We are going to Canada!

[Cricket]

Ok friends to the north....we are in MN, and this summer plan to take a trip up the North Shore.....bringing us to Thunder Bay. The plan is to pull the Scamp into Canada for a day or two of sightseeing. Couple of questions...
1. Do I need anything special to bring the Scamp in to the Country?
2. Are there any tried and true places to stay (campgrounds and such) near
the Thunder Bay area?
3. Anything I should see in the area?
4. Anything else I need to know?

Thanks in advance!

[Raz]

I was advised to get a new insurance card. It was free for the asking and simply duplicated everything in French. Raz


Edit: sorry, auto insurance

[Cricket]

What kind of insurance card? Auto or health.....or both I suppose?

[theresa p]

hi cricket---lake of the woods area would be beautiful for you to explore. as for crossing the border, no guns, no weapons. as to the insurance card---french isn't necessary unless you are crossing into quebec, which you won't be. even here in new brunswick, which is officially the only bilingual province, it would be a courtesy but not a necessity.
others who live closer can advise on a specific campground....
but welcome, in advance!!

[steve dunham]

We went last year. We were told we needed a passport ,current auto insurance card ,proof of health insurance, title/ registration papers for vehicle & trailer , vaccination papers for any pets and our drivers license . We were given a list of items you can and can not import into Canada . Canadian Customs usually asks about firearms ,tobacco and alcohol . If you have a DWI you will not be allowed entry into Canada . Canadian Custom people are very polite yet thorough , American customs are usually grumpy

[cpaharley2008]

Going into Canada was easy. Do not carry any weapons. That said all they wanted was your tag #, be sure and have that memorized because if they have to come out and look at it they may then want to look inside. Coming back was just as easy, just passports and again your tag#.

[RRJR]

There are lots of good campgrounds near TBay. You can p/u a "Camp in Ontario " and an`Ontario Provincial Parks` books usually found at any (?) information booth. Should be one close to the boarder (on Canadian side) They show the Prov parks and the private parks in all location.

[David Tilston]

Have you read:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...hem-56681.html

We are a scary bunch.
When will you be comming to the great white north?

[honda03842]

We've crossed a dozen times and only have had to show our Passports.

We've never been asked for proof of auto or health insurance though we do carry our insurance information for obvious reasons. We have no pets, carry no weapons and do not joke about them.

We've traveled thru Quebec a number of time and have never had a document in French. We find French campgrounds can be a hoot because it's not unusual to find that the owners speak no English, particulalrly in the out of the way areas.

Beyond the standard weapons, alcohol and do you have gifts questions, there is really not much to crossing though on occasion we've had our coach 'inspected'.

You'll have a great time.


We have found border agents friendly on both sides of the border with agents at relatively rarely crossed borders more "thorough".

Excluded items like certain fruits and meats vary from time to time and province to province. We never carry very much so it usually seems unimportant to us.

[Raz]

I seem to recall in a thread similar to this someone mentioned no dog food??

[Cricket]

Well i know we aren't bringing a dog, so the dog food shouldn't be an issue.... and we would be going mid-august.

[David Tilston]

Hmm. We will be coming back from Manitoulin island in mid August. Perhaps we will meet.

[Cricket]

We have a cabin we use north of duluth and will base from there and head to canada for a couple days.

[Marsha D]

We've only had to show our passports, been asked what by U.S. Customs to give them our tow vehicle license number and that was pretty much it. Pretty painless.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by P. Raz

I was advised to get a new insurance card. It was free for the asking and simply duplicated everything in French. Raz


Edit: sorry, auto insurance

LOL Really not necessary even when traveling through Quebec.

[Carol H]

A couple of handy items to have if traveling in Quebec are Google Translator (or a small french phrase book) and a GPS. You will not likely need a translator unless as Norm mentioned you head out into the rural areas and even then you will probably find someone who can help you out pretty fast. Translator will come in handy while shopping though in most of the province. The GPS comes in handy for detour signs which are normally all in French. Nice to have the GPS to get you back on track should the detour send you off in a direction or to far from where you want to go without having to look up what a word means while driving. I had a giggle last summer while visiting an Aunt in Montreal. While on a shopping trip we hit a detour sign and I asked her what it said. She responded with I havent a clue but I will watch the GPS and if I think its taking us off course I will let you know. She BTW has lived in Montreal for more than 40 years.

[FRED SMAILES]

Things to do.
If you don't know about Terry Fox read up on him and stop by the marker that has been placed in his honor just east of TB.
Fred

[emers382]

Hi Cricket

We lived in Thunder Bay for 17 years so here's some ideas

Stop in Grand Marais MN before you cross the border, a great little town on the lake.

If you want to do Thunder Bay activities (get to Old Fort William for sure) then stay at Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park west of the city on the Trans-Canada.

If you like hiking and nature then stay at Sleeping Giant Prov. Park north of the city then out onto a peninsula in Lake Superior - you can climb the Giant, and on the way north of town just outside is Terry Fox which Fred mentioned.

Please let me know if you want any more info..

Adrian

[David Tilston]

I also vote for Sleeping Giant Park. Not cheep, but amazing. When we drove by the giant, when I was a kid, I always thought that the it only looked like a sleeping figure from the perspective of the highway. Nope, it is like a huge scale model of a guy laying down. The various trails are named after anatomical features, like the Chest Trail, the Head Trail, the Top of the Giant Trail. It is all in this pdf file, in way more detail then you could every want:
http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/...nt_bg_info.pdf

[cpaharley2008]

What a nice link, really interesting write up, thanx for the info.