Hit the road, Jon! This summer travel in Canada — Jon Montgomery style
by Thomas Lundy
Photo: Kojiro Inui
The Olympic gold medalist and Amazing Race Canada host has partnered with Go RVing Canada to curate four classic Canadian RV trips
Whether it's flying face-first down a skeleton track, celebrating a gold medal win or racing (amazingly) across the world, Jon Montgomery does it in a quintessentially Canadian style. With this season promising to be a summer of Canadian travel, there's no one better to curate your summer road trip than Montgomery — and that's just what he's done with four classically Canadian RV itineraries.
"When it comes to savouring what's all around you, there's no better way to do it than through an RV adventure," says Montogomery. "And that's why people come from all over the world to jump in an RV and criss-cross what is 10 million square kilometres of beautiful country."
Montgomery is certain that with travel having been so restricted in the past year, Canadians are ready to experience the country's natural beauty with more enthusiasm than ever before.
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder. The absence of being able to get out there, maybe it was something that we took for granted," says Montgomery. "And so I know that Canadians are chomping at the bit to get out there and take advantage of every opportunity to immerse themselves in our amazing natural environments."
Montgomery's RV guides — created in association with GO RVing Canada — promise to take Canadians across the length and breadth of the country. Featuring some of his favourite destinations, Montgomery has a story to tell for each of them — so jump in your campervans, stock up on supplies and hit the road this summer! Follow Montgomery's RV guides at gorving.ca — or if you're feeling adventurous, use their trip planner to plan your own classic Canadian travel experience.
From sea to sky
"British Columbia is where I call home," says Montgomery. "We have a treasure trove of unbelievable country right in our backyard. Vancouver Island is unique — an island on the west coast — and my wife and I are very connected to Whistler for obvious reasons. We got married in Kelowna, so you could say B.C. has inspired us as a couple since we started dating."
1. Vancouver Island
Montgomery and his kids exploring Vancouver Island, B.C. (Photo: Courtesy Go RVing Canada)
2. Whistler
Garibaldi Lake, Whistler. (Photo: Lesly Derksen)
3. Kelowna
Kelowna, B.C. (Photo: Kolby Milton)
4. Christina Lake
Christina Lake. (Photo: Courtesy Go RVing Canada)
Hometown travel guide: The Prairies
"I'm a prairie boy, and my wife is a prairie girl," says Montgomery. "So we have a fondness in our hearts for the prairies and our family are still there. Growing up, you explore what's closest to home. For me it was Lake of the Prairies and Riding Mountain National Park, that's really where I cut my teeth with my family camping every summer."
1. Winnipeg, Manitoba
Photo: Brydon McCluskey
2. Clear Lake and Riding Mountain National Park
3. Russell, Manitoba
Photo: Courtesy Jon Montgomery
4. Lake of the Prairies
Lake of the Praries. (Photo: Craig Bennett, CC BY-NC 2.0)
5. Asessippi Ski Area and Resort
Asessippi. (Photo: Jd.101 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Favourite Toronto Long Weekend Escapes
"When I became a young adult and struck out on my own, I was in southern Ontario at school, and so on a shoestring budget," says Montgomery. "Being a college student in the summertime, we wanted to have these experiences, but we had to do it in a uniquely college-esque way — tents and beer cans. That's what camping was in the summertime as a college student — playing touch football in bare feet in group campgrounds, caving, jumping off bridges at Washago and the Severn train trestle around Barry."
1. Gravenhurst
Gravenhurst. (Photo: P199, CC BY-SA 3.0)
2. Wasaga Beach
Wasaga beach. (Photo: Francine Pallister, CC BY-SA 3.0)
3. Blue Mountain Resort
The Westin Trillium House, Blue Mountain. (Photo: Jeff S. PhotoArt at HDCanvas.ca, https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeff_sch/10150745514, CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)
4. Nottawasaga Bluffs
Nottawasaga. (Photo: Chris Kalbfleisch, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
5. Canada's Wonderland
Canada's Wonderland. (Photo: Canada's Wonderland 153, CC BY 2.0)
Across the East Coast in 10 days
"One of my formative experiences as a youngster was when I was 13 years old and my parents took us on an Atlantic Canada tour," says Montgomery. "I visited Atlantic Canada and for the first time got to see coastal areas, put my feet into the ocean and experience a part of Canadian culture, which as a Manitoba kid, you've never really even brushed up against.
"My heart is in the north. My family and sense of upbringing is in the prairies in Manitoba. My education comes from Ontario, my passion for all things Canadian was born out of the Unity Rally in 1995 in Montreal, and I live in B.C. So I think I can safely say, without offending anybody, that my favourite folks are Atlantic Canadians."
1. St. John's, Newfoundland
Jon Montgomery (right) and his parents at Cape Spear, N.L. (Photo: Courtesy Jon Montgomery)
2. Cabot Trail, Nova Scotia
Cabot Trail. (Photo: Albert Laurence)
3. Skyline Trail, Nova Scotia
The Skyline Trail, N.S. (Photo: Elyse Turton)
4. Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Antigonish. (Photo: Dronenish)
5. Cavendish Beach – Prince Edward Island
Cavendish, N.S. (Photo: Tim Foster)
campervan camping Jon Montgomery road trip RV travel canada