Anyone with Alberta highway knowledge?
- fluffy
- Admiral HMS Castanet
- Posts: 28190
- Joined: Jun 1st, 2006, 5:42 pm
Anyone with Alberta highway knowledge?
I'm tasked with moving a vehicle from Fort McMurray to Phoenix next month, so it sounds like a good chance for a road trip with someone else paying for the gas. Most of what we want to spend time looking at starts once we hit southern Utah so the plan is to put in a couple of long days to start. I've been told that getting off the main route at Lac La Biche and heading due south on the Veterans Memorial Highway that goes down through Taber and Brooks can shave an hour or two off the trip compared to the traditional route through Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbridge. Can anyone confirm or dispute this?
“We’ll go down in history as the first society that wouldn't save itself because it wasn't cost effective.” – Kurt Vonnegut
- xjeepguy
- Buddha of the Board
- Posts: 17885
- Joined: Aug 3rd, 2008, 8:53 am
Re: Anyone with Alberta highway knowledge?
Done the Brooks to Ft Mac on 36 and also on 56 through Camrose , Stettler etc.. If you have decent weather and aren't in a blizzard 36 is a good choice . Either IMO are better then going through Edm etc..
When a man opens a car door for his wife, it's either a new car or a new wife
- xjeepguy
- Buddha of the Board
- Posts: 17885
- Joined: Aug 3rd, 2008, 8:53 am
Re: Anyone with Alberta highway knowledge?
Oh ya , if you go near Camrose , Tripolis Tasty Choice restaurant by the 7/11 , best freakin pizza / Donairs around ;)
When a man opens a car door for his wife, it's either a new car or a new wife
- fluffy
- Admiral HMS Castanet
- Posts: 28190
- Joined: Jun 1st, 2006, 5:42 pm
Re: Anyone with Alberta highway knowledge?
It's not going to happen until the last week of April so I'm hoping weather won't be an issue. Other than it being too hot at the other end of course.
“We’ll go down in history as the first society that wouldn't save itself because it wasn't cost effective.” – Kurt Vonnegut
- Bsuds
- The Wagon Master
- Posts: 55084
- Joined: Apr 21st, 2005, 10:46 am
Re: Anyone with Alberta highway knowledge?
try Google maps and you can move the route around to see the differences in travel time.
I got Married because I was sick and tired of finishing my own sentences.
That's worked out great for me!
That's worked out great for me!
- xjeepguy
- Buddha of the Board
- Posts: 17885
- Joined: Aug 3rd, 2008, 8:53 am
Re: Anyone with Alberta highway knowledge?
You'll be fine then , thats a great road trip with nice weather . When I've been that way , ya can't help drool at the farms full of old classic cars laying there sunning themselves.
When a man opens a car door for his wife, it's either a new car or a new wife
- fluffy
- Admiral HMS Castanet
- Posts: 28190
- Joined: Jun 1st, 2006, 5:42 pm
Re: Anyone with Alberta highway knowledge?
I plugged Ft. McMurray and Coutts, the border crossing into Yahoo maps and the route in question came up.
“We’ll go down in history as the first society that wouldn't save itself because it wasn't cost effective.” – Kurt Vonnegut
- fluffy
- Admiral HMS Castanet
- Posts: 28190
- Joined: Jun 1st, 2006, 5:42 pm
Re: Anyone with Alberta highway knowledge?
xjeepguy wrote:If you have decent weather and aren't in a blizzard 36 is a good choice .
Yes, 36 is the one I've been eyeballing. Starts in Lac La Biche and heads pretty much due south, joining Highway 4 about 30 or 40 kms shy of the border.
“We’ll go down in history as the first society that wouldn't save itself because it wasn't cost effective.” – Kurt Vonnegut
- DeepEnd
- Fledgling
- Posts: 293
- Joined: Jan 30th, 2010, 8:36 pm
Re: Anyone with Alberta highway knowledge?
We have driven across Coutts from Calgary and its a super highway compared to anything in Canada. We swung over to Boise and Sun Valley then down through Twin Falls to go south to California and Arizona. First night out was Boise, second night out was Reno, third was Phoenix then LA.
Brooks would get you to Taber and then to Milk River/Coutts and you're home free.
Watch out for snow anywhere. We went third week of May and hit pocket snowstorms in Idaho and Utah and Nevada.
Drive safe and have a great time!
Brooks would get you to Taber and then to Milk River/Coutts and you're home free.
Watch out for snow anywhere. We went third week of May and hit pocket snowstorms in Idaho and Utah and Nevada.
Drive safe and have a great time!
Never pass up the opportunity to do good.
- Relentless
- Grand Pooh-bah
- Posts: 2440
- Joined: Jan 22nd, 2009, 7:52 pm
Re: Anyone with Alberta highway knowledge?
fluffy wrote: I've been told that getting off the main route at Lac La Biche and heading due south on the Veterans Memorial Highway that goes down through Taber and Brooks can shave an hour or two off the trip compared to the traditional route through Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbridge. Can anyone confirm or dispute this?
Seeing as how I lived in Alberta for many years and have travelled most of the highways, I can tell you this..
Going around Edmonton is not bad at all, it takes 15 minutes to scoot around Edmonton, and you do so at 60-80 kms/hr.
The number 2 highway south is 3 lanes each way and you travel at 110 kms/hr, it turns into 2 lanes each way south of Edmonton, but you can cover your route to the States border faster, just by staying on the #2 Highway.
I'd be willing to bet that you will spend at least 2 hrs longer driving south on the #36 because you are going to be behind every farmer from every community, and is single lane each way.
Edmonton to the US border usually took me 5 hrs 45 minutes on the #2.
Personally, I would recommend going south on highway 2 from Edmonton, via highway 28 south of Fort Mac, but that's me!
- Relentless
- Grand Pooh-bah
- Posts: 2440
- Joined: Jan 22nd, 2009, 7:52 pm
- damuffin65
- Fledgling
- Posts: 101
- Joined: Feb 14th, 2005, 11:08 am
Re: Anyone with Alberta highway knowledge?
My husband drives from Coaldale to FMM frequently and he takes 36 from Taber to Lac La Biche then over to 881 as opposed to Hwy 63. I go to Sherwood Park frequently and I take 23/24 which by-passes Calgary and comes right into Sherwood Park.
On occasion he has come down Hwy 2 from Edmonton to Fort McLeod, then 3 to Lethbridge - travel time was within 15 minutes to 1/2 an hour.
I prefer the scenic hwy over the QE-indy route and since the time is close to the same for me it is way less stressful.
On occasion he has come down Hwy 2 from Edmonton to Fort McLeod, then 3 to Lethbridge - travel time was within 15 minutes to 1/2 an hour.
I prefer the scenic hwy over the QE-indy route and since the time is close to the same for me it is way less stressful.
****************************
"A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds." Mark Twain
"A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds." Mark Twain
-
- Admiral HMS Castanet
- Posts: 25718
- Joined: Dec 26th, 2010, 12:47 pm
Re: Anyone with Alberta highway knowledge?
Whatcha gonna see in Utah/Arizona? [insert jealous smiley here]
There is nothing more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. - Martin Luther King Jr.
- damuffin65
- Fledgling
- Posts: 101
- Joined: Feb 14th, 2005, 11:08 am
Re: Anyone with Alberta highway knowledge?
I neglected to mention that it takes my Hubby 10 hrs +/- 5-10 minutes from the Shell in Gregoire (FMM) to Hwy 3 in Taber that is with 2 very quick fuel/pee stops. You can take Hwy 36 south to Hwy 4 which gets then takes you to the Coutts border crossing - did a mapquest search and it is 289 from Taber to Great Falls Montana
****************************
"A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds." Mark Twain
"A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds." Mark Twain
- fluffy
- Admiral HMS Castanet
- Posts: 28190
- Joined: Jun 1st, 2006, 5:42 pm
Re: Anyone with Alberta highway knowledge?
rustled wrote:Whatcha gonna see in Utah/Arizona? [insert jealous smiley here]
Looking to push fairly hard until we get to the canyon lands / Navajo Nation areas of southern Utah and northern Arizona where we'll pull back on the throttle and dawdle from there. Arches National Park, Monument Valley, Painted Desert, hit a trading post or three, maybe overnight in Sedona. And some shopping in the Phoenix area. We have a place to stay in Mesa which is home to one mother of a huge swap meet (Yankee for "flea market"). If time permits we'll do an over-nighter to Las Vegas. We've only got a ten day window to fill so we're deliberately leaving plans loose, we have a list of things that would be nice to do, but only a short list of "for sure we gotta do this".
“We’ll go down in history as the first society that wouldn't save itself because it wasn't cost effective.” – Kurt Vonnegut