Driving from Toronto to Mont Tremblant

Time is money.. Personally i just go by whatever Waze/Google Maps suggests to avoid traffic.

StrangeThings wrote: ↑ Hello,

I am planning to drive from Toronto to Mont Tremblant via Ottawa and I was wondering if there are any better routes where I can save some gas.

I've been looking at the following routes:

1. Highway 401/37/7
2. Highway 401/15
3. Highway 401/416

I know that it is faster to take the 416, but it is a longer distance and takes up more gas. While other people have mentioned the first option, I was wondering if anyone has taken Highway 15 to Ottawa via Smith Falls? I have thought about taking a short lunch break in Kingston at Division Street before heading up north.

I've driven between Toronto and Ottawa many times and always take 401/416. With the smaller highways you run the risk of being stuck behind trucks or slow cars and may not be easily able to pass them. Kingston is a good place to take a break.

I don't think you really save enough distance with Hwy 15 to make it worthwhile. I'd say go all out and go 7 if you don't mind going the speed limit, but personally I just go with the majors.

Ecsta wrote: ↑ Time is money.. Personally i just go by whatever Waze/Google Maps suggests to avoid traffic.

Google Maps seems to be showing both 401/37/7 and 401/416.

Ecsta wrote: ↑ Time is money.. Personally i just go by whatever Waze/Google Maps suggests to avoid traffic.

Bingo.

Don't worry about a possible difference in gas cost. The difference is going to be small, unless you're driving a sherman tank or something.

LoL. Reminds me when I drove there 6 years ago. Never been so blindly following my in car navigation. Driving along, and then it takes us down a small road towards the river. WTF. No bridge that I can see! Nope. GPS took me to a ferry to cross. By the time I realized what was going on the traffic behind me was lined up, and I had no where to go. Oh well, nice ride across the river in my truck.

Pro tip, I never knew about.....but there is a setting in your GPS that says "Avoid Ferries". Who knew!

why short break at kingston...you want all the time you can get at Mont Tremblant lol....

its got so much to offer

You can bypass Montreal by taking the 50 from Gatineau. Beware that cottage traffic going north from Montreal is brutal on fridays.

mr_raider wrote: ↑ You can bypass Montreal by taking the 50 from Gatineau. Beware that cottage traffic going north from Montreal is brutal on fridays.

I was planning to follow Google Maps and take the 323 after Montebello, but I will consider it if the traffic is bad. Thanks for your advice.

I'm not convinced you'll save much, if any gas by taking back roads. You'll be driving slower, but there will be far more stops, including traffic lights. Stop and go burns gas. Plus your drive will take longer which burns gas. Either way, you're looking at a difference in a few dollars, not hundreds. Just take the fastest route to get there.

Highway 15 to Ottawa is fine, done it many times if I'm going to the west end of Ottawa. I prefer Perth Rd. (through Westport and Perth) over 15 though, if I'm going to take back roads. Far more scenic. 15 feels like being on the highway, just much slower.

My wife is from Nepean so I've been making that drive several times a year for the past 30 years. My preferred route is 401/37/7 for the following reasons:

- 35 km shorter than 401/416
- 95 kph vs 120 kph will save you 20% fuel between Belleville & Ottawa, add that to the gas saved driving a shorter distance
- more relaxing than the 401 (if you're comfortable passing on 2-lane roads)
- there are dedicated passing lanes here and there to get by slower traffic
- scenery is better
- gas is often cheap in Perth and/or Carleton Place, Carleton Place to Ottawa is 4-lane divided highway
- no long lineups or full parking lots at the Timmy's in Tweed/Perth/Carleton Place vs the Enroutes along the 401, especially on long weekends

One of my kids went to Queen's so I've also made the 401/15 drive from Kingston to/from Ottawa a number of times. With 37/7 the roads thru small towns are generally quicker and straight thru whereas Hwy 15 winds thru Smith's Falls and isn't that good a road in spots (unless it's been recently repaved).

My 2 cents.

StrangeThings wrote: ↑ I was planning to follow Google Maps and take the 323 after Montebello, but I will consider it if the traffic is bad. Thanks for your advice.

That's a tiny secondary road with minimal services. But it would be better than dealing with the 15 north during rush hour.

RETD wrote: ↑ My wife is from Nepean so I've been making that drive several times a year for the past 30 years. My preferred route is 401/37/7 for the following reasons:

- 35 km shorter than 401/416
- 95 kph vs 120 kph will save you 20% fuel between Belleville & Ottawa, add that to the gas saved driving a shorter distance
- more relaxing than the 401 (if you're comfortable passing on 2-lane roads)
- there are dedicated passing lanes here and there to get by slower traffic
- scenery is better
- gas is often cheap in Perth and/or Carleton Place, Carleton Place to Ottawa is 4-lane divided highway
- no long lineups or full parking lots at the Timmy's in Tweed/Perth/Carleton Place vs the Enroutes along the 401, especially on long weekends

One of my kids went to Queen's so I've also made the 401/15 drive from Kingston to/from Ottawa a number of times. With 37/7 the roads thru small towns are generally quicker and straight thru whereas Hwy 15 winds thru Smith's Falls and isn't that good a road in spots (unless it's been recently repaved).

My 2 cents.

How much longer did it take by taking the 401/37/7?

StrangeThings wrote: ↑ How much longer did it take by taking the 401/37/7?

Just checked - according to google maps 37/7 takes 15 minutes longer.

It wasn't that long ago that I recall it taking about the same time. Currently there is a bridge under construction along Hwy 7 that is down to one lane so that may be the reason for the added time.

Over the years have done all these roads.

Never worry too much about gas prices or consumption... more interested in either the quickest route or the most scenic ... so depends on what the objective is.

Coming out of the GTA ... if in the Northend (or west), then we hop on the 407 East to the 115, onto Peterborough and Hwy 7 into Ottawa

If in the south end of the GTA, then it’s 401 to 416 to the 417.

These are the quickest routes. Not necessarily the most scenic.

Before the 407 & 416, our main access to the GTA was via Hwy 7.

With the options of connecting to the 401 via
Hwy 15 = Carleton Place - Smiths Falls - Kingston
Hwy 38 = Sharbot Lake - Kingston
Hwy 37 = Tweed - Belleville

The Tweed Route was always considered the fastest.
The other 2 were considered more scenic

Ottawa to Mont Tremblant, for sure the shortest route is to go cross country.

Hwy 417 to Woodroffe Ave North, to the Sir John A Macdonald Parkway
Then cross the Portage Bridge, and stay on Maisonneuve Blvd and follow the signage where the highway splits for Autoroute 50 (Est to Montreal)

Hwy 323 out of Montebello runs straight to Mont Tremblant
Although the combo of Hwy 317 & 323 out of Thurso, might be the faster route

Ya definitely don’t want to run as far to the east as Autoroute 15, that’s a huge waste of time
Albeit quite pretty driving north on the Laurentian Autoroute

RETD wrote: ↑ My wife is from Nepean so I've been making that drive several times a year for the past 30 years. My preferred route is 401/37/7 for the following reasons:

- 35 km shorter than 401/416
- 95 kph vs 120 kph will save you 20% fuel between Belleville & Ottawa, add that to the gas saved driving a shorter distance
- more relaxing than the 401 (if you're comfortable passing on 2-lane roads)
- there are dedicated passing lanes here and there to get by slower traffic
- scenery is better
- gas is often cheap in Perth and/or Carleton Place, Carleton Place to Ottawa is 4-lane divided highway
- no long lineups or full parking lots at the Timmy's in Tweed/Perth/Carleton Place vs the Enroutes along the 401, especially on long weekends

One of my kids went to Queen's so I've also made the 401/15 drive from Kingston to/from Ottawa a number of times. With 37/7 the roads thru small towns are generally quicker and straight thru whereas Hwy 15 winds thru Smith's Falls and isn't that good a road in spots (unless it's been recently repaved).

My 2 cents.

Agree with all you wrote...
Except for the Timmy’s bit

Perhaps you haven’t been thru recently

These places are always swamped now with tons of Cars & Customers
Perhaps cuz it’s summertime / cottage season

PointsHubby wrote: ↑ Agree with all you wrote...
Except for the Timmy’s bit

Perhaps you haven’t been thru recently

These places are always swamped now with tons of Cars & Customers
Perhaps cuz it’s summertime / cottage season

Actually made the trip this past weekend.

We were going to stop at the Port Hope Enroute (it was right at noon time, Sat) and I swear about 1/3 the traffic was getting off too. Skip that, waited till Belleville Enroute 40 minutes later which was much better. It probably depends on what time you hit the Tim's. We stopped again at Perth Tim's and it was fine but I can see how it'd be busy if at lunchtime.

Word of caution regarding that Hwy 7 bridge under construction: It's down to one lane with alternating traffic each direction controlled by stoplights. Sunday aft cottage traffic heading home EB toward Perth/Ottawa there was a huge lineup. My guess is 30-45 minutes to get across. Thankfully we were WB (no problem on Sat when we were EB either).

RETD wrote: ↑ Actually made the trip this past weekend.

We were going to stop at the Port Hope Enroute (it was right at noon time, Sat) and I swear about 1/3 the traffic was getting off too. Skip that, waited till Belleville Enroute 40 minutes later which was much better. It probably depends on what time you hit the Tim's. We stopped again at Perth Tim's and it was fine but I can see how it'd be busy if at lunchtime.

Word of caution regarding that Hwy 7 bridge under construction: It's down to one lane with alternating traffic each direction controlled by stoplights. Sunday aft cottage traffic heading home EB toward Perth/Ottawa there was a huge lineup. My guess is 30-45 minutes to get across. Thankfully we were WB (no problem on Sat when we were EB either).

That's quite long for a lineup. Is there any way to take a detour around the bridge? If not, then I might consider taking the 416 instead.

StrangeThings wrote: ↑ That's quite long for a lineup. Is there any way to take a detour around the bridge? If not, then I might consider taking the 416 instead.

I've been thru that construction maybe 3-4 times already this year and Sunday aft was the only time I've seen it that bad, again probably cottage traffic returning home. If not going thru on Sunday (or Labour Day?) aft/eve then I wouldn't sweat it. You can check yourself but I don't think there are any easy detours (areas with bridges are like that!).

Check out this link. Don't quote me on this but I think it's the Salmon River Bridge and don't believe the construction dates - it's been under construction for a while. The link says 5 minute delay. Obviously YMMV but I've not had a problem.

https://511on.ca/list/constructionproje ... dir%5D=asc

RETD wrote: ↑ I've been thru that construction maybe 3-4 times already this year and Sunday aft was the only time I've seen it that bad, again probably cottage traffic returning home. If not going thru on Sunday (or Labour Day?) aft/eve then I wouldn't sweat it. You can check yourself but I don't think there are any easy detours (areas with bridges are like that!).

Check out this link. Don't quote me on this but I think it's the Salmon River Bridge and don't believe the construction dates - it's been under construction for a while. The link says 5 minute delay. Obviously YMMV but I've not had a problem.

https://511on.ca/list/constructionproje ... dir%5D=asc

Ya it’s the Salmon River Bridge.
Situation has been like that all summer, first ran into it back in April.
I think the reason for the dates on the 511.on website is because they update weekly ... for the week.
Status is definitely ongoing.

Like yourself, our delays there have been short.
Always just one light cycle
But then we have not been thru on a long weekend, or prime time to / from cottage country on Fridays or Sundays