Best route to drive from Calgary to Toronto?

[Super_Geo]

I drove it last summer and just took the #1 all the way there, but does anyone know a faster route? I hear going through the states should be faster, but I've never done it and don't know what route I should take.

Also, you guys got any suggestions on passing the time in the car? I'm downloading as many stand up comic acts as I can off of Kazaa... haha, hopefully that'll pass some of that 36 hours.

[ryder_23]

Thats exactly what i did for my road trip....But i did it this way...

Start off with:
Eddie Murphy Delirious
Then throw in a few techno/driving songs to wake you up, standup is funny yet you need something up beet to keep you awake..
After
Eddie murphy Raw
Repeat up beat music
Chris Rock Bigger/Blacker
Music
Jerry Seinfeld
music
Robin Williams
music,

etc...
just incase you need some standup, theirs a good 5 hours of it.

[K271]

Going through the states cuts like two days of the driving time, goto maps.yahoo.com and find the directions. Don't use mapquest, their directions suck. If I remember you go into saskatchewan then hit the border, go through North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, up through Detroit. Something like that but yahoo will give precise directions.

[atomic]

hey man .. i drove here from windsor .

to reverse the direction, K271 is close ..

drive from here to winnipeg, south on winnipeg to north dakota (fargo) .. stay on the interstate and take the TOLL ways .. they're MUCH faster .. u'll end up in detroit . keep going north till u hit Sarnia .. then go west towards london, and north 2 hours to toronto ..

the trip took me a day and a half with sleep . i slept in winnipeg

[B17a]

Originally posted by atomic
hey man .. i drove here from windsor .

to reverse the direction, K271 is close ..

drive from here to winnipeg, south on winnipeg to north dakota (fargo) .. stay on the interstate and take the TOLL ways .. they're MUCH faster .. u'll end up in detroit . keep going north till u hit Sarnia .. then go west towards london, and north 2 hours to toronto ..

the trip took me a day and a half with sleep . i slept in winnipeg

That's not bad, I did it along the #1 a few years back in 2 and a half days stopping in Winterpeg, and outside of Thunder Bay. Shitty drive though once you hit Ontario, single lane, moose, RV's, trucks, OPP everywhere! We thought about comign back through the US but didn't get around to it.

[Strider]

mappoint's quickest route:

Total Distance: 3415.4 Kilometers
Estimated Total Time: 36 hours, 59 minutes

http://mappoint.msn.com/(qgdaok45fiz...t&RouteUnit=KM

mappoint's shortest route:
Total Distance: 3225.8 Kilometers
Estimated Total Time: 39 hours, 33 minutes

http://mappoint.msn.com/(qgdaok45fiz...t&RouteUnit=KM

[K271]

atomic, are you from windsor???

[Horatio]

I made the trip to Hull, Quebec with a friend once. Non-stop each way it took about 49 hrs there and 44 back. We crossed the border in Saskatchewan and back up through Detroit.

I was a little delerious by the time we got to TO so I'm no sure how long it was to that point.

Greg

[3G]

yeah my cousin drove both ways, the USA route was waaaay faster

[Redlyne_mr2]

Ive done the drive 6 times already..haha its hell, I prefer to go through Canada just because you don thave to worry about border, american police, americans etc. Ive gone through the states as well you save about 4 maybe 6 hours but it costs you more because of our weaker dollar

[fast95pony]

I've done the drive along Hwy 2 which runs just south of the border,into michigan,across the Makkinaw bridge,south on hwy 75 to Flint (??) then east to Sarnia and onto hwy 402 and 401.

It's a few hundred kms shorter,but you have to cross through Customs and change money to USD. I'm not sure how long the border crossings take now ?? Driving through Canada might save some hassles...

[K271]

The borders in Windsor and Sarnia can be crowded. Windsor/Detroit crossing at the Ambassador bridge is the busiest crossing in North America. Cause of all the trucks and Sarnia's crossing is just behind Ambassador's. There is also the tunnel from Detroit to Windsor which can be slow cause you have to go through downtown Windsor. I would recommend taking the Ambassador bridge. But customs won't make a difference, you're canadian going back into Canada they have to let you in. It's going across into the states. Just show proof that you are going back into Canada.

[Super_Geo]

Thanks guys.

We'll be going through the States, probably just before Regina. Though the Winnipeg route seems ok too. Any suggestions between these two?

Also, Mappoint says that going south right before Regina is the fastest, but then recommends taking small back country highways all the way there.. would it be faster taking the interstates or are the small highways that much faster?

(I'm looking at the map that Strider provided: http://mappoint.msn.com/(qgdaok45fi...st&RouteUnit=KM)

[Luke 96 T/A]

Oh yuck...
I'm trying to decide if I want to fly to Montreal and ship my car (total cost - $1500 for two people)

Or just drive.. (total cost=$500)

bleh... flying looks most appealing right now

[K271]

Interstates may have toll fares. I know when I drove from NYC to Toronto I paid about $25 bucks in tolls for a 7 hour drive. So back roads may not be that bad. Plus you'll be fighting the roads with crazy truckers.

[atomic]

Originally posted by K271
atomic, are you from windsor???

not originally . but the last place i lived was windsor .

[szw]

Any tips on how long the whole journey should take including stops for sleeping. Hopefully 2 drivers but might only be 1, any good tips on places to stop over?

At least I'll get to fly back home!

[88CRX]

Sarnia... woot woot....

i've done the drive from regina to sarnia 3 or 4 times.... pretty quick but u run into rush hour traffic if dont time it right... chicago and detroit traffic sucks

next june we are heading down to niagra falls... wew.... 36+ hours... gonna try 24 hours sleep then the last 12+

[Atombomb]

There is no way you could make it in day and a half with sleep, thats crazy. I drive from Detroit to Calgary and back all the time, the easiest way is to go south into montana, work your way to the no. 2 take 94 all the way to detroit through fargo, nd. Madison,wi down through chicago... take the toll roads i think its ohio 90 right through gary indiana all the way to toldeo take 75 north to detroit cross at the ambassador bridge (faster than the tunnel always) then take the huron church raod (windsor the rest of the way) It should take you 2 and a half days, any less and your really pushing your car and not getting enough sleep. The trip is fun once you get past dickinson north dakota.

I want to know how you got there in a day and a half who ever said that... if there is like a route that I don't know about I'd really like to know thats insane!

[Atombomb]

Originally posted by Super_Geo
Thanks guys.

We'll be going through the States, probably just before Regina. Though the Winnipeg route seems ok too. Any suggestions between these two?

Also, Mappoint says that going south right before Regina is the fastest, but then recommends taking small back country highways all the way there.. would it be faster taking the interstates or are the small highways that much faster?

(I'm looking at the map that Strider provided: http://mappoint.msn.com/(qgdaok45fi...st&RouteUnit=KM)

Interstates would be by far better! Take 94 to 90 to I-75