20get%20there%2C%20you,the%20capital%20city%20of%20Whitehorse

GTD: Yes, but only in the winter so you can drive over the frozen lakes. Google “Ice Road Truckers” for a show on it.

Maestro: I believe it is… but I think it’s also seasonally dependent. There are winter-only “ice roads” that exist for truckers to bring in essential goods and services to remote northern communities in the territories, but coupled with the cold, the inclement weather, and with the instability caused by climate change, you have to have some fucking cojones to drive these ice roads. I LOVE driving, and you couldn’t pay me to do that drive. I’m not even sure if they’re open to everyday drivers.

11 – What’s the furthest north you’ve driven?

BCD: Barrière, BC

LC: Ft. McMurray, AB

GTD: In Ontario, have been across the north shore of Lake Suprerior. But was prob a bit father north when out in Vancover, but that’s still pretty far south in BC.

Maestro: I had to look on a map to confirm this, but apparently it’s Lake Louise, AB (51 degrees N). Not all that north, quite honestly. I guess I have some work to do on that front.

12 – How many Moose have you seen?

BCD: 2

LC: 1

GTD: In a vehicle? Zero. In a zoo, a bunch.

Maestro: Just one, if I recall correctly… outside of Oromocto, NB, on the side of the Trans-Canada Highway 2. Couldn’t tell you the year, unfortunately, though I know it was a while ago.

13 – How many different species of wildlife do you encounter on Canadian highways?

LC: Well, I have lived out west for awhile, and in the Canadian Shield, so a lot.

BCD: Bears, Squirrels, Deer, Elk, Sheep, Goats, yeah 20 different.

[Litre_cola’s Father in Law has joined the chat]

FIL: Are we counting birds?

GTD: Have seen deer, fox, bear, rabbit, skunk, and other smaller critters. Some ded, some alive.

Maestro: Alive or dead? I’ve seen all number of dead things. Porcupines, squirrels, rabbits, foxes, birds of all stripes, raccoons… I’ve pulled quills out of a tire sidewall on the LaHave River Ferry in Nova Scotia. As for alive stuff, if you’re on a more remote stretch of road, you’re still likely to encounter a good variety of things. Deer are fairly common (some areas of highway have extensive fencing to keep them out, as well as moose and other big things), and I’m sure if you’re in a remote enough area at night you’d have the chance to see things like bobcats and lynx if you were moving slowly enough. (Stay in the car. For the love of God.)

14 – What kind of gear/provisions do you need for a Canadian road trip?

LC: Well, weed.

FIL: 8 little cok and 26 of whisky

BCD: Smokes, tunes.

GTD: This depends on the time of year. In the summer, prob just snacks and drinks. In the winter, add candle or 2, matches, blankets, shovel, toques, gloves, winter boots and washer fliud.

Maestro: As any experienced traveller will tell you, snacks and water are key. I also have an extensive collection of napkins, wet wipes, sanitary products, you name it. Because I live in an area where winter driving can also be especially harsh, I keep multiple jugs of washer fluid, engine coolant, and oil in my trunk at all times. For the snow, I have a collapsible portable shovel, as well as a spare wool blanket both for potential warmth as well as for potential traction if I am ever stuck (which mercifully is not often these days). I also got a Christmas present a couple years which is a portable battery jump kit… I can jumpstart my own battery off of a USB power bank with no need for a tow or Good Samaritan, which is a nifty little gadget.

I am also a major fan of the outdoors, so I keep a spare first aid kit and key medications (Advil/Tylenol/Gravol/Pepto/etc.) in the car at all times in case my main kit ever needs to be topped up.

15 – Do you prefer driving vs flying domestically?

LC: Depends where I am going.

BCD: I would rather drive.

LC: He hates planes.

FIL (tipsy): People have to realise how big this country is. So I will drive 800 miles, anything over will fly.

GTD: No real prefence, other than cost. With a family of 4, flying gets expensive really quick.

Maestro: I ADORE driving. It’s a form of meditation for me. I am so relaxed and in the zone whenever I’m behind the wheel of a car – I will drive absolutely stupid distances if it means not having to fly… and not because I dislike flying, either. I once offered to chaperone a high school camping trip to Killarney Provincial Park (south of Sudbury, ON, close to Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay) in part because it involved an eight-hour drive to get there (not to mention that the school rented me a very plushy Ford Expedition to take the kids there. I’m not really an SUV guy, for myriad reasons, but if you’re gonna drive one, you should lean into having a ridiculously-sized vehicle fully and completely – especially when you’re not the one paying for gas).

16 – What price becomes the Tipping point for choosing between flying and driving?

LC: Price, and whether I can drive alone.

BCD: (LC answering): He drives, no fly.

GTD: Cost and my rough limit is if it isn’t going to take that much longer to drive then fly, then I will drive. I usually fly out of Pearson, so it’s always a gong show. I’m about an hour from the airport, plus a few hours to check in, plus flying time, plus a hour or so to get off the plane, puts the limit at about a 4 or 5 hour drive.

Maestro: It’s a combination of available days of time to enjoy where I’m going vs. the amount of time needed to drive there – obviously, I’m not going to drive to the West Coast from Ontario if I’ve only got a week’s vacation, as that’s a five-day drive to get there. Flying has historically been expensive.

17 – Is it advisable to drive solo or should you always have a partner?

LC: Depends on how high you want to get.

BCD: I bring my dog.

FIL: Do I want to get there quickly? Then I will drive by myself. (Litre note: He is an insane driver)

GTD: Partner. Assuming you get along with them.

Maestro: Depends on how long you’re looking to drive and where. I think that because I’m pretty experienced both as a solo road tripper and as someone very comfortable in the outdoors, I’d likely do solo trips that others might not. Having a partner definitely makes the whole thing more enjoyable, though… and as much as I loathe giving up the wheel, having a chance to recharge yourself without needing to make a stop is definitely a major plus. I think if you wanted to do any longer than about six hours, a partner would virtually always be a plus.

18 – How expensive is gas up there?

LC: 1.50 a L in BC, 1.409 in AB

GTD: Gas prices here have a stoopid amount of tax on them, and it changes daily and the farther you are away from the cities and the refineries. Gassed up at 135.9 cents per litre a few days ago which works out to be around $5.14 a gallon. Gas prices also go up every Thursday before a long weekend and come down the Tuesday after. So dumb

Balls Note: $5.14 a gallon Canadian is approximately $4.06 a gallon US.

Maestro: Definitely more expensive proportionally that much of the US for sure. Regionally there are major differences in pricing – BC has some of the most expensive gas in the country (often times around $1.50-1.60 per litre), while it’s often less in Alberta (oil country) and Ontario (economic subsidies). Right now, fuel prices are up just about everywhere, which is whatever at this point. I think when I was out doing errands this morning it was about $1.42 here in town, which is about ten cents more expensive than it’s been recently… probably in part due to more travellers on our Thanksgiving weekend.

Balls Note: Again, because the educational system in the US is woefully behind the rest of the world in all things metric, please allow me to translate: $1.50 per liter is approximately $5.69 per gallon. $1.40 per liter is about $5.31 per gallon. Now, since this is in Canadian dollars, let me also do the currency conversion for you. $5.69 Canadian dollars equal $4.50 US dollars and $5.31 Canadian dollars equal $4.20 US dollars. As of November 2021, gas prices in LA are hovering at around $5.00 per gallon, so this is cheap to me. I understand that the rest of the US, however, might find it expensive.

19 – There is no electric vehicle infrastructure up there, is there?

LC: I have no idea, seems like it is creeping in. These BC boys have more of a beat on it than Alberta OIL COUNTRY.

GTD: There’s some and keep seeing more. But if not on our one highway, the pickings are going to be slim.

Maestro: It’s coming along, although I would imagine probably more slowly than what’s happening in much of the US. Along the provincially-funded rest stops off of Ontario Highway 401, there are almost always banks of Tesla superchargers at the ready, and I feel like even around my own city, I’m seeing more and more electric infrastructure popping up (probably due in part due to some prior tax credits available from the federal government for individuals to start putting home chargers into their houses and apartments, as well as rebates for businesses to offer similar amenities, which is a good thing). As much as I love the feel of a rumbling V8 engine or the freedom of shifting gears independently, there’s no denying that the electrification of the automotive industry is definitely a positive thing, even though it may cause headaches at our current juncture. Buying an electric vehicle is simply a matter of “when” and not “if” for me – though I do think I may well end up keeping an ICE vehicle as a hobbyist thing in the future (likely something small and tossable… but I think it would also hinge a lot on what’s available and at what price point). Additionally, long-term, the climate impacts on battery range in EVs needs to be sorted out to make them more practical and palatable for many Canadians, as running your vehicle’s heat and window defrosters in the winter definitely eats up a major chunk of the expected range, which I assume is calculated in more temperate weather further south in the States.

20 – Do we all agree that Elon Musk is a real-life Bond villain?

LC: Alberta, yes. BC, no.

GTD: Think he’s too dumb to be a Bond villian, but that prob makes him a good Bond villian.

Maestro: Fuck Elon Musk sideways with a sack of hammers. I do not understand Tesla’s market valuation whatsoever – and his blatant exploitation of his workers and of the naked greed and stupidity of customers and politicians is unequivocally harming both individuals and society as a whole. Yes, we need electrification of vehicles – but Teslas, as long as their build quality continues to be as shite as they are, are not the answer. Same with his harebrained ides like the Hyperloop or underground tunnels for Teslas… these are terrible ideas, and they’re made even worse when they inevitably end up siphoning away much-needed tax funder of robust, effective, and green public transportation such as trains and subways.