Winnipeg

From Hitchwiki
Revision as of 20:56, 14 September 2017 by Travishouseless (talk | contribs)

Earth > Americas > North America > Canada > Manitoba > Winnipeg
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Winnipeg is the capital and main city of Manitoba, Canada.

<map lat='49.88047763874253' lng='-97.1575927734375' zoom='10' view='0' float='right' />

Hitching around

Note that unlike many other large cities, Winnipeg does not have an ideal route through it, such as a freeway. The TransCanada #1 highway utilizes several streets going through Winnipeg's downtown core to cross the city, which is very inefficient if one does not want to spend an hour or two in slow, and congested traffic. You are best off hitching along the shoulder of the Perimeter Highway which encircles Winnipeg. Either the upper half (#101 highway) or the lower half (#100 highway) can be taken, but the lower half is a shorter and more popular route, and also registers as a TransCanada highway. Look for overpasses before you reach the city from the East or West with signs directing you towards the perimeter routes, or ask your driver to drop you off at the Perimeter.

Hitching out

West towards Saskatchewan (Portage la Prairie / Brandon / Regina ) (via #1 TransCanada highway)

If you're at the centre of the city, take the 21 St. Charles bus (ask for one that goes all the way to St. Charles St.) West to the outskirts of town. Walk past the Perimeter Hwy overpass and there's a good spot across from the Chapel Lawm Memorial Gardens. There's a stoplight and a Tim Hortons, plenty of slow traffic and a nice wide shoulder.

If you're stuck after dark, I've slept in the field behind the Flying J truck stop on two occasions. Ear plugs for truck engines would have been nice but nobody bothered me and I got Denny's in the morning. They have showers in this truck stop too for $13 if you're longing a wash. Not ideal but not the worst. I've even hitched east from the Kenora bypass twice but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

East towards Ontario (Kenora / Thunder Bay / Sault Ste. Marie / Sudbury / Toronto) (via #1 TransCanada highway)

Getting East out of Winnipeg is easy breezy Canadian hitching. Start hitchhiking about ~10 minutes walk East of Lagimodiere Blvd. & Fermor Ave.

From downtown, catch a #19 Marion bus on Vaughn St., North of Portage Ave. Either #19 route, via Autumnwood or via Drake, should take you to "Patterson" terminal, where the bus loops back. From the Patterson area walk South on Lagimodiere for ~5 min until Fermor, then walk East on Fermor ~10 minutes or until you reach an empty lot with a concrete slab and a nearby light pole covered in traveler tags. Start hitching here or East of here, as traffic has distanced and there is plenty of shoulder space.

Kenora is ~2 1/1 hours east of Winnipeg but is a major lakeside weekend destination for locals, so sign for a ride at least as far as Kenora. There is very little in between. If someone offer you a ride but not until Kenora, stop at Deacon Road near the Petro Canada. Local traffic slow the traffic on the trans-canada highway and they stop often for a red light.

South towards Canada-USA border (Île-des-Chênes / St-Pierre-Jolys / Kleefeld / Grunthal / St. Malo) (via #59 highway)

The #59 highway is known as Lagimodiere Boulevard within Winnipeg, but is not hitchable in the city. To hitch South on the #59 highway, take a Southbound #16 bus from downtown (at Vaughn St. and Graham Ave.) all the way to the Island Lakes suburb. Get off at Island Shore Blvd. & De La Seigneurie Blvd., walk South on De La Seigneurie for a few minutes and then cut across the field once you see the highway. Walk and sign at least past the overpass (~20 minutes), since most traffic here will split either East or West onto the popular Perimeter highway (this is also an acceptable place to head East or West of Winnipeg). Grunthal and [[Kleefeld] are not on the #59 highway as with the other towns, but are 5 miles East, on the parallel #216 highway. To reach it, only take the #59 highway until you reach the #52 (which heads East to Steinbach), riding East on it for 15 minutes until you reach the #216 highway with a sign directing you to Kleefeld. Kleefeld is 5 minutes South, and Grunthal is about 15 minutes South.

Southeast towards Steinbach (via #1 TransCanada and #12 highways)

A short and easy trip! Hitch out of Winnipeg as if hitching towards Ontario, but only ride to the #12 highway (~35 minutes). Then hitch South on highway #12 for ~15 minutes to get to Steinbach. The most efficient method is to sign for Steinbach at the Winnipeg location and get a direct ride. Even if you have to turn down a short ride or two, it should take you less than 30 minutes to get one headed for Steinbach.

North towards Winnipeg Beach / Gimli (via #8 highway)

The hitch up to the West side of Lake Winnipeg is pretty easy.

The ideal location to hitch from would be the Perimeter highway North (#101 highway) & #8 highway (McPhillips St.), but it is tricky to get a bus here. A starting point easier to access is the stretch of McPhillips St. just north of the suburb. To get there, take a Northbound #17 bus on Vaughn St. just South of Portage Ave., and ride it ~30 minutes to McPhillips St. & Leila Ave. or the Garden City Shopping Centre. Walk ~30 minutes North on McPhillips to where the shoulder begins. You are on the #8 highway, so put out your thumb!

Matlock, Winnipeg Beach, Gimli, etc. are on the West coast of Lake Winnipeg, and so are actually 1-3 mile roads East of the #8 highway, along the parallel #9 highway. Watch along the #8 highway for signs directing you towards your desired destination.

North towards Broken Head / Grand Beach / Victoria Beach (via #59 highway)

Hitch North from the #59 highway close to Kilcona Park. A "#44 bus to Kildonan via Louelda" should get you there.

North towards Grand Rapids / Thompson (via #6 highway)

Take bus as if hitching West towards Saskatchewan, but catch a ride north on the Perimeter highway, about 15 minutes, to entrance of the #16. People are nice and the rides are easy all the way up to Thompson, which you can get to within a day.


trash:Winnipeg