This summer, the wife and I will be taking a road trip as our vacation. Right now, we’re planning on leaving Virginia, and heading up the eastern shore to New York City, to stay for a few days. While I really hate big cities, I feel that there is more than enough to keep me interested for a few days. Mostly the Statue of Liberty, and Central Park. After that, we’re headed to Niagara Falls for a day or two, then up to Algonquin Provicial Park for a few days of camping, hopefully, in one of the old ranger cabins. From there, we’ll swing down and take a car ferry across to Sandusky Ohio in order to visit Cedar Point so that I can ride the Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster. After spending a day or two in Ohio to visit family and friends, we’ll make our way back down to Virginia. This all adds up to about 9 days or so of travel and camping. I’m trying to decide on if I should add in another week to that, and see some other sites, but I’m not sure what else to do. Niagara and Algonquin are easy, as is New York City. We toyed around with heading out to Mr. Rushmore, however I think that’s a bit much of a drive for us to do alongside the rest. And I’m not looking forward to a 2 day drive to see the faces, then a two day drive back, since I know of nothing else in the area to do.
So my questions for dopers are:
Will we be far enough north at Algonquin to see the Northern Lights? Is it the right time of year (going in July)? If not, how much farther north should be go?
I’ve been to the Provical Park before as a teen, but do any of our Canadian dopers know of anything else in that area that I should try to see? I’d hate to be within 20 minutes of something interesting and not know about it.
Can we make Mt. Rushmore in that time? Has anyone driven that far on a road trip from the East Coast? If so, how long did it take, and is there anything around that area to see besides the mountain?
Is there a difference on which side of Niagara we stay on? The Canadian, or the US side? Hotel reccomendations for there?
Thanks for any help/advice/opinions/or suggestions that anyone has.
That really depends what solar activity is like. I live on the 55th parallel and by no means do I see them every night. Months can and will go by without seeing them, so don’t hold your breath. You might get lucky though… who knows?
2-3) Sorry, I live out west, not much help!
All I can say is that I know there are several nice hotels on the Canadian side. The US dollar is still quite strong so it very well may be beneficial for you.
Hope that helps a bit!
PS - Western Canada is is stunning, especially Alberta and BC.
Yeah, western Canada is nice, but you’re not gonna want to drive there from southern Ontario.
I recommend you stay on the northern side of the border in Niagara. It’s prettier, in my fuzzy recollection. As for things to do, that is a fairly large wine producing region, although. Googling produced this vineyard http://www.thirtybench.com/ and I’m sure there are more around that will offer tours.
If you’re going to Algonquin, you’re gonna want to canoe. And see the big giant nickel in Sudbury (because really, you have to stop and see the big giant things at the side of the road, if only to take goofy photos).
As for the northern lights, it’s a crapshoot. Sudbury ain’t actually that far north, as far as things go. Most of the western border states have capitals that are farther north than Sudbury.
I’ve driven that far and more. The drive from Ohio would be long, about 20 hours total. On the other hand, South Dakota is a fascinating state, a fact that I can see you didn’t expect to be true. In the Black Hills (Mount Rushmore) area alone, you can check out the Needles - majestic natural granite spires - in Custer State Park, you can visit Flinstones Bedrock City, which actually pretty much reconstructs Bedrock just like in the cartoon (but there aren’t people dressed in costumes walking around a la Disney Land/World), you could spend hours at the Black Hills Reptile Gardens in Keystone, and there’s also the Black Hills Caverns to explore. On the way along I-90 to or from Mount Rushmore, you could drive through Badlands State Park - fantastic scenery - and/or stop in Vermillion, a little town a bit off that Interstate near the SD-IA-NE border, where the local University contains the Shrine to Music Museum.
I’d never discourage someone from touring South Dakota. You won’t leave wishing you had done something else, I guarantee.
Stay on the Canadian side; the prices are better. Can’t recommend a specific hotel, though, we usually just stay in the cheapest AAA-rated motel we can find.
I will second the recommendation to stay on the Canadian side at Niagara. Just across the bridge on the American side is sort of seedy and run-down, and I didn’t like being there at all. Not to mention the American dollar being worth about $1.50 Canadian.
Don’t forget your passport. They’re sticky on who they let across.
In addition, I VERY highly recommend that you go visit Niagara-on-the-Lake. It’s north of Niagara Falls and probably has everything that a visiting (well-mannered) Yank would love about eastern Canada.
Likewise, prices of any Canadian goods there are significantly lower than the prices in the more touristy Niagara falls, especially of prime stogies (not that I, a US citizen would actually purchase an embargoed cigar, I just happened to notice the difference, that’s all and only point this out as a way that you can inform yourself on the differences in pricing between a very touristy area and a place that’s also quite nice but not nearly as touristy, but I’d never actually buy an embargoed cigar, especially not those medium-flavored but complex Cuabas or the potent but still somehow mellow Bolivars, nope, not me.).
You should probably check the changes in customs’ regulations before you come; I have heard that Canada Customs is STRONGLY suggesting that Canadians travelling to the States travel with their passports, and I would assume that that goes both ways. Be prepared for long waits at Customs, too.
There is plenty to see in the area of Mt. Rushmore that make it worth the drive. Besides the stuff that cmkeller mentioned there is the Crazy Horse statue, Wall drug store, and Devil’s Tower is a couple of hours farther west. It is a really beautiful part of the country.
Giving seriouse thought to trying to do the Mt. Rushmore thing now. There are very few things in the US that I really want to see, and that’s one of them. I didn’t know the Crazy Horse monument was there. That is the huge indian’s head mountain thing, right?
Kind of a bummer about the crapshoot for the Northern Lights, I was really hoping to see them…oh well. Just a reason for another trip then.
And the Sudbury nickle is exactlly the type of thing I’m looking for. Stuff that’s a bit off the beaten track, not spectacular, but fun and a novelty.
It’ll always be a crapshoot. My wife and I were really hoping to see them when we went to Alaska, but, though the “aurora forecast” in the local paper seemed favorable, the sky was cloudy during our entire stay, so we saw nothing.
BTW, I mentioned “Badlands State Park” in South Dakota earlier, that should be Badlands National Park.
Yeah, but it is more than just his head. His left are is outstretched and there is much more planned. Here is the website for the project. There is quite a bit to see there.
This is probably out of your way too much since it sounds like you are staying out of New England, but if you are ever in the area, you might like checking out the Desert of Maine. I did it on a trip a few years ago and it was interesting.
You are into Algonquin and rollercoasters? I wonder if you might enjoy wild water rafting on the Ottawa River near Algonquin/Beachburg?
There is a very enjoyable outdoor logging museum near the Hwy.60 eastern entrance to Algonquin, an a very nice indoor museum/interpretation centre on Hwy.60 in the middle of the park.
For a good drive, head along the north shore of Lake Superior. It is very beautiful. Lots of great camping too.
If you find yourself out Rushmore way, pitch a tent in the National Grasslands near Wall. Nothing quite like waking up to a buffalo. It;s a long dull drive out there, though.