The Magdalen Islands or their French name - Îles de la Madeleine are an archipelago of more than a dozen, almost treeless islands, linked by kilometres of sand dunes as far as the eye can see. Plunked down in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, they take up a mere 206 square km (80 square mi), so there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of them. Although French is the first language for most of the…
If you're looking for a Quebec road trip that's a little different, why not drive the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River from Quebec City to Havre-Saint -Pierre, the last town of any size, with the option to continue to Kegashka, at the end of Highway 138 - a distance of 1,060 kilometres. In theory you could do the Quebec road trip in one long day, taking about 12 hours. But there are a…
For years the Mingan Archipelago National Park has been on my bucket list. I first heard about the park when I started researching places to include in my book on 100 adventures across Canada back in 2013. Kayaking through an archipelago of over 1000 islands that make up Mingan Archipelago National Park sounded like a magical adventure to me. Unfortunately the kayaking company I'd looked at shuttered its doors, and there was no replacement for…
Seven of us are heading to the westernmost island in Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve for a lighthouse stay. We have less than a full 24 hours on the island, but it can be walked from end to end in about ten minutes so we have ample time for R&R and exploration. (The island is only 350 metres long and less than 100 metres wide.) From a distance it looks like we're heading for Alcatraz…
The scenic Charlevoix region has long been served by trains from Quebec City - but with hiccups along the way. Service has stopped, sometimes for years at a time. Today the Charlevoix Train is very much in existence offering seasonal train trips between Beauport and La Malbaie with numerous stops along the way. The Charlevoix Train follows the north shore of the St. Lawrence River for 125 kilometres with views of the river, cliffsides and…
Le Petit Train du Nord, a 200 kilometre multi-use trail in Quebec's Laurentian region checks off almost every box cyclists dream about. Cue the beautiful countryside, delicious local food, charming small towns and villages, excellent signage and relatively easy cycling - especially if you bike from north to south. Throw in the option of getting a shuttle to the starting point in Mount-Laurier and a daily luggage transfer and Le Petit Train du Nord is…
A few years ago John and I included a winter visit to the scenic Charlevoix region located less than 100 kilometres northeast of Quebec City. On that trip we enjoyed a stunning drive, albeit a hair-raising one along Highway 381, through a dramatic landscape of lumpy mountains and frozen rivers that included Parc national des Grands-Jardins with its sub-Arctic taiga-like terrain. At that time I knew there were backcountry huts in the area used by…
Pink Lake in Gatineau Park, located less than a half hour drive from downtown Ottawa, is not what you think it might be. First off, the only thing pink about it are the colourful visitors ambling around the lake on the Pink Lake Trail. The Pink part relates to the name of the family that settled nearby and "loaned" their name to the lake. One can walk 2.5 km around Pink Lake in Gatineau Park…
If you were a giraffe and you lived in some parts of Quebec you would barely be able to see over a snowbank by the time March rolled along. The province of Quebec is truly one of the exceptional places to visit if you love everything about winter. There are so many fun things to do in Quebec in winter including downhill and cross-country skiing, skating, snowshoeing and fat tire biking. That can all be…
Pourvoirie du Lac Blanc is an outfitter in Quebec's Maurice region that offers a variety of accommodation options along with meals and all sorts of guided activities - whether it be in winter or summer. If you love winter then this vast Mauricie region in Quebec is definitely the place to visit. The region is one of rolling hills and pristine forest, dotted with lakes in spectacular Canadian Shield country. Much of the landscape is…