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Essential Travel Tips for a Winter Road Trip in Canada

Exploring Canada by road doesn’t have to be limited to the summer season. Winter road trips offer low crowds, cheaper prices and wonderfully snowy scenery. But there are undoubtedly more challenges.

Some of them I knew before our recent 4700km two-week winter road trip across Canada, some of them I definitely didn’t. We experienced sun, snow, ice, blizzards, high winds, slush and temperatures down to -35c.

Here’s everything I would have wanted to know before setting out that epic winter road trip in Canada.

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Essential Tips for a Winter Road Trip in Canada - Kootenay National Park, BC

Be prepared for short driving days

Daylight is limited in the winter. I don’t know about you, but I hate driving in the dark, especially during winter when blizzards, black ice and freezing rain is all possible.

On our winter road trip in Canada, we drove when the sun was coming up and generally stopped soon after it went down. This reduced our driving window to approximately 7am – 4pm, depending on time zone and location.

Yep, don’t forget that if you drive across Canada you will be passing through a number of different time zones! Remember that the time of sunrise and sunset will vary as you drive across different provinces and territories.

Driving prairies

Pick your destinations carefully

You’ve probably already guessed, but due to adverse weather conditions and lack of visitors, many attractions in Canada have either reduced hours or are completely closed in winter.

A lot of provincial and territorial parks will have limited access or will be completely closed to visitors.

Don’t worry, however, there are still places to visit and things to see as we proved on our winter road trip across Canada. Hot springs, in particular, are a great place to stop when crossing Canada in winter.

Read Next: 42+ Amazing Things to do in Banff in Winter

Looking down into deep snowy Marble Canyon, which is backed by snow capped mountain
Marble Canyon, Kootenay National Park, BC

Be aware of limited roadside facilities

In a similar theme to the above advice, many roadside facilities are shut during winter. This includes things like toilets, visitor centres and rest stops.

Typically, the buildings are completely locked (we found Ontario the worst for this). Quite often, the road leading to these facilities isn’t snowploughed at all.

It is also important to know that some gas stations are closed during winter. This wasn’t a problem in most places with the exception of Highway 1 between Kenora and Sault St. Marie. I definitely wouldn’t advise risking a low gas tank in this area.

It’s a good idea, in general, to keep your vehicle topped up with gas to prevent the fuel-line freezing up during winter road trips.

Essential Tips for a Winter Road Trip in Canada - Arriving at the Saskatchewan border

Don’t rush on your winter road trip in Canada

I know it almost goes without saying, but on a winter road trip in Canada, you MUST be prepared to drive slower than normal. Slippery roads, reduced visibility, heavy snowfall and black ice may not just slow progress down, but force you to pause or stop the trip completely.

In extreme conditions, highways are sometimes closed. For this reason, plan plenty of extra time to get to your destination(s).

In summer, it is not uncommon for some people to drive across Canada in as little as four days. In winter, this would be an unrealistic (and potentially dangerous) challenge.

Essential Tips for a Winter Road Trip in Canada - Snowy road conditions in Ontario

Unexpected winter road trip hazards

When heading out to drive across Canada in winter, I anticipated tough road conditions and weather. Some things, however, I did not think about were:

  • Road signs can become completely covered in snow, making navigation sometimes difficult. This shows exactly why it is useful to have both a physical map (I personally love Backroad Mapbooks) and offline access to Google Maps. For the latter, I downloaded sections as we drove
  • Despite being Canada’s major road across the country, Highway 1 doesn’t necessarily have phone signal all the way along it. We had an intermittent signal when driving through the BC side of the Rockies and then completely lost it for about 200 kilometres in Northern Ontario (from Wawa to the outskirts of Sault St. Marie)
  • High winds can cause snow drifts in unexpected places. Be careful because snow drifts can be surprisingly deep and make for difficult driving
  • Most of Highway 1 across Canada is double lane separated highway. There are however large sections in Northern Ontario and smaller stretches in British Columbia that are not. In these areas, it is easy to be momentarily blinded by snow flurries caused by oncoming vehicles (especially trucks).
Manitoba grain elevators in winter

Must have items for any winter road trip in Canada

Aside from good winter tires, there are a few other crucial items required for winter road trips in Canada. I’ve also added a couple of extras that we found very helpful during our own trip across Canada.

Shovel and tow rope

Two items you’d hope not to use, a shovel and tow rope are essentials for winter road trips in Canada. We chose to purchase an avalanche shovel for a couple of reasons.

Essential Tips for a Winter Road Trip in Canada - Canadian Rocky Mountains near Banff

Since they are usually carried while backcountry skiing, avalanche shovels are lightweight and pack down small. Secondly, we hope to start snowshoeing in the backcountry this winter and will need one anyway.

Jumper cables

Winter weather isn’t kind to car batteries, to say the least. Be sure to carry some jumper cables, just in case. Luckily, it was not necessary to use jumpers on our own vehicle but we did have to boost someone else’s car just a couple of blocks from Niagara Falls in -20c weather.

Lots of windscreen washer fluid

During 4700 kilometres of driving across Canada in winter, we used over 20 litres of windscreen (or windshield) washer fluid. And that was in relatively good winter weather.

With so much snow, ice, dirt and general grime splashing up on the windscreen, washer fluid is absolutely essential during winter road trips to keep clear visibility. There were times when we had to use it after every passing vehicle.

Make sure you buy winter windscreen washer fluid rated to -40c or lower. Consider also replacing your windscreen wipers if they are not winter rated.

Essential Tips for a Winter Road Trip in Canada - Gemma driving in December

Emergency kit

Think sleeping bags, blankets, food, gloves, warm hats, wind-up flashlight (torch), first aid kit, extra clothing, water (see below). This equipment could save your life if road conditions force you to be stuck in your vehicle.

Since we were moving across Canada with all of our belongings in the vehicle, we already had all this stuff with us by default.

For reference, to sleep comfortably in our van at -30c weather we used individual 0c rated sleeping bags, two duvets and three more blankets on top.

Clothing-wise, be sure to have lots of different layers. When driving, the vehicle will be warm and hence less clothing will be needed.

But if your vehicle gets stuck in adverse weather, more layers will quickly be required as well as warm, waterproof winter gloves and boots.

Essential Tips for a Winter Road Trip in Canada - Calgary skyline

Insulated flasks

Cold weather freezes liquids. Ergo, water is harder to store on a winter road trip. The solution, however, is easy. Insulated flasks.

Used most often for coffee and tea, you can also use insulated flasks to keep water and other liquids cold (but not frozen) in freezing conditions.

One morning, we had absolutely nothing unfrozen to drink except what was in our 24oz (680ml) Hydroflask. Be sure to have at least one insulated flask in your vehicle.

Cooler

Following on from the insulated flask logic above, coolers are also useful on any winter road trip in Canada. If possible, store any kind of fresh food in one of these to give it a little more protection against the cold temperatures.

Of course, always carry some dried food (granola bars, nuts) that will still be edible if they happen to freeze and defrost a few times.

Essential Tips for a Winter Road Trip in Canada - view of the American side of Niagara Falls

And remember….

To still have fun! Winter road trips in Canada are more challenging, however, it can be an enjoyable experience.

Driving 4700km across the country in December may not be my number one recommendation to someone thinking of visiting Canada, but winter road trips definitely do have their benefits.

For one thing, everything looks somehow even more beautiful under cover of snow. Canada is truly a winter wonderland in every sense.

Be sure also to read this winter driving advice and prepare your vehicle properly before heading out on the road.

You may find these related posts helpful:

The Complete Guide to Travelling Canada in Winter

65 Cool Things to Do Across Canada in Winter

8 Must See Places On A Winter Road Trip Across Canada

What to Wear in Canada in Winter: A Complete Guide

Snowshoeing 101: A Beginner’s Guide

Snowy forest in New Brunswick

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Barney Samuel

Friday 19th of November 2021

Hey! My girlfriend and I are embarking on this journey on Monday. I’m wondering whether it’s a good idea to buy snow chains before leaving Montreal for whistler. Your articles given me so much confidence in the journey. Knowing about the water freezing overnight… priceless info!!

Gemma

Friday 19th of November 2021

Hi Barney,

If you're moving to BC, I would 100% buy snow chains. Otherwise, it really depends on what your plans are. We didn't need to use snow chains on our winter road trip across Canada as we had the time to stop and wait out the worst snow storms. If you're in a rush, I'd suggest snow chains for sure.

Just in case you're not aware of the situation, you should know that all four highways from the BC interior to the coast (which includes Whistler) are closed. At this time, you would have to drive through Washington and then cross the border near Vancouver and then drive up to Whistler via Squamish. This may change in the coming days. The most direct route for you normally would be via Highway 99 from the east, but there were multiple mudslides. But it doesn't sound as bad as Highway 1 and 5, where parts of the highway were destroyed completely. Be sure to check DriveBC often and also weather forecasts.

Sid

Wednesday 17th of November 2021

Hey Gemma, Great post and very useful info. I am a new Canadian resident and started doing road trips this summer and I can't wait to explore more of Canada during the winter. I think am gonna start prepping based on your recommendations here. :)

ps: the link for "winter driving advice" is not working. I think the page has moved to this new URL: https://www.caa.ca/driving-safely/winter-driving/

Thanks!

Gemma

Thursday 18th of November 2021

Hi Sid,

I'm glad you found this post helpful! I really appreciate the heads up that the link has changed. Now fixed! Thank you!

Daneille

Friday 13th of November 2020

Hi- Thanks for the blog- I am about to make the journey from Toronto to Kelowna just after the Christmas holiday's! Some great tips. Thanks for sharing!

Gemma

Friday 13th of November 2020

You're welcome Daneille! Have a safe trip

Anoli

Wednesday 1st of April 2020

Is early April considered winter weather to drive across BC, passed Regina, through southern Manitoba?

Gemma

Thursday 2nd of April 2020

Hi Anoli,

You could still experience winter weather conditions driving through the mountains and Prairies at this time. Some of the issues I mention in this post are still completely true (hazards, closed facilities) but some are less applicable (short driving days for example.) We drove through heavy snow in Banff in mid April one year. It disappeared quicker than it could have done during Dec/Jan/Feb, however, due to the fluctuating conditions.

Sultan

Tuesday 5th of November 2019

Hi i am planning on traveling to Fort Smith North West territories next week from Winnipeg so how do you think i should plan i have to be there by November 12? What should I keep and how could be the road conditions? Thanks

Gemma

Monday 11th of November 2019

Hi Sultan,

Wow, that is a long road trip! At almost 2,600km, I would plan to be driving for at least five days, with at least a day (or even two) in case of delays. I would definitely keep a close eye on weather conditions leading up to your trip. Sorry I didn't see your message until now, I've been travelling without signal for over a week.