Gordon P

Well spring is coming and I am starting to seriously plan my holiday time and it looks like I can take 2 weeks off starting at the end of May. I am thinking about starting in Quebec City and heading east along the lower St. Lawrence and checking out Charlevoix, Saguenay and Lac Saint-Jean. I will be fully loaded and camping. Has anyone toured this area and have any recommendations or insights.

Thanks,
Gordon p

JimDDD

I've been considering a similar trip for this summer. I've noticed that some bike tourers have used the train (Via Rail Canada - Montréal-Jonquière train (the Saguenay)) to make a loop of it. The loop starts near Trois-Rivieres, goes up the St Lawrence past Quebec City, on the East side of the Saguenay Fjord, around the lake, and back on the train. This train seems to be well equpped for cyclists, last time I checked.

njkayaker

Make sure things like campgrounds are open! When I went to Nova Scotia (years ago) in June, a fair amount of stuff wasn't open.

There where a fair number of cyclists (mostly sagging it, I think) near the Saguenay when I was there (in 2005) kayaking. Should be a great place to tour!

acantor

If the weather cooperates, it will be a spectacular -- albeit vigorous tour. If the campgrounds are not open, you should have little problem finding accommodations in B&Bs and inexpensive motels.

Bonne route!

verycle

Note that a small portion of the route verte is still under development. From personal experience, this means poor asphalt and a lot of gravel.

You can check out the routes here if you haven't already:
https://www.routeverte.com/rv/index_e.php

acantor

According to the map, there is no route verte through most of Charlevoix. Which reminds me that there is one downside to biking through Charlevoix: the roads see a lot of traffic, including large trucks. Although Highways 138 and 362 have reasonably wide, paved shoulders most of the way, descending a 15% or 18% grade with never-ending convoys of logging trucks roaring by is a bit freaky. There is little margin for error, either on your part or the drivers. There were times I did not feel safe, and I pulled over to stop -- a lot. There are not many secondary roads. The bucolic Chemin de port de persil gave me a much needed break from traffic, but the entire road is only two miles long, and then you are back on Hwy 138. And Chemin de port de persil has some of the steepest hills on earth!

Despite the traffic, I still regard Charlevoix as a highlight of my "career" as a bicycle tourist. I loved the friendliness and hospitality of the people, the breathtaking vistas, the challenges of steep ascents and descents, the smell of the sea, and seeing (and hearing!) whales from the shore. But to ride the roads on a bicycle, you need nerves of steel.

orange-toei

I am from Montreal, but I would recommend you bring warm clothing, it might still be a bit cold in late May.

It looks like an amazing trip, I sure you will enjoy the people and the food.
Good luck!

Erick L

It will be cold in may and there might be snow left in the woods. You might even be snowed on at higher elevation. Not sure what will be open.

Take the bike path to Montmorency falls out of Quebec City, then the Route Verte takes the old road, or you can Ste-Anne boulevard (138), which has a huge shoulder and lots of traffic. Both are parallel until Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré. The old road has little traffic, very short and steep hills when it goes up the escarpment. You can switch often.

From Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré, I highly recommend highway 360. Nice and quiet as soon as you pass Mont Ste-Anne. It brings you to St-Tite-des-Caps, where you have no choice but highway 138. It's 4 lane wide with tiny shoulders and back to 2 lanes with shoulders outside the village. This is the worse part of highway 138.

If you come back the same way, you can stay on highway 138 instead of the 360. you'll have shoulders on the uphills and can fly downhill.

From Baie-St-Paul, you can continue down the coast or go through the backcountry or simply take highway 381 to Saguenay.

For the coast, take highway 362. Very hilly, low traffic, shoulders come and go. To visit île-aux-Coudres, take "côte à Godin" if you can find it. It's a 2km 20% twisty downhill with a stop at the bottom. The way back up is a combined 10% and 18%. There are also small roads further inland. I don't know much about them.

For the backcoutry route from Baie-St-Paul, take either highway 138 or a small parallel road across a small river/creek up to highway 381. There's a big campground on the 138 that should be open year-round (Génévrier). Take that one to St-Urbain and follow the "Route des Montagnes" which takes you through Notre-Dame-des-Monts and St-Aimé-des-Lacs and finally Clermont. There's a quiet road across the river to ride from Clermont to La Malbaie.

If you want to continue to Saguenay, just stay on highway 381. It's very hilly, rugged country, unhabitated, low traffic especially after the park.

From La Malbaie, it's highway 138 to Tadoussac and there are local roads you can use sometimes. The 138 has shoulders the whole way.

You can reach Lac St-Jean on either side of the Saguenay river. The 170 is hilly with few shoulders and traffic. Highway 172 is flatter along Ste-Marguerite river with some good hills between Ste-Rose-du-Nord and St-Fulgence. There are many good camping spots on the river.

So you have three options to Lac St-Jean, 381, 170 and 172. IMO, the best is to ride along the coast up to Tadoussac and, highway 172, around the lake, 170 back and through the backcountry roads between La Malbaie/Clermont and Baie-St-Paul. I do like highway 381 for the rugged country. You can camp anywhere.

Another option is the train (Chambord) to Rivière-à-Pierre and you can ride the bike path back into Quebec City.

Here are two trips I did, one from MTL to La Malbaie and to Lac St-Jean via highway 381 and the other around the Saguenay river:
MTL > QC > Charlevoix > Lac St-Jean, large pictures.
All pictures (600*400 pics).
Map of my route.
Map of Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré junction. Take highway 360! 138 is OK on your way back.

Saguenay photos
Saguenay map and some routes to Lac St-Jean.

verycle

Love the photos! makes me want to plan a similar trip

Gordon P

Thanks for all of the replies and all the great info. I’ve been looking at my maps, guide book, websites, my calendar, train schedules, my bike and my plans are starting to get clearer.

I live in Gatineau and the Route Verte goes right by my apartment and I use it for my commute/walk to and from work so I am always thinking about cycling the route! I’m now considering starting from Gatineau and ride along the Ottawa River to Montreal and just follow the St. Lawrence to Quebec and continue on to Tadoussac then go up the Saguenay to Lac Saint-Jean. From Lac St. Jean I will return to Ottawa by Via Rail. What I am unsure of is how much time this would take.

In regards to the weather, I remember getting snow when I was camping in the Gaspe around the same time of year. However, I am more concerned that it may be too early in the season. I imagine that an autumn tour of this region would be spectacular!

So how hilly and challenging is this region and are there any special places to visit or see?

Eric L Thanks for the detailed information and for sharing your fantastic photos I am really enjoying your site!

Thanks!

Gordon p

hernick

Hi Gordon! Last summer I rode to Gatineau from Québec City, going through Maniwaki. I rode back from Gatineau to Québec City by following the Route Verte, it went great. The ride to Québec City has few hills; some on the approach to Montréal, and some on the approach to Québec City, but nothing scary.

I think coming back to Ottawa by train from Lac-Saint-Jean is a good idea. I wonder how comfortable you are with big hills, though. The short way to Tadoussac, going through Baie-Saint-Paul, is mountainous. However, you can avoid it altogether if instead of going to Tadoussac through the north shore of the Saint-Lawrence, you ride all the way up to Rivière-du-Loup on the south shore and then take the ferry to Saint-Siméon.

Instead of crossing the terrible mountains, you ride about 40km extra on flatland. Starting from Gatineau and ending somewhere around Lac-Saint-Jean where you can take the train back, is around 1000km of riding. How much do you want to ride every day? Do you want to take break days?

I don't think late may is too early in the season. The risk of frost is minimal at that time; the most dangerous weather you should face is a cold thunderstorm. Appropriate clothing, a good foul weather kit, a 0C sleeping bag and a good tent are requisite.

I wonder if all campsites will be open at that time of year. You should check out in advance what camping sites are available alongside the route, if you intend to camp there. Stealth camping is certainly possible if you get off the main road and look for good sites.

acantor

Quebec City - Tadoussac along the north shore: Very hilly and very challenging.
Quebec City - Lévis - Rimouski or Rivière-du-Loup or Trois-Pistoles: Mostly flat.

I've done both routes, and they are as different as day and night. Both north and south shores of the St. Lawrence are worth doing.

Special places to visit?

On both sides of the river: Whale watching expeditions, especially as you go further east. It's worth the splurge!

On the north shore: Ile d'Orléans; Ile aux Coudres. If you are into geology: the guided tour of the meteorite impact site, from Baie-St.-Paul (offered only in French during my visit).

On the south shore: What I remember best was a place where they craft and sell jam made from rare plums (near Kamouraska), and a winery where they make ambrosial wines from frozen apples (near Lévis).

Gordon P

Thanks again for the great information and advice. I booked my time off work and I will have 16 days for my trip starting May 24. I hit a snag in my plans. As of January, 2009 Via Rail has down graded their service and will no longer offer baggage service on their Montreal – Ottawa trains so no bicycles will be allowed on the train! I will now have to cycle the Gatineau (Ottawa) to Montreal return trip which will add about 2 + days. Please advocate here - customer_relations@viarail.ca

My plan now is to ride the Route Verte along the Ottawa River to Laval bypassing Montreal and following Le Chemin Du Roy to Quebec City. From there I will cross over to Levis and continue on the lower St. Lawrence to Riviere du Loup and cross back over to the north shore to Saint-Simeon and then on to the Saguenay to Lac-Saint-Jean. From there I will take the train back to Montreal and cycle back to Ottawa/Gatineau via the Prescott-Russell Recreational Trail.

For fun I will look into renting a kayak and spend a day on the Saguenay and may take a whale watching trip as suggested. The Lac-Saint-Jean area produces lots of great cheese and there is a cheese museum and lots of shops selling local products. Also the Quebec tourist authority gave me lots of cycling maps and other information so I have a lot of reading to do!

Regards,
Gordon p

acantor

How about taking the bus to Montreal? I find it less stressful to take a bicycle on a bike than on a train. Via Rail does not make it easy to take a bicycle on a train.

Three years ago, I cycled from Toronto to Ottawa, where I learned that I could not travel home by train with my bike. I ended up taking the bus, and it was a snap. The box the bus line provided was roomy, and I was able to help the driver with the box... an offer he was happy to accept.

Gordon P

Hi acantor, which bus line did you use Greyhound? I went to the Voyageur bus station this morning and was quoted $55.00 for the bike one way to Montreal, I will have to contact the bus station in Ottawa to see what they will charge. Anyway with the bus ticket and the price of shipping it is still too much in my opinion. Via Rail charges $20.00 for the bike and box to wherever as long as they have a baggage car. The customer service rep for Via said they will offer their preferred rate with Purolator for $30.00 so that is an option as well.
I like the idea of cycling along the Ottawa River and it will be a continuation of a canoe trip I took many years ago from the Mattawa River to Gatineau. Also it will be nice to start this trip from my door step and just take things as they come. Fortunately I have the option of taking extra time off work if I need it and I am now considering taking another week off for this trip.
Thanks again,
Gordon p