Eastern Canada Road Trips

Affording beautiful vistas of wooded mountains, weather-beaten outbuildings and serene pastures, the byway winds and dips as it approaches the Bay of Fundy, where towering waves crash against the rocky shore at high tide. The dramatic coast is an excellent place to observe wildlife, including whales and migratory birds.

This section of PR 117 traverses central Québec's wooded countryside. Rivière du Nord pops in and out of view at the beginning of the route, which transiitions to wooded mountains and pastures farther north. Other bodies of water are visible later on. You’ll see some commercial areas, but exposed granite and distant tree-lined mountains provide the scenic value.

You’ll see numerous water vistas on this scenic byway. The stunning, expansive Whycocomagh Bay, Denas Pond, Nyanza Bay and St. Andrews Channel, for instance, lie just feet from the road. You’ll also cross over Middle River and Baddeck River. The highlight is Great Bras d’Or; you can see it from the long bridge spanning the lake as well as from Bras d’Or Look Off.

Stark barren hills and rocky formations broken up by thick forest dominate the mountain gorge scenery along PR 510. There are also great views of the Strait of Belle Isle where icebergs are not an uncommon sight, and also along the byway is the Point Amour Lighthouse, one of the tallest and oldest in Canada.

Between glens of birch, maple and oak, granite outcroppings crawl toward the road as you drive past grassy hillsides and inviting lakes. Cute little lakeside villages with antique shops and marinas line the route. Chase some gorgeous waterfalls in Bracebridge.

Along the Northern Woods and Water Route byway, a combination of trees and craggy rocks lines the roadway. Numerous lakes break up the dominant scenery of expansive open lands, including the aptly named Clear Lake in Riding Mountain National Park.

In addition to pine trees and lakes, the Frontier Route offers an abundance of solitude, taking travelers away from the province’s more developed areas on a trek through the Ontario wilderness. TCH 11 traces the shores of first Helen Lake and then the southeastern edge of vast Lake Nipigon, one of Ontario’s largest, which is famous for its unusual black sand beaches.