The Green Route – Quebec’s Cycling Network

The Green Route or La Route Verte, as it is known in the province of Quebec is the largest cycling network in North America, though it remains largely unheard of outside of the province. It is considered to be one of the ten best bicycle routes in the world as selected by the National Geographic Society.

Eventually The Green Route will offer cyclists (and walkers) 4,300 kms of signed paths which will include a mixture of dedicated paths, paved shoulders and some roadway.

The Green Route is attempting to link all regions of Quebec. I have just finished cycling several hundred kilometres in the Eastern Townships, an area about an hour by car east of Montreal. Other notable regions of the route include Montreal, Quebec City and surrounding area, the lower Saint Lawrence region (Bas-Saint-Laurent) and the Abitibi-Temiskaming area.

The Green Route in the Eastern Townships can be comfortably done in three days. You don’t even have to retrace your steps because of a service known as the Velo Taxi. In this area it operates during the cycling season (May to October) on a 24/7 basis and provides a taxi service to anywhere you want to go along the Green Route – for a price of course. If you have a bike breakdown and you are mechanically challenged then all you need to do is call. They cover 225 kms of territory and approximate prices are $40 for 40 kilometres. It also provides some piece of mind when you are a lone cyclist.

You can get maps sent to you by the Eastern Townshops tourism bureau. On my website you can get a free, detailed, downloadable itinerary for cycling the Green Route through Quebec’s Eastern Townships.

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