I figured if I signed up for a Quebec City food tour, I'd finally try poutine. You'd think as a Canadian who has been on this planet for well in excess of five decades that I would have eaten it by now especially growing up just across the border from Quebec. For the first few decades I can blame it on my mother. She was a health nut and French fries were verboten - as…
December is not traditionally a time for tourists in Quebec City and as such it's a great time to go. Prices are lower, there's lots to do both inside and out and there's a real magic to the city - especially with so many Christmas lights and beautiful decorations. This post includes some affiliate links. If you make a qualifying purchase through one of these links, I may receive a small percentage of the sale at no…
The easy hike to the Carbide Willson Ruins in Gatineau Park is particularly lovely in spring. If you can do the hike in May, you'll find the forest carpeted with trilliums - and the birds busy singing their hearts out. But the hike to the ruins is also a great one for fall. Colours in Gatineau Park have a habit of dazzling those who visit. I think this is a hike that will feed your…
Growing up in Ottawa, I was very lucky to live within spitting distance of Gatineau Park. As a kid I didn't take advantage of the cross-country ski trails very often but if I lived in the area now, I would be a frequent visitor, especially as Gatineau Park is only 20 minutes from downtown Ottawa. In the winter, cross country skiing in the Gatineau is possible on over 50 trails stretching from Gatineau to Wakefield.…
Why visit Québec City in the depths of winter you might ask? The city receives up to 400 cm (13 feet) of snow per year and the average daily high in December, January and February is only -5.9°C (21°F). Not quite the Caribbean vacation many envision. And yet Quebec City in winter is a wonderful spot to visit. The city has an infectious joie de vivre and there's plenty to do from outdoor adventures to…
The hiking in La Mauricie National Park in Quebec took me aback. First, it was way more beautiful than I expected. And the hikes that were labeled moderate, turned out to be on the tough side of moderate. I think because I live near the Rocky Mountains, I figure nothing can be quite as hard in comparison. I was proved wrong on this hiking trip in La Mauricie and again hiking to the summit of…
Canada’s 23rd National Park - La Mauricie National Park protects a chunk of billion year old scenic Canadian Shield. It doesn't have the wow factor of some of the other national parks in Canada but it's accessible, family-friendly and the lakes and Laurentian foothills are very beautiful. Canoeing in La Mauricie National Park is a particularly good way to experience its beauty - either as a day or overnight trip. A canoe or kayak trip in La…
One winter I was fortunate to have a few days to visit Mont Tremblant Quebec. Despite growing up just two hours away in Ottawa, it took me over five decades to visit this part of the province. It was love at first sight. My love affair with the Quebec Laurentians in winter started well before I reached the village of Mont Tremblant Quebec. As you head north from Montreal on Highway 15 you pass through…
A trip to Chelsea Quebec in Gatineau Park feels like a trip down memory lane for me. I grew up in Ottawa so I spent a lot of my youth skiing at Camp Fortune and swimming in the park's lakes. But it had been over three decades since I'd been back. And what a treat to find most of what I remember unchanged. Our base for exploring Gatineau Park was the Moulin Wakefield Inn, just…
Mont Sainte Anne in Quebec is best known as a downhill ski resort but I'd recommend visiting for the phenomenal cross-country skiing on 200+ kilometres of trails. Mont Sainte Anne, one of the mountains in the Laurentian mountain chain, is located about 40 kilometres northeast of Quebec City in the town of Beaupré. The cross-country ski area at mont Sainte Anne (Ski du fond in French) is just seven kilometres up the road from the…