Driving from Montreal to Burks Falls - suggestions?

[des]

Hey Everybody,

I will be attending the Montreal Dragonboat Festival the end of July, afterwards I have to drive to Burks Falls (about 60KM south of North Bay).

Does anybody have any driving suggestsions for me? I would like to travel through Ottawa and Alqonquin but am afraid that the road will just be too slow compared to driving down the 401 and back up the 400/11.

What do you guys think?

[Skarbro]

What exactly are you asking? Are you asking what is the fastest route? Mapquest can help you there. Or are you asking what is the most scenic route?

[des]

I guess in general the fastest.

But if we are talking 5.5 on the 401/400/11 vrs 6 hrs with the scenic route I would take the scenic route for sure ( I have never travelled that road or anything close to it), so it would be something new.

[starwind]

Google maps is your friend (and did you know (new) you can drag and drop the route line to customize your route?? how cool is that!)

Montreal to Burks Falls:

initial Google routing (http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=burks+falls,+on&daddr=montreal,+qc&sll=45.623643,-73.553467&sspn=0.774099,1.867676&ie=UTF8&z=7&om=1) 582 km – about 7 hours 6 mins

taking 417/17 to North Bay then dropping down (http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=burks+falls,+on&daddr=46.027482,-77.431641+to%3Amontreal,+qc&mrcr=0,1&mrsp=1&sz=7&mra=dpe&sll=45.452424,-76.47583&sspn=3.10569,7.470703&ie=UTF8&z=7&om=1) 627 km – about 7 hours 18 mins

via the 401 to 400 and up (http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=burks+falls,+on&daddr=HWY-400+S%2FTrans+Canada+Hwy+E+%4044.963210,+-79.777380+to%3AHWY-401+W+%4044.009000,+-78.002670+to%3AHWY-401+W%2FMacDonald-Cartier+Fwy+%4044.452730,+-75.887210+to%3Amontreal,+qc&mrcr=0&mra=mr&sll=44.949249,-77.376709&sspn=3.133267,7.470703&ie=UTF8&z=7&om=1) 873 km – about 9 hours 22 mins


Looks like Montreal to Burks Falls through Ottawa & Algonquin is your best option for time and distance. The weather is nice, so no worries of snow on the highways :-)

The 417 gets a bit unpleasant during rush hours through Ottawa and into Kanata, but compared to the 401 in TO it is really pretty minor (more annoying than anything... and when the traffic isn't really slow... people like to go 80 - 90 on the posted 100 highway.. I have lived here a few years and can't figure that one out yet...)...

Too bad it wasn't fall -- the fall colours would be spectacular.

Good luck!

[cereal83]

I would not take the 401, take hwy 17 from Ottawa to Northbay and then south on hwy 11 2-3 hours and your there!

[des]

We will be leaving montreal probably around 5pm sunday, so I would like to take the transcanada as some have suggested.

I guess that would put me in Ottawa around 7pm or so? How is the traffic at that point on a sunday eve?

I will be in a rush to get to burks falls so I can get some decent sleep, but are their any must see attractions along the way to north bay on the highway I should stop for? Or is it mostly just nice scenery I can see while driving by?

[starwind]

7pm on a Sunday... unless you run into something going on at Scotiabank Place in Kanata (where the Senators play... but also concerts and the like)... should be pretty much quiet smooth sailing through Ottawa...

As for what to see, other than scenery I don't know what to suggest on a Sunday evening, sorry...

[EvilDeadFan]

I live in Ottawa and drive up to the Huntsville area to visit some family a lot. I always go down the 17 and take a left down the 60 and go through Renfrew, then straight down the 60 all the way down to Huntsville. Very fun drive through the park. I always love going nice and quick through the twisties. Aspiding road after Huntsville on the way to Rosseau ontario is one of the most exciting roads I have ever driven on. :D Very good transitions, twisties, crazy.

[barrie3]

the park is allways a nice drive just wach out for moose!

[starwind]

Moose and deer (and foxes/coyotes -- but mostly just their glowy eyes freak you out before you realize it isn't a deer).

Especially around dusk and at night ...

( don't assume daylight = no deer -- I have seen a Moose near the highway inside Ottawa city limits during morning rush hour in bright daylight .... the entertaining part was watching the Ottawa police officers and animal control officers trying to corral it // get it far away from the highway; needless to say the BIG Moose didn't human requests very well :-) )

[starwind]

Since you'll be going through Ottawa, if you have the time (you wanted to have dinner in Ottawa anyway, right??? ;-) it is later than the 7pm you were planning on coming through)...

... you may want to stop and take in the "Sound and Light Show on Parliament Hill":

July 5 to September 9, 2007
Free Show, Nightly on Parliament Hill
(Wellington Street at Metcalfe Street)

"Canada: the Spirit of a Country uses fantastic lighting gigantic images and a rich tapestry of words, music and sound to tell the story of our nation."



Info is at:

NCC website (http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/bins/ncc_web_content_page.asp?cid=16297-16298-22878&lang=1)

Show info from above website:

Schedule

* From July 5 to September 9, 2007.
* 30-minute bilingual free show.
* Bleacher seating is limited.
* Shows may be cancelled in the event of bad weather.

At the end of July the showtimes are at 9:30 and 10:30 pm.

[wingnut12]

I second Evil's route. The hwy 60 route is much better than going through north of Algonquin Park. It's shorter, less travelled, and has (for the most part) a better road surface.

[Magitronic]

best route ... take 401 down to whitby, get off on brock road, follow it up to rossland, take a left turn, follow to lakeridge road (hw26) , take a right, follow all the way to beavertin, then turn at the dead end towards HW12 ... take 12 up to the 169, take a right onto the 169, then go north on HW11 when you hit it, follow the signs to burks falls :P just a idea, use map quest for a little more percise directions .. but thats the fastest way.