Roadtrip through the prairies

[middeljohn]

Hello prairie dwellers and fellow Canadians. I will be driving from Toronto to Edmonton next month for my move and am going to do it all through Canada. As a result I will be going through both Manitoba and Saskatchewan. I've never been to either of these provinces, so in the two days it'll take me to cross them I want to make the most of it. The first night I'll be staying just south of Winnipeg, and the second night in Swift Current, SK. I already know I'm going to stop in Regina, but I'm asking ya'll for some other cool things I could check out along the route. Any tips would be much appreciated!

[VANRIDERFAN]

Are you staying on the TCH?
April is a bit of a tough month to see much on the prairies. It could be still covered in snow or farmers are already starting to prep their fields for this years crop.
South of Winnipeg to Regina in one day is a pretty good drive and you won't have much time to stop and see too much.
But you will get lots of blue sky and an ability to see forever. I also recommend that on your return trip that you take the Yellowhead highway from Edmonton - Saskatoon - Yorkton - Portage (where you will meet up with the TCH). It is 4 lanes from Edmonton to Saskatoon and then 2 lanes the rest of the way. But you will drive through the praire to parkland transition zone vice the southern shortgrass prairie your other route takes.

Good luck, enjoy the drive and welcome to the West!

[middeljohn]

Yep, gonna stick to the TCH. From.Morden to Swift Current is about 800km, so 8 hours with no breaks. So I'm willing to spend a total of 4 hours on stops throughout the the day, probably 2 in Regina.

I pondered quite a bit whether I should.take the northern or southern section of the TCH, but decided to take the southern one because, even though it's longer, I get to pass through Calgary that way. I'll miss out on Saskatoon this time, but seeing as it's only 5 hours from Edmonton I'm sure I'll end up there a bunch of.times!

I'm really excited about seeing the prairies though. I've heard about how flat is and how far you can see and find it kind of tough to imagine to be honest, so I'm looking forward to it.

[esquire]

Unfortunately the TCH between Winnipeg and Regina misses some of the more interesting sights and places in the region.

The good news that will be maybe a 8 hour drive from Winnipeg to Swift so if you have all day you can make a stop or two along the way. The TCH gets more interesting once you pass Moose Jaw - the best scenery IMO is between there and Medicine Hat.

If you aren't in too much of a rush, I might recommend a stop in Fort Qu'Appelle east of Regina - just turn off at Indian Head. It's a short detour but the scenery of the Qu'Appelle Valley is very pretty.

I would also suggest taking the city route through Moose Jaw. It has a very nice downtown area that is worth stopping the car and walking around in.

If your final destination is Edmonton and you'll be passing through Swift Current (when I drove that route, I would typically take the 16 or turn off the TCH at Regina to get to the 16), you could bypass Calgary and visit Drumheller. It's in kind of an inconvenient location but it actually makes sense to pass through if you're going from Swift to Edmonton. You can stop there and visit the Royal Tyrell Museum if you are so inclined.

Have a good trip! Bring an iPod loaded with music or make sure you take out a SiriusXM subscription before going... there is not a lot on the radio for much of the TCH, especially when you're deep in the shield.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by middeljohn

I'm really excited about seeing the prairies though. I've heard about how flat is and how far you can see and find it kind of tough to imagine to be honest, so I'm looking forward to it.

The flattest part of the prairies that I have seen is the Red River Valley, which you will see when driving from the TCH to Morden. The flat lands combined with the huge wind farms is quite a sight!

Despite its reputation, Sask seems hillier although they too have their share of flat lands, especially east of Regina.

[Riverman]

Originally Posted by esquire

The TCH gets more interesting once you pass Moose Jaw - the best scenery IMO is between there and Medicine Hat.

Absolutely!

I did Winnipeg - Calgary last summer and used highway 2 (13 in SK) instead as far as Weyburn, then from there up to Moose Jaw. Much better scenery than the TCH from Winnipeg - Regina. Assuming you will be returning to Toronto by car, try to take different routes in the other direction.

The Corner Gas set is in Rouleau SK on the highway between Weyburn and Moose Jaw. We really enjoyed that.


EDIT: You may want to consider your return route along Hwy 2 heading east from Grand Forks, ND. Very pretty drive and you get to see the other side of Lake Superior. Ashland, WI is a very nice place to spend the night.

[CoryB]

Are you planning to drive through Winnipeg or around the outside of Winnipeg?

Also, are you interested in stopping and looking at things? Any special interests?

[h0twired]

EDIT - Reading fail.

[biguc]

I take it you have family in Morden? It's not really just south of Winnipeg, and it's a pretty huge detour from the TCH. But it's a nice enough little town. Better than Winkler.

[harls]

Hey Middlejohn.

If you're in Morden, just continue along number 3 all the way to Sask. I used to live in Regina once upon a time, and lived in Killarney. 3 turns into 18 (SK) at Carnduff, Go to Estevan for some McDonald's (you'll need it). then head up #39 to the Trans Canada. You'll appreciate this country lots more if you do it. Send pics

[drew]

^ We took a road trip to Calgary a few years back and went the Killarney to Estevan route. It's nice country.

Beyond Estevan, we actually stayed on #18 all the way to the Cypress Hills area. Camped along the way traveling 4 to 6 hours each day.

If you want to feel alone in Canada. Take the #18 west. Not a word of a lie, we went one stretch of about 100km on a 2-lane road without passing a car, a road, a farm, driveways, nadda. I was paying close attention to this, as we were driving in a 25-year VW van, with our then 10 month old son.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by drew

If you want to feel alone in Canada. Take the #18 west. Not a word of a lie, we went one stretch of about 100km on a 2-lane road without passing a car, a road, a farm, driveways, nadda. I was paying close attention to this, as we were driving in a 25-year VW van, with our then 10 month old son.

Interesting! Even the TCH can be desolate... after buying a car there, I drove back from Calgary last year on Super Bowl Sunday... first time I did the TCH in years, and there were surprisingly few cars out on the road. I can only imagine what the 18 must be like!

I have always wanted to take a highway other than the TCH or Yellowhead when heading west, but in the end I have always opted for the fastest route.

[drew]

^ driving in a VW van, speed isn't an option, so I usually opt for the scenic route!

[1ajs]

U can take the yellow head (#16 hwy) from Manitoba right to Edmonton takes you through some amazing landscape

[esquire]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

U can take the yellow head (#16 hwy) from Manitoba right to Edmonton takes you through some amazing landscape

I drove the Yellowhead a few times when going to school in Edmonton... it isn't bad. It definitely takes you through some more desolate areas though, from about Yorkton to Saskatoon where it feels like you drive long stretches where there is nothing to see.

As with the TCH, the scenery gets better once you get through Saskatoon and get closer to the Alberta border. The OP seems intent on hitting Regina and Calgary, though, so it sounds like the Yellowhead is out of the question.

[alittle1]

Originally Posted by drew

^ We took a road trip to Calgary a few years back and went the Killarney to Estevan route. It's nice country.

Beyond Estevan, we actually stayed on #18 all the way to the Cypress Hills area. Camped along the way traveling 4 to 6 hours each day.

If you want to feel alone in Canada. Take the #18 west. Not a word of a lie, we went one stretch of about 100km on a 2-lane road without passing a car, a road, a farm, driveways, nadda. I was paying close attention to this, as we were driving in a 25-year VW van, with our then 10 month old son.

And if you take a small bag of golf clubs with you, there are a few 9 hole courses with sand greens that you can play along the way too. When you get to Cypress Hills take one of the trails that leads NW and you'll run into the St.Marys Water Control Area that takes you up to Brooks. Or, Go North at Cypress Hills Park back to #1 and take #3 at Medicine Hat thru Bow Island, Taber, Vauxhall, (potato country w/ irrigation) Turn West at Gliechen and you will run (901) right in to 22X & Glenmore Trail and MacLeod trail. Nice road to see the lights of Calgary with mountains in the background at sunset.

[1ajs]

if hes going to do the calgary run then i highly recomend stoping in moosejaw.......... seariously its worth the stop

[middeljohn]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Curious, how frequent are gas stations through the two provinces?

Originally Posted by Riverman

Absolutely!

I did Winnipeg - Calgary last summer and used highway 2 (13 in SK) instead as far as Weyburn, then from there up to Moose Jaw. Much better scenery than the TCH from Winnipeg - Regina. Assuming you will be returning to Toronto by car, try to take different routes in the other direction.

The Corner Gas set is in Rouleau SK on the highway between Weyburn and Moose Jaw. We really enjoyed that.


EDIT: You may want to consider your return route along Hwy 2 heading east from Grand Forks, ND. Very pretty drive and you get to see the other side of Lake Superior. Ashland, WI is a very nice place to spend the night.

I didn't think of visiting the Corner Gas set, and now that you brought it up I am most definitely stopping by there! I loved that show when it was on, although not more than my dad. I'll have to stop just so I can send him some pictures as evidence, hehe.

Originally Posted by CoryB

Are you planning to drive through Winnipeg or around the outside of Winnipeg?

Also, are you interested in stopping and looking at things? Any special interests?

Oh I'm definitely stopping in Winnipeg before heading south to Morden. It'd be rather disappointing to drive all that way past a city I've often wondered about without stopping to take a look. Most likely I'll grab a bite there before heading south.

Originally Posted by biguc

I take it you have family in Morden? It's not really just south of Winnipeg, and it's a pretty huge detour from the TCH. But it's a nice enough little town. Better than Winkler.

Yeah I have a buddy who lives there. The free bed makes up for the extra hour I'll have to spend to get there. Given the total distance of the trip, and the fact that I'm already taking the long route, an extra 120km isn't that big a deal. More of Canada for me to see!

Originally Posted by harls

Hey Middlejohn.

If you're in Morden, just continue along number 3 all the way to Sask. I used to live in Regina once upon a time, and lived in Killarney. 3 turns into 18 (SK) at Carnduff, Go to Estevan for some McDonald's (you'll need it). then head up #39 to the Trans Canada. You'll appreciate this country lots more if you do it. Send pics

Thanks for the routing advice! I will definitely be taking a lot of pics. Possibly record the entire drive if I can get my hands the right equipment for cheap.

Originally Posted by 1ajs

if hes going to do the calgary run then i highly recomend stoping in moosejaw.......... seariously its worth the stop

You can count Moose Jaw on the list of places to stop. And like someone above suggested, I'll do the city route.

[1ajs]

theres hot springs in moose jaw btw

[esquire]

Originally Posted by middeljohn

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Curious, how frequent are gas stations through the two provinces?

Frequent enough that you will not run the risk of running out, at least during the daytime.

If you take a lot of north/south detours off the TCH then it would be wise to at least be mindful of your fuel levels. Also be careful late at night, as most small town gas stations will close in the evening (although larger towns will offer 24 hour service). Many years ago I had to spend a few hours dozing in my car in Maple Creek SK waiting for the Esso to open up in the morning!