cross canada?

Question

I'm driving from Toronto to Vancouver next week and someone told me that I shouldn't go ( wait till spring) because the pass between the rockeies is to dangerous in the winter time. Is this true? Is thier a good route between Calgary or Edmonton to Vancouver? How many passes are thier in the rockies?

Answer 1

although driving thru the passes can be done, because lots of people do it, if you can wait until spring do so. Obviously you don't have experience drivng through the passes, and they require skill, patience, excellent winter tires, and the knowledge of what to do, and how to react in case of an emergency. Keep in mind there is virtually no cell service over most of the passes. I have personally never been over the pass on highway 16, but I have traveled the Number one highway, and the crowsnest highway, and although the crowsnest pass is reletivley easy to drive, the Kootenay pass from Creston to Salmo is quite long and steep. So is Rogers Pass. The Princeton-Hope pass is no picnic either. And keep in mind that no matter what the weather is doing at the bottom of the passes, it can go from easy to treacherous with every rise in meter in elevation, winter is very unpredictable. If you decide to drive, make sure your equipped with excellent winter tires, warm cloths, mitts, boots, shovel, extra washer fluid, a proper snowbrush and scraper, and a road emergency kit wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Answer 2

If you can drive through the states instead, do so.

Otherwise, prepare for winter driving. (A trip to Canadian Tire should help you.) Consider getting a basic CB radio, because cellphones are useless in many parts of the trip.

Allow yourself plenty of time, because conditions can be bad in several places, not just the mountains.

Become addicted to the Weather Network. They even have highway road conditions.

When the transport trucks aren't driving, or you start seeing them sprawled beside the road, it's time to check into a motel for the night.

Keep in mind that you have fewer hours of daylight at this time of year, which can add to the winter driving issues. If time isn't a huge issue, leave in the mornings just before the sun rises, and stop for the night just before the sun sets.

All that said, winter across Canada, can be a beautiful thing. Some of the best sunrises I've seen were in winter in Saskatchewan. If you drive hwy 17 instead of hwy 11 in northern Ontario, Lake Superior is stunning. As are, of course, the mountains.

Answer 3

"I am usually bombarded with questions (many of them repeats)... My criminal history is clean, not even a traffic ticket, so I wonder why I face extra scrutiny" I'm still relatively young, a male - but lost my idealism a while ago and take a more realistic approach to things. Is a family of five, some father and mother with kids in the back of the car wearing Disneyland hats or entering Canada on a day's shopping trip to Vancouver likely going to be smuggling in a kilo of weed or meth across the line or trying to get an assault rifle into the country. Odds are pretty slim, agreed? A younger person might be, more likely even if they are alone - drug runners usually go solo. Sorry but those are the averages. As an honest citizen of course you don't get why you are being asked or why you are being singled out. To the person who says they're going camping for a week or whatever and don't have a reservation, or funds but really plan on being an illegal alien or law breaker they probably get the reasoning why better than you would - be thankful for it lol. (a border guard in BC was just asking a US male some questions and dude picked right them to commit suicide... shooting the Border Guard in the neck [she survived] accidentally in the process.. They have no idea who you are bud until after they finish asking questions, that's just the way it is - it's not intended to be disrespectful, just cautious. Someone can be okay one day and got off the next, it happens) If you want an all-access laminate that says your trustworthy as a given get a NEXUS card, that's the purpose of them. And thanks for being a cool person in Canada - it's appreciated greatly :)

Answer 4

Yes that is a dangerous route to take, there are several passes through the Rockies. If the driving conditions are horrible they will detour you. Through the Rockies it is not uncommon to have road closures, pass closures and lengthy detour due to poor road conditions, animal migration or avalanche risk.

The best advice, is that because there are high winds and often difficult driving conditions, have some good snow tires and keep your speed down. Through the Rockies the roads are fine, very well maintained, it is crossing the Purcell's and Coastal mountains through the BC interior where things can get dicey.

Answer 5

Total nonsense: The roads and passes are well maintained through the Rockies. Like anything else common sense prevails. If its snowing hard and you are not comfortable find a place to stop for awhile . As a rule the passes are open all the time except for bad weather just like the roads in any other place in North America

Answer 6

They're all here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Mountain_passes_of_Canada

Kicking Horse Pass and Crowsnest Pass are the easiest to drive. No Sweat.

But you should probably consider going through the U.S. as it's a lot shorter than going around through Northern Ontario AND
that route is a lot scarier than the Rockies by far because, hardly anyone lives up there. You can drive for miles and miles and not see anything but pine trees.

Answer 7

I wouldn't wory so much about the mountains, I'd be more concerned about northern Ontario. It would really suck, getting stranded up there.

Answer 8

dont bother wait till spring