Northeast Expedition Planning - looking for information

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First State Overland

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I'm in the early stages of planning a trip from Delaware up through to St. John's, NL, Canada. (And back of course.)

There are places I definately want to hit and I've been to Maine before, but I'm looking for recommendations for getting off grid and remote (legally) as possible all the way up there. I'd love to hear any recommendations you guys might have. Trip is three weeks long, leaving in mid-June 2017.

Here's my draft punch list so far.

  • DE up to Arlington, VT area.
  • Over to Mt. Washington
  • Over to Portland, Maine
  • Take the CAT over to Yarmouth Nova Socotia
  • Drive up to Cape Breton Island
  • Take another ferry to Gros Morne National Park
  • Come back down to PEI and through St. John's this time,
  • Down the coast of Maine, stopping at Bar Harbor and Acadia and
  • Back towards home.
What else should I do on the trip?
 

Daniel Etter

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Vermont and New Hampshire have a ton of beautiful trails! Check out exploring NH website for trails and info. I made a similar trip years ago when I lived in Delaware! Took two weeks off and went north! Wish I could do it again! Have fun!
 
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expeditionnorth

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for Vt trails check out my forum: expeditionnorth.boards.net

I'll show you around if time allows

I've hosted several trail runs for gmc4x4.com in the past here

always a fun event

just let me know
 

w_m_photo

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I'm not sure about a ferry to Grosse Morne NP. But, typically you take a ferry into Port aux Basques. Then take rt 1 up to the park. If you are heading all the way up there...
I would take the next ferry at St. Barbe over to Labrador. Last time I was up that way the paved road ended at Red Bay... Fun place to explore... Very little people.
If you are making your way over to St. John's on NFL and head back to Cape Bretton via Argentina's ferry. I would then stop at Saint Pierre... Kind of cool to see an actual French outpost that is still French.
Now for the fun. There are two main routes from the west side of NFL to the East. There is the northern route where you should stop at Terra Nova NP. Very cool place.
The southern or central route, the last time I was up there was a lot of off road and unpaved roads. There are a couple of clubs up there. I'd contact one of them and ask about the trails... Very cool place. I spent a month up there the last time. I'll be back up there in about a year and a half...
Check out Nova4x4.com for trail reports.
 

w_m_photo

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Almost forgot to add... If you can. Stop at Cape St. Mary... Very cool place... South of St. Johns.
Cape St. Mary.jpg
To give some perspective... That's my mother I circled in this photo.
mom.JPG
And some from Gros Morne... Western Brook Pond-1.jpg
Western Brook Pond-2.jpg
Western Brook Pond Gros Mourne N.P.-1.jpg
And if you get a chance, hike up the Tablelands... Pretty cool... This trip was in late July and I still found snow.
Tablelands-3.jpg tablelands-4.jpg Tablelands-2.jpg
 
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First State Overland

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Almost forgot to add... If you can. Stop at Cape St. Mary... Very cool place... South of St. Johns.
View attachment 8915
To give some perspective... That's my mother I circled in this photo.
View attachment 8916
And some from Gros Morne... View attachment 8917
View attachment 8918
View attachment 8919
And if you get a chance, hike up the Tablelands... Pretty cool... This trip was in late July and I still found snow.
View attachment 8921 View attachment 8920 View attachment 8922
Wow! That's exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks a million for these posts! I'm going to check out all of these places.
 

Road

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I'm not sure about a ferry to Grosse Morne NP. But, typically you take a ferry into Port aux Basques. Then take rt 1 up to the park. If you are heading all the way up there...
I would take the next ferry at St. Barbe over to Labrador. Last time I was up that way the paved road ended at Red Bay... Fun place to explore... Very little people.
If you are making your way over to St. John's on NFL and head back to Cape Bretton via Argentina's ferry. I would then stop at Saint Pierre... Kind of cool to see an actual French outpost that is still French.
Now for the fun. There are two main routes from the west side of NFL to the East. There is the northern route where you should stop at Terra Nova NP. Very cool place.
The southern or central route, the last time I was up there was a lot of off road and unpaved roads. There are a couple of clubs up there. I'd contact one of them and ask about the trails... Very cool place. I spent a month up there the last time. I'll be back up there in about a year and a half...
Check out Nova4x4.com for trail reports.
This is good info - said you'd be headed back up in a year and a half . . . that would be about now, eh? Still going, just gone, or going up soon? I'm researching a trip up through the Maritimes and Atlantic Canada.

@First State Overland - Just watched your teaser for the trip you took up there - very cool, very inspiring! Looking for more. . .
 
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Road

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Sure did.

Ha - just edited my post above as you were posting, to say I just watched your teaser/trailer.

I love the Maritimes, and first went up there about 45 years ago, spending most of my time in Cape Breton and PEI, staying with old farm families, etc, then again with a girlfriend years ago. Headed back up again this spring, I hope, solo with my van and XV-2 trailer, and hope to get up to Newfoundland and Labrador as well.

If you're ever up Portland way, ring me up, dinner and drinks on me in exchange for picking your brain a bit.
 

First State Overland

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Ha - just edited my post above as you were posting, to say I just watched your teaser/trailer.

I love the Maritimes, and first went up there about 45 years ago, spending most of my time in Cape Breton and PEI, staying with old farm families, etc, then again with a girlfriend years ago. Headed back up again this spring, I hope, solo with my van and XV-2 trailer, and hope to get up to Newfoundland and Labrador as well.

If you're ever up Portland way, ring me up, dinner and drinks on me in exchange for picking your brain a bit.
Thanks will do. It was a great trip, even if everything didn't go as planned. (More on that as I edit the last episode.) It was certainly a learning experience what NOT to do on several fronts when trip planning for a group and attempting to film it with anything short of an experienced film crew. But we're taking all of those lessons learned and applying them to this fall's trip to the northwest! Cheers!
 

Road

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Thanks will do. It was a great trip, even if everything didn't go as planned. (More on that as I edit the last episode.) It was certainly a learning experience what NOT to do on several fronts when trip planning for a group and attempting to film it with anything short of an experienced film crew. But we're taking all of those lessons learned and applying them to this fall's trip to the northwest! Cheers!
Oh I can imagine. Big learning curve in all that. I'll be headed up to the PNW too, later in the year, then up to the Yukon and Alaska, though not sure when. Trying to get into a shop there in Kamloops BC and another in Colorado, so will bend around their schedules probably. I'm not tied down to any one plan or another; it'll happen as it's supposed to.

See you out there somewhere, some day. . .

Til then, dry roads and open skies.

Road
 

w_m_photo

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I'm still planning on heading up there... It's been pushed back to next summer though.
This summer, I'm heading back to the Rubicon out west... Right after a Family Hawaii trip to celebrate my Mother's 90th year... and to make it to her 50th state...
And, after we are back from that. I'm heading to Iceland for a bit. So... Newfoundland will be waiting till Summer 2019 now. All of that above being said... 2019 It will be happening!