Driving in Canada

I think you will do fine as long as you pace yourself and give yourself plenty of rest breaks. Parts of this route have scenery that just doesn't change for a significant period of time and parts of it are stunning. As a solo traveler, I would make sure that I had starlink or some similar program where I could get help via satellite at any time. If you are going to be doing solo hikes, I'd have a garmin in reach gps on me.

I can only speak for the prairie provinces starting in Manitoba through to Calgary and it's a double lane highway throughout with enough services. I'm a prairie boy so I've never considered it remote but you can go a couple of hours in places with not much. I'm assuming you're also planning it for the summer? It's not a drive you want to do in the winter without winter preparation such as proper tires and an emergency winter kit.

Be aware of the distances. Canada is a very big country.
From Montreal to Calgary is about a 40 hour drive non stop in good weather.
The TransCanada highway has different configurations, from fully separated lanes to a 2 way road going thru small towns and no civilization in other areas.

Pay attention to fuel and accommodation, choose large towns that have hotels, small ones will not.

Watch out for wildlife on the road in the remote areas and take windshield cleaner, it be covered with bug splatters.

Also if using GPS check the settings because it may guide you thru the USA because it's the shortest distance.

That distance is over 2200 miles. I have been to the Canadian Rockies (loved Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper) and Montreal (love it as well), but I would never want to drive between the two. You are looking at three full days of driving at a minimum.

Sorry, but much of it will be going over the rather boring plains areas of Canada. Yes, you could stop and visit Ottawa and Toronto, but, you could do that then fly from Toronto to Calgary.

Thank you all. My planning is very preliminary but I do plan on driving the whole way. Obviously over a number of days and I am looking into a satellite phone just in case.

Three months is fantastic. we just did a six week 6000 mile trip and I have a few ideas. We limit our day to 300 miles the very maximum. Then we would stop for a couple of days to visit certain sights, cities etc. Don't over do the driving especially being solo. Stop every two hours for a rest, stretch your legs etc. Fill your tank when half full. Keep.a.cooler with ice and drinks and take snacks. Stop. by four pm to get hotel and leisure dinner. The front desk people are great with recommending restauranfs. Hotels s.with. breakfast included are worth it to get a good start on the day. Buy postcards in case something doesn't work.out with camera. You can also ask on the Beyond Europe forum of this site for any recommendations from.people who live on your route..enjoy the planning and the trip.

Thanks Gail! It's like you know my plans! My first day on the road I plan on doing a long day just to get "out" but after that it will be very reasonable drive times. It's literally like 3-4 years away but I'm a planner and want to make sure I take as much into consideration as possible.

My husband and I did the drives between East and West coast a number of times....but in our 20s, 40 years ago. Some things won't have changed much, however, and the northern Ontario portion (if planning to go over the Great Lakes) is the more remote. I would suggest doing the Ottawa to Winnipeg route 'in season' if possible. There are vast areas that have limited services outside of tourist season. You may want to consider sider the south route around the Great Lakes between Sioux Ste. Marie and International Falls. Though still sparse, it isn't the hundreds of miles of tall wood like the north route.
You could investigate a route of the World's largest ??? Ukrainian Easter Egg, for example. Hopefully dinosaurs and fossils are of interest. That route, above or below the border can have some amazing places to visit. Also read up on indigenous history. Within Canada, the route follows the trains that broke new territory for our settlement. Until the train ran coast to coast, the West was reached by boat.

Within Canada, the route follows the trains that broke new territory
for our settlement. Until the train ran coast to coast, the West was
reached by boat.

An excellent book is The Last Spike by Pierre Berton.

We live in SD. As such, going E to W in the state is a 5 hr trip - N to S is 3 hr. From Sioux Falls to Chicago (a frequent trip), it's a 10 hr trip. So we are frequent drivers of long distances on the motorized prairie.

I've heard good things about Winnipeg (6 hrs N) and we plan on a trip there maybe in September. I'd plan stops in Winnipeg, Calgary, and the other major Canada cities on the route. If you are a hockey fan, taking in games might be a fun diversion - that would be the snow time.

Good luck. Take lots of pics. We love the prairie.

If you are doing the US, make sure to hit the big northern parks. Theodore Roosevelt NP in ND is a great Badlands park - do that and then go to the Badlands park in SD for a great contrast. Itaska SP in Minnesota is the headwaters of the Mississippi - aside from that, it's a nice lake.

Maybe a Canadian can correct me if I am wrong, but you don't need a satellite phone. A lot of people have a concept of Canada as a wilderness, and while it does have plenty of wilderness, driving across the southern part of Canada is essentially similar to driving across the northern part of the United States. Meaning major highways with plenty of other people.

Thanks again for the replies! I am considering a satellite phone because in addition to Canada I will be traveling through parts of Alaska and heck, it may even help in Yellowstone in some places! Just want to be prepared. I plan on hitting the major national parks in Washington as well.
Thanks for all the tips; they are greatly appreciated and notes have been made.

A couple of things to keep in mind if travelling in summer it that it is also construction season. This can slow your drive down quite a bit and much of northern Ontario is I think still undivided highway. I think there will be areas where cell service is spotty, so would consider a back-up.

Once you hit Winnipeg it's pretty straightforward until you hit Calgary.
Any reason you are not going to continue to Vancouver? That would be a highlight of the trip.

Definitely going through Vancouver but on my way down from Alaska!

If you are hitting the major national parks in Washington State, consider North Cascades NP. It's been listed by some pundits as the most underrated and under visited US national park. A lot of it looks more like the Alps than most other mountains in the USA. And a lot of it can be seen easily from Highway 2 as you drive through.

Vancouver is a great city to visit, far better than Seattle IMO.

Nothing is like the drive from Calgary over the Rockies. They are younger mountains in Canada and it shows. Head north through the central part of BC towards Prince Rupert on the coast. I think from there you can hop the ferry to Alaska.

Now that is a long (and flat) drive through the prairies. Driven the Alberta / Saskatchewan portion, flown the rest. As others have posted, plenty of civilization along the way, but parts get pretty remote and, well ..... flat, without much to see. West of Calgary is stunning all the way west (and north) to the ocean. I have spent a lot of time there in the mountains. Depending on when you go, check ahead with the wildfire situation. Seems like pretty much all of Canada is going through a particularly bad fire season this year. While it may not affect your specific route, air quality and visibility may an issue along the way. Here is a link to the Alberta site. I'm assuming other Provinces will have their own information as well. Safe travels.

https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-wildfire.aspx