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Published: November 24th 2011
I was able to go on a few day trips during my semester in Quebec City. The surrounding areas are beautiful and rich with culture.
This blog is intended to help people who are planning similar day trips or day excursions. When I tried to find information - there was not much. Hopefully this will help.
Hiking in Parc National de la Jacques Cartier Parc National de la Jacques Cartier is a provincial park about 1.5 hours north of Quebec City. The drive is easy and there was no traffic except for on the 40 and 440 when you return to Quebec City during rush hour.
The park is well marked and laid out. About 10km into the park there is a welcome center with an information desk and small shop. There is also the option to rent equipment (canoes, tubes, etc.)
Keep in mind that all the trails don't start from the same place so if time is tight, consider a trail close to the entrance of the park.
I went to the park twice, the first time hiking l'Eperon and Les Cascades and the second time with Gali, hiking Les Loups. Details of
the three are below:
L'Eperon (5.5 km loop, starts at KM 3)
L'Eperon has varied terrain and took me about 2.5 hours. It climbs along a mountain but does not summit it. There are multiple look out points providing views in various directions. There are also information boards as you hike which allows one to learn about the region's history at the same time. Nice hike. Would do it again.
Les Cascades (4.3 km loop, starts at KM 10)
I finished L'Eperon with time to spare before I had to head back to Quebec City so I did Les Cascades as well. It took about an hour and should be done with kids or if you have some time to spare and want to spend that time walking in nature. It is more of a walk in the woods than a hike. There is also a 15 minute walk along a dirt road to get to the trail - nice to walk on but was a long entrance way for a short hike. Not worth a trip to the park to do.
Les Loups (10 km return, starts at KM 16)
Gali and I
hiked Les Loups together and luckily made it to the end. We started the hike later than we anticipated due to a delicious picnic lunch. Given that the route is not a loop and you come back the way you came, we were able to judge the amount of time it would take us to get back. Using that we set a final time for when we had to turn around and we were 3 minutes from the deadline when we reached the trail’s end. The view at the end was beautiful!! The scenery along the way was nice but there were not many view points. Compared to L'Eperon, the hike was more difficult and the end goal was a better view.
We also got lucky and saw a moose as we were driving out to Les Loups.
Visiting Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré is about 30 minutes east of Quebec City and is a quick and easy stop on any eastbound trip. The Church is the main (and only) attraction and is 2 minutes from the highway. It's called the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré and it is said that many miracles of curing the sick have taken place there. (You
can see in one of the pictures an example of a column that has crutches and canes hung on it)
The church is beautiful and alone merits a stop.
Touring Charlevoix The Charlevoix region is spectacular, especially when the leaves are changing colours. I was a few weeks too late for the foliage when I toured the area and it was still beautifully charming so I still think it’s worth the trip regardless of the season. I only had a day to see the area so I did lots of driving - it would have been nice to stay overnight (or 2) in Baie-Saint-Paul or Malbaie. That way I could have spent longer in each place and fit in a hike or two.
After stopping in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, I drove to
Baie-Saint-Paul where I walked around and ate lunch. About 5km before Baie-Saint-Paul there is a tourist information center. Useful place to stop and plan a route for the day. The view from the balcony is not great but once exit the center and hit the road which takes you back to the highway, if you turn right (away from the highway) instead of left (towards the
highway) then you get a much better view of the bay.
In Baie-Saint-Paul I walked around, checked out some of the numerous art galleries and ate at the local microbrewery. Leaving Baie-Saint-Paul I started along the "Route des Montagnes" - The Mountain Route and did the section that loops. The drive was nice but doing the loop doesn't actually take you to the mountains, it guides you parallel to the mountains so you have a nice view. On the way you pass Lac Naime along with some other smaller lakes.
At the end of this leg, I came around a bend in
Malbaie starting my return west and saw the beautiful Fleuve Saint Laurent right in front of me. It was awesome. I didn't stop to check out Malbaie since I wanted to make the ferry for Ile aux Coudres so I stopped for some photos along the Fleuve and then started along the Route de Fleuve heading west.
The ferry to
Ile aux Coudres is only 15 minutes and free - with the line-up and disembarking, the whole affair is about 30 minutes each way. The island is small, cute and a little boring. Was it
worth it? Yes, but only as an addition to the rest of the day. I don't think it is worth a trip on its own. I stopped at Boulangerie Bouchard - the better-known bakery of the island where I had a nice chat with a lady but the food was ok. The ferry leaves to the island on the half hour and returns on the hour. It does not run every hour and in the summer there are more crossings.
After Ile aux Coudres it was about 1.5 hours back to Quebec City and an early night after a long day.
For those going to Le Massif, it is worth going to Baie-Sainte-Paul for a few hours après-ski or for a summer afternoon (on a later trip I went to Le Massif, the description is below). The food and galleries won’t let you down.
If I was doing this day trip again, I would have started with the Route de Fleuve and come back along the Route des Montagnes - The position of the scenery is better that way. Also, if I had more time (even a couple more hours), I would have taken the "Route des
Montagnes" to the mountains themselves.
Skiing at Le Massif About an hour east of Quebec City is the ski hill Le Massif. We skied here over Christmas and the skiing was great in addition to there being no lines. We decided to stay at Hotel Baie-Saint-Paul instead of driving back to Quebec City. Having seen Baie-Saint-Paul in the fall and given that everything was closed due to Christmas, we did not venture into the town this time. The town is less than 20 minutes past the mountain. For those who are thinking of traveling by train, the mountain is opening a new gondola which goes from the train station to the base of the mountain. Since we entered the mountain from the highway we only saw the gondola from the top and thus do not know what the town at the base of the mountain is. The skiing was surprisingly great and the scenery was beautiful, strikingly magnificent. As you ski down the mountain, the view is of the St. Laurence River with Ile aux Coudres.
Dogsledding in Beauport (http://www.pourvoiriedulacbeauport.com/)
What a great winter activity!!! We went dogsledding about 30 minutes north east of Quebec City
and it was awesome!!! The cost was $64.00 with tax for 1 hour on the sled. People go on the sleds in tandem so each person gets to drive the sled for about 20-25 minutes while the other sits inside it. The trail takes you through the woods where there is magnificent scenery. A real fun activity - one of the best I have done in or around Quebec City. Don't forget to dress warm!
Rouge et Or Football Game While not really a day trip from Quebec, seeing a Universite Laval Rouge et Or (Red & Gold) Football game is fun afternoon activity. We started our tailgating at 9h30 in the morning and were in the company of two parking lots of people, even at that hour. The game started at 13h and we left at half time. Let's be honest, the tailgating is a great time, being outside is a huge bonus but Canadian university football is not of the highest caliber. There were ticket prices at all levels and we paid around $20 for seats with a student discount. You can also get standing tickets for less. We were impressed by the turnout - over
14,000 people!
The Rouge et Or are Universite Laval's team and play at the Stade du PEPS, on the northern border of the campus along Chemin Ste-Foy.
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Travel Guy
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