A Paws & Provinces trip journal
Eastern Canada
Tilly's first time in the Maritimes
Summer 2025
Our 2025 road trip east from Ontario toward the Maritimes, from Gananoque into Québec and onward.
In 2025 we headed east instead of west, taking Tilly to the Maritimes for the first time.
The trip began with a shorter first leg from home to Gananoque before the first long drive into Québec and Rivière-du-Loup.
This journal will follow the dog-friendly hotels, small-town walks, waterfront stops, rest stops and patios that shaped the route.
The journey
Stories from the route.
Each chapter follows a stretch of road, including the places that made the drive worth remembering.
Hamilton to Gananoque
Hamilton → Gananoque
The first short leg of Tilly's first Eastern Canada trip, with a comfortable Gananoque hotel, town walks and a welcoming café patio.
Gananoque to Rivière-du-Loup
Gananoque → Rivière-du-Loup
A long drive into Québec with haltes routières, a lovely river-view chalet stay and a confusing second-night motel move.
Rivière-du-Loup to Fredericton
Rivière-du-Loup → Fredericton
Into New Brunswick with a riverside lunch stop, the World's Largest Axe, a closed botanic garden detour and a downtown Fredericton patio win.
Fredericton to Truro
Fredericton → Truro
Into Nova Scotia with a friendly visitor centre welcome, a duck-filled park wait, a practical Truro overnight and a tidal-bore walk.
Truro to Digby
Truro → Digby
A random tidal-centre find, a Wolfville waterfront lunch, a wildfire detour and a harbour-view suite in Digby with famous scallops.
Digby to Halifax
Digby → Halifax
The long way round to Halifax through foggy lighthouses, a UFO crash site, Tilly's first Atlantic toes and a people-watching patio downtown.
Halifax to Sydney
Halifax → Sydney
A wildfire-detoured drive to Cape Breton, trading the Cabot Trail for a Sydney stay with a lovely boardwalk and tacos on the esplanade.
Sydney to Moncton
Sydney → Moncton
Back through Nova Scotia with a Pictou waterfront wander, a tidal-bore view room at the Rodd Moncton, and a day trip to walk the ocean floor at Hopewell Rocks.
Moncton to Summerside
Moncton → Summerside
Across the Confederation Bridge for a treat-friendly first stop, a West Point lighthouse-and-beach detour, and a warmly dog-friendly stay in Summerside.
Summerside to Charlottetown
Summerside → Charlottetown
A favourite dog-friendly Tracadie Beach day, FiN Folk Food’s indoor-and-out welcome, then a harbour-walk and patio stay in Charlottetown.