Hello all! I'll be visiting your fine city soon and this subreddit has been so helpful. I've read a ton of restaurant recommendations but they all seem to be for the evening meal. Any suggestions for breakfast or brunch or even lunch?
Thinking of visiting sometime between Oct 26 and Nov 1. Will there still be any fall colours, or are most trees bare by then? Also, is it usually very cold or snowy around that time, and what would you recommend doing for a few days?
Hi everyone!
I'm from Toronto, and for the last few years I've gone out west to snowboard annually with friends (greens and blues at Whistler, Sun Peaks, Revelstoke). I'm looking to try out East Coast snowboarding this year. On Ontario hills I'm usually on the hardest runs I can find at any hill.
I've seen recommendations for Le Massif, Monte Anne, Sutton, Stoneham, Owl's Head, and for staying in Magog or Baie St. Paul.
Two questions - will there be enough snow in late December to be worth going?
Out of the hills I mentioned, any recommendations for someone trying to push their skill set & finding black runs in Ontario too easy? I love the more complicated terrain of the mountains out west but not sure if I'd get that here.
Thank you in advance!
Just got back from a terrific 12 day road trip in your beautiful area. I got some great recommendations from this sub so I want to report back.
Day 1 - Quebec City. We camped at a GoVan site at Baie de Beauport. So close to the city and yet not accessible on foot or public transit. Dinner at La Souche, breakfast at l’Antiquare, food shopping at Les Halles Cartier.
Day 2 - We camped at PN des hautes gorges de a Malbaie. Spectacular! 14km hike kicked our ass.
Day 3 - Musée de La Drave. Really charming and interesting owner. Camped at PN des Grandes Jardins. Spectacular and completely different landscape to hautes gorges. Shorter hike. Campsite up on a plateau with clear starry sky all around.
Day 4 - After exploring the west shore of the fjord we camped at PN de la pointe Taillon on Lac St Jean. Just nice but chosen for location. All SÉPAQ campgrounds are great though. La Pulperie was really interesting! We just wandered around the ruins, didn’t feel the need to go inside. Free!
Day 5 - Drove around Lac St Jean. Not that interesting but my husband wanted to do this. Camped at Ste Rose du Nord on the fjord. We visited this town last year and were totally charmed. Camping La Descente Des Femmes, dinner at Cafe Rose and breakfast at the Restaurant le 3G did not disappoint.
Day 6 - Explored the east side of the fjord. Dinner at Microbrasserie Tadoussac. I love the hippie vibe in this place. Camped at the municipal campground in Les Escoumins. Kiboikoi, the local cafe, has that hippie vibe again.
Day 7 - Baie Comeau. Camped at Parc Nature de Pointe-aux-Outardes. Nice hiking through dunes, salt marsh, boreal forest and peat bogs. Very windy but great star gazing and the showers are wonderful. We had delicious breakfasts at La Créperie de la Reine.
Day 8 - Thanks to this sub, we drove up to Manic 5. You didn’t mention that it’s a beautiful drive! The road is in good condition and very hilly and twisty. Gorgeous views! The drivers are super aggressive though. There’s is no cel reception. The dam is enormous. We wanted to keep going to the Eye but beyond Manic 5 the road becomes gravel immediately so we chickened out. I don’t know if you can even see the reservoir. We camped back on point des outardes at a Camp St-Paul Gîtes plein air. They were closing for the season but kindly let us stay.
Day 9 - We drove up to Sept-Îles just to say we did. Ate at Pub St Marc, the only place that seemed to have any character. Although if my French was better I’d go to Taverne Chez Louis for a beer. That place looks like fun! Camped back down near Colombes at a municipal campsite overlooking a little cove. Beach combing in the morning. Magical!
Day 10 - Back down to camp again at Les Escoumins. Whale watching from the gorgeous rocks at Cap de bon désir. Lots of belugas and a last minute fin whale!
Day 11 - Took the ferry from Tadoussac and drove down to Baie des Rochers. Nice little loop hike with a view. Back up to Les Bergeronnes where we had booked a tent platform right on the rocks at Mer et Monde. For the first time, the weather forecast was not good, rain and high winds, but we decided to tough it out since this experience was the inspiration for this whole trip. The campsite was quite difficult to navigate in daylight and downright treacherous in the dark. But it was absolutely beautiful and we did see whales and seals. Right before we left, a pair of fin whales surfaced and blew right in front of our site!
Notes:
It was a little late in the season so things were closed or closing. Before Oct. 1 would probably be better.
It is possible to find openings at the parc nationales without booking way in advance although it may be single nights or midweek. I love SEPAQ. You’ve got a great organization there!
I also love the little towns for the municipal campgrounds. Most are first-come-first-serve so ideal for us. We wanted to leave our schedule loose. And the trails they provide are also great. I feel like small towns in Ontario don’t understand how these things bring business or maybe the Quebec government provides funding. I’m sure Ontario does not.
Next year: Gaspésie!!!
Merci à tous!