What do you think?
Rate this book
The Drive Across Canada: The Remarkable Story of the Trans-Canada Highway
Experience driving Canada’s longest road, while learning of the iconic highway's beginnings.
The Trans-Canada Highway is one of the longest highways in the world — 7,700 kilometres from St. John’s, Newfoundland, to Victoria, British Columbia, with almost the same distance again on secondary routes. It’s a Canadian icon, but it didn’t come easily. In The Drive Across Canada, automotive journalist Mark Richardson tells the stories of the pioneers who first drove across the country in the early days of cars and motorcycles, even before any roads existed, and of the political fight to create a physical link that would connect Canadians to every province of their vast country.
Richardson drove the length of the Trans-Canada Highway in 2023, repeating the drive he first completed in 2012. He encounters a hurricane in Newfoundland, a firestorm in British Columbia, and unspeakable tragedies on the Prairies. He meets people whose lives have been changed by the highway, sometimes in ways they could never have imagined, and along the way, the highway changes his life, too.
The Trans-Canada Highway is one of the longest highways in the world — 7,700 kilometres from St. John’s, Newfoundland, to Victoria, British Columbia, with almost the same distance again on secondary routes. It’s a Canadian icon, but it didn’t come easily. In The Drive Across Canada, automotive journalist Mark Richardson tells the stories of the pioneers who first drove across the country in the early days of cars and motorcycles, even before any roads existed, and of the political fight to create a physical link that would connect Canadians to every province of their vast country.
Richardson drove the length of the Trans-Canada Highway in 2023, repeating the drive he first completed in 2012. He encounters a hurricane in Newfoundland, a firestorm in British Columbia, and unspeakable tragedies on the Prairies. He meets people whose lives have been changed by the highway, sometimes in ways they could never have imagined, and along the way, the highway changes his life, too.
- GenresCanada
296 pages, Paperback
Published June 3, 2025
5 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Mark Richardson
6 books8 followersLibrarian note: There is more than one author by this name on goodreads.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 5, 2026
The Trans-Canada Highway is one of the longest highways in the world, and an integral part of road travel in Canada. Mark Richardson, automotive journalist, is on a journey with his friend Peter to drive the length of the highway. This is not his first trek, he did the drive with his family in 2012. Throughout the book, he weaves in stories of the history of the highway, and those that drove it before him, as well as stories of the people whose lives have been impacted by the roadway - for good or for bad.
I didn’t think I would love a book about a highway as much as I did, but I loved this. It was rich with different histories and how they all tie together. The stories were told with grace and compassion. It had me laughing out loud and crying during different points. It’s a great piece of Canadiana.
I didn’t think I would love a book about a highway as much as I did, but I loved this. It was rich with different histories and how they all tie together. The stories were told with grace and compassion. It had me laughing out loud and crying during different points. It’s a great piece of Canadiana.
October 15, 2025
Entertaining and easy read that is very well written and historically accurate. The chapters do get a bit repetitive but overall I do recommend.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews