Road-Tripping to Canada’s Most Imaginative Roadside Attractions
Starting on the West Coast, drive eastward and stop by these wonderful, whimsical gems along the way.
By Lydia Dumyn
There’s a rhythm to every great Canadian road trip — the stretches of highway, the epic sing-a-long playlist and the unforgettable stops along the way. Check out this west-to-east cross-country guide and incorporate some of Canada’s quirkiest roadside attractions into your next itinerary.
Yukon’s Sign Post Forest
You’ve been to forests, but have you been to a sign post forest? Up on a stretch of the Alaska Highway in the Yukon, the Sign Post Forest at Watson Lake boasts a vast collection of signs. It all began in 1942 with a homesick soldier tasked to repair a directional signpost. In addition to the fix, he erected a new sign — an arrow flagging his hometown. The signposts have since grown to 80,000-plus. Creativity knows no bounds here, where markers left by visitors include everything from street signs and licence plates to handcrafted signposts on dinner plates, with languages from all over the world well represented.
British Columbia’s Lumberjack
Dipping down into northern British Columbia, travel Highway 97 into Prince George and meet Mr. PG — Canada’s eight-metre-tall answer to Paul Bunyan. Built in 1960 from giant logs as a promotion for the region’s forestry industry, this larger-than-life landmark has become part of the city’s identity and a popular roadside attraction for photo stops.
Alberta’s Starship
Boldly go southeast and, near southern Alberta, take a short detour off the Trans-Canada along Highway 23 to Vulcan. This southern Alberta town installed a massive replica of the Starship Enterprise, which was unveiled to the world on June 10, 1995. What began as a playful nod to its famous namesake planet on the iconic sci-fi TV show Star Trek has evolved into a small hot-spot destination for Trekkies near and far. The monument is part of the visitor info centre on Klingon Way — Vulcan Tourism & Trek Station, complete with merch to commemorate your stop.
Saskatchewan’s Eiffel Tower
Back on the road, heading eastbound on the Trans-Canada Highway, opt for a slight detour of about 80 km south when you hit Regina and visit the village of Montmartre. As a tribute to being named for the historic district of Montmartre in Paris, France, in 1893, the “Prairie chic” community chose to erect a 30-foot-tall replica Eiffel Tower in 2009.
Manitoba’s Midpoint
Make a stop in Taché, which is not just another Manitoba roadside attraction. This southern suburb of Winnipeg will bring you to the halfway point of your road trip — the exact geographic longitudinal centre of Canada, aptly called the Centre of Canada Park. Grab a selfie with the sign as proof of your pit stop in the middle of it all.
Ontario’s Toonie
Traversing Ontario, as you get to the Kawarthas, you’ll want to take a quick detour via Highway 35/115 to the lovely riverside town of Campbellford. This is where notable local nature artist Brent Townsend created the iconic artwork of a polar bear on an ice floe for the back of the toonie. The moment was memorialized in a 27-foot-high monumental coin 18 feet in diameter, in Old Mill Park, along Trent River. On its flip side is the year 1996, which was when the coin went into circulation.
Québec’s Orange
Driving into Québec on Autoroute 40 will take you to the wester part of Montreal. Near the Décarie corridor, in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, you’ll spot the kitschy three-storey orange dome of Gibeau Orange Julep. It has been serving frothy citrus drinks and classic diner fare in Montréal since the 1930s. The giant orange was a gimmick dreamed up by the restaurant’s founder, Hermas Gibeau, to draw traffic to his original 30-foot-high drive-in. The current orange orb doubled in size in 1974, when he moved his business to its current location.
New Brunswick’s Lobster, Nova Scotia’s Fiddle
Take the Trans-Canada Highway all the way to the East Coast, and the landmarks will start reflecting Atlantic Canada’s local industries and culture. Canadian artist Winston Bronnum sculpted, in 1989, the World’s Largest Lobster (the name belies its current status as No. 3), celebrating Shediac as New Brunswick’s lobster fishery. The steel-and-concrete crustacean is 36 feet long and 16 feet high and weighs 99 tons. Nova Scotia’s 60-foot-tall Big Fiddle, located at the Port of Sydney, stands as a towering tribute to Cape Breton’s long tradition of Celtic fiddle music. “The big fiddle,” as it’s often referred to, was constructed in solid steel by Cyril Hearn in 2005.
P.E.I.’s Big Basket
Just off of Route 2, in Richmond, P.E.I., sits a giant basket, the largest in Canada. Built by artisan Armand Martin using aluminum and acrylic, it pays tribute to the Acadian and Mi’kmaq peoples’ ancient tradition of basketry. It dominates the landscape outside of the Island Traditions Store, which is home to the Basket Weavers of P.E.I. Co-op and sells local artisanal crafts, including baskets, from June to September.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s Lookout
Located in Gambo, Newfoundland and Labrador, Joey’s Lookout commemorates the birthplace of Joey Smallwood, Newfoundland’s first premier. Smallwood helped bring Newfoundland into Confederation in 1949. Positioned atop a wooden box, the imposing likeness of Smallwood “looks out” at the surrounding landscape, which is spectacular and well worth a stop.
From coast to coast, roadside attractions abound in this country. Most of them have a wealth of history behind them and, always, there’s something special, whimsical, hilarious even, to take note and help you build lasting memories on the road. All good reason to hit the highway, pull over when something catches your eye, and discover what great road trips are all about. CAA
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Road-Tripping to Canada’s Most Imaginative Roadside Attractions
Starting on the West Coast, drive eastward and stop by these wonderful, whimsical gems along the way. | By Lydia Dumyn
There’s a rhythm to every great Canadian road trip — the stretches of highway, the epic sing-a-long playlist and the unforgettable stops along the way. Check out this west-to-east cross-country guide and incorporate some of Canada’s quirkiest roadside attractions into your next itinerary.
Yukon’s Sign Post Forest
You’ve been to forests, but have you been to a sign post forest? Up on a stretch of the Alaska Highway in the Yukon, the Sign Post Forest at Watson Lake boasts a vast collection of signs. It all began in 1942 with a homesick soldier tasked to repair a directional signpost. In addition to the fix, he erected a new sign — an arrow flagging his hometown. The signposts have since grown to 80,000-plus. Creativity knows no bounds here, where markers left by visitors include everything from street signs and licence plates to handcrafted signposts on dinner plates, with languages from all over the world well represented.
British Columbia’s Lumberjack
Dipping down into northern British Columbia, travel Highway 97 into Prince George and meet Mr. PG — Canada’s eight-metre-tall answer to Paul Bunyan. Built in 1960 from giant logs as a promotion for the region’s forestry industry, this larger-than-life landmark has become part of the city’s identity and a popular roadside attraction for photo stops.
Saskatchewan’s Eiffel Tower
Back on the road, heading eastbound on the Trans-Canada Highway, opt for a slight detour of about 80 km south when you hit Regina and visit the village of Montmartre. As a tribute to being named for the historic district of Montmartre in Paris, France, in 1893, the “Prairie chic” community chose to erect a 30-foot-tall replica Eiffel Tower in 2009.
Manitoba’s Midpoint
Make a stop in Taché, which is not just another Manitoba roadside attraction. This southern suburb of Winnipeg will bring you to the halfway point of your road trip — the exact geographic longitudinal centre of Canada, aptly called the Centre of Canada Park. Grab a selfie with the sign as proof of your pit stop in the middle of it all.
Québec’s Orange
Driving into Québec on Autoroute 40 will take you to the wester part of Montreal. Near the Décarie corridor, in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, you’ll spot the kitschy three-storey orange dome of Gibeau Orange Julep. It has been serving frothy citrus drinks and classic diner fare in Montréal since the 1930s. The giant orange was a gimmick dreamed up by the restaurant’s founder, Hermas Gibeau, to draw traffic to his original 30-foot-high drive-in. The current orange orb doubled in size in 1974, when he moved his business to its current location.
P.E.I.’s Big Basket
Just off of Route 2, in Richmond, P.E.I., sits a giant basket, the largest in Canada. Built by artisan Armand Martin using aluminum and acrylic, it pays tribute to the Acadian and Mi’kmaq peoples’ ancient tradition of basketry. It dominates the landscape outside of the Island Traditions Store, which is home to the Basket Weavers of P.E.I. Co-op and sells local artisanal crafts, including baskets, from June to September.
New Brunswick’s Lobster, Nova Scotia’s Fiddle
Take the Trans-Canada Highway all the way to the East Coast, and the landmarks will start reflecting Atlantic Canada’s local industries and culture. Canadian artist Winston Bronnum sculpted, in 1989, the World’s Largest Lobster (the name belies its current status as No. 3), celebrating Shediac as New Brunswick’s lobster fishery. The steel-and-concrete crustacean is 36 feet long and 16 feet high and weighs 99 tons. Nova Scotia’s 60-foot-tall Big Fiddle, located at the Port of Sydney, stands as a towering tribute to Cape Breton’s long tradition of Celtic fiddle music. “The big fiddle,” as it’s often referred to, was constructed in solid steel by Cyril Hearn in 2005.