sheera67

hi folks
im going to be going to Ottawa march 1st,im thinking of flying into toronto and driving up to ottawa from there, give done this before in october,my worry is snow, could someone advise to the best of there experience if i will hit snow on the drive up there in march, i think if im going to then i might try to fly into ottawa, flying to ottawa from scotland is not a direct flight and dont fancy this route

thanks

Cookie

March is still the depth of winter here. Expect snow in April too. Ground only starts to defrost in May.

Not sure how long the drive is, or how the highways are, but I am sure someone will come along and give you more info.

Aviator

This will give you some idea from Environment Canada
Weather beyond 12 hours is pretty unpredictable.

dewdrop

VIA Rail can be an option?

401 is a major highway, its usually cleared v.well. unless of course a huge snow storm is predicated...but snow here in ONtario, is a given.

My husband drives on the highway daily to get to work. if that helps any.

Happy Travels

XCMTBer

Basically, if there has not been any proper snow in the 24-48 hours prior to you landing, you will be o.k, but if a snowstorm come in and drops 20+cm all over the 401 its going to be messy.

I have had this conversation with a lot of visiting guests since zoom went bust and they had to rebook to other airports.

If you are coming for a while no biggie just stay in Toronto until the highway is clear.

As a side note , local friends in Ottawa who have family in Toronto don't plan to visit in the car during winter....... it may be clear on the day they go down but things can change here.

Devilish Dee

the drive from Toronto to Ottawa with good traffic and weather is approximately 5 - 6 hours . yes March is still snowy here and the
highways are always cleared first here

dbd33

I think that's excessive. I commuted Toronto to Ottawa for a year. When there was heavy snow I used the 400 series highways instead of cutting up through Smith Falls; slow but safe.

XCMTBer

Fair enough, they have 2 kids under 2. But you know what its like, if one of the storms come in - do you really want to be driving that after a flight in a rental without snow tires?

Overall, fly into Ottawa, get a train, or be prepared to delay if a storm is blowing through.

Souvenir

Snowfall in March in Ottawa is very variable. In recent years we've had anything from 1cm to 113cm.

If you do go to Toronto, bear in mind that the traffic on Friday afternoon and Sunday afternoon is horrific. It could easily add a couple of hours to an already long drive.

If you are determined to drive, why not fly to Montreal? It's only 90 minutes from Ottawa and the 417 is far more humane that the 401.

Don't try VIA Rail. It's an OK way to travel but I wouldn't make it part of any trip that involved a connection.

One option you may like to consider is hubbing through the USA. Several US airlines have daily flights from Edinburgh. Continental would probably be your best bet. It flies daily, non-stop, to Newark, from where it operates several (short) flights a day to Ottawa. Delta is another option.

dbd33

I don't know how that's any different from driving your own car (once you work out where the wiper and light switches are). I don't think many people would buy snow tyres if their regular driving was just Toronto to Ottawa.

I think this:

" be prepared to delay if a storm is blowing through"

is very short sighted. If you live in Canada you can't delay because there's a storm, in fact you have to drive more when there's a storm as the school buses don't run; you have to drive the kids to school and then go to work. You may as well start off we the realistic expectation that, in Ontario, you will often have to drive in snow.

Snave

Wow, DBD, that's a bit harsh, and going to scare someone who's new to this. (And given your current Avatar - "Prisoner of Snow!!!)
Don't misunderstand me - but I think Souv is right. It would make much more sense to fly into Montreal and have a 90 journey minutes instead of 6+ hours. We all had our "first real snow storm drive" in the winter weather here and probably poohed ourselves - I did. But not when I'd just got off the aircraft.
I just feel for this family arriving with kids at the wrong end of a 7-8 hour flight and having to drive up to 401 which in summer is pretty horrific - so in winter....
And just another thought - if you hire a car in Montreal it's going to have snow tyres - yes? I mean - it's Quebec where they are compulsory - right?

dbd33

It is harsh, granted, but I don't think it's unrealistic. This morning there was light snow (that is, what I now consider to be light snow, enough that the headlights were more effective dipped than on full beam but little enough that the centre line on the road was visible in spots). It's not really safe to be driving along unable to see very much but that's just routine for here.

I think people should get to grips with the idea that there's a lot of bad weather in Ontario, there are a lot of weather related collisions and delays. It is frightening to drive between giant trucks unable to see very much and at constant risk of being swept off the road by their slipstream or clobbered by bits falling off the ill maintained rigs. This is no place to drive but, unless you live in central Toronto or Montreal, driving is a major part of life. I think people should be scared.

TrishP

Driving through Montreal is scary enough without snow!!

Oakvillian

but flying into Dorval (sorry, I mean Trudeau) and driving to Ottawa doesn't involve driving through Montreal (which I've never found any worse than any major European city to drive in, by the way - you need to keep your wits about you and have a fair idea of where you're going and how to get there, but that's the same anywhere, especially anywhere unfamiliar).

I'd second all those who suggest driving from Montreal as the best route if a flight to Ottawa isn't an option. Somewhat shorter flying times from the UK, and a much shorter drive on potentially much less busy roads.

clynnog

I agree on the arriving at Dorval option...when leaving the airport head for Autoroute 40 and not 20 if going to Ottawa. Going on 20 takes you through that stop/start section in Dorion/L'ile Perot of traffic lights etc and Autoroute 40 is a non stop route. Take the 520 to the 13 to the 40...clear as mud. Autoroute 40 out of town in Montreal is pretty easy driving and then once you get off the island of Montreal it is pretty clear sailing on the 40 and then 417. Be aware, however, that once you get past Rigaud,QC there isn't much in the way of restaurants or other pit stops until you get to Casselman, Ont or Innes Road on the east edge of Ottawa.