Introduction
This travel took place in three stages. It began in Toronto, as a focal point to visit Niagara Falls and Algonquin Provincial Park (to the north), before heading to the capital city Ottawa and then Montreal. In Quebec, another adventure was about to begin, a weeklong bike ride in stages between Quebec City and Montreal with the Sport Azur team. Following that, the car took over to visit the French-speaking province to the far ends of Gaspésie and beyond.
Niagara Waterfalls
Niagara Falls shares the border between Canada and the United States. They are located 130km from Toronto, skirting Lake Ontario to the city of the same name. While the falls are beautiful and attract tens of thousands of tourists each year, the city of Niagara Falls is a sort of mini Disneyland, and that’s a shame. They are over 50m high.
Algonquin Provincial Park
About 300km up the road from Toronto to the north is the Algonquin Nature Reserve, a protected area and home to many wildlife species such as moose, beaver and bear. It is also a canoeist’s sporting paradise.
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada. It is in this small city of less than a million people that the Canadian parliament is located. The fountain in front of the parliament is particularly original, a kind of Olympic cauldron immersed in water.
Bike Week
As stated at the beginning of this post, the second part included a week of cycling on the roads between Quebec City and Montreal. The rendez-vous was at a beautiful hotel located on the Wendake Indian Reserve, just above Quebec City.
Montmorency Waterfalls
A nice excursion to take from Quebec City, the Montmorency Waterfalls, located 12km west. The site can be visited thanks to a staircase and a suspension bridge. Beware, it’s sport! You have to like climbing the steps.
Lake St. Charles
For kayaking enthusiasts, and since there’s more to life than just biking, a little trip to Lake St. Charles is highly recommended. It’s one of the most peaceful places, right in the middle of nature, just a short drive from Quebec City.
Quebec City
The capital of French-speaking Canada is built on a hill with the famous Chateau Frontenac at its peak. A little more than half a million people live there (in 2012). It is one of the oldest cities in North America.
Tadoussac
A little further from Quebec City, about 200km away, is Tadoussac, at the confluence of the Saguenay River. Tadoussac is a well-known place for tourists to take sea excursions to see the St. Laurent whales up close. Even if they are shy and can only be seen from time to time.
Gaspé Peninsula
After the bike, the road continued to Gaspé Peninsula, at the very end of Quebec. A journey split in two parts, the first part to Sainte-Anne des Monts. There, the road separates as it enters the land, then crosses the entire peninsula to emerge on the other side, at New Richmond. From this side, it runs along the ocean to Percé.
The drive across the peninsula offers plenty of opportunities to stop the car and admire nature, even walk around a bit and stumble upon some beautiful waterfalls, as below.
Percé
Percé is located on the easternmost tip of the Gaspé Peninsula. You have to reserve your place on a boat to admire the hole in the rocks. The place is very touristy, but really beautiful.
Another attraction in Percé is the famous gannet rock, a sort of cross between a pelican and a wild goose. The noise is unbearable, but the scenes of romance where Mr. and Mrs. are cooing with happiness are truly magical.
St. Catherine’s Bay
The return trip from Gaspésie will be by coastal road to the port of Matane, in order to cross the St. Laurent, then by ferry to Godbout. Near Tadoussac, the bay of Ste-Catherine offers several hiking trails to admire the estuary of the Saguenay.
Saguenay and Lake St. Jean
On the way back to Montreal, at Tadoussac, it is possible to turn north to Saguenay and Lac St-Jean. It is a very popular place for hikers. The blue of the lake is breathtaking. The air is also much cooler.
The Laurentian Nature Reserve
Continuing on from Lake St. Jean, we cross The Laurentian Nature Reserve. There, there are many hiking trails to spend hours becoming one with nature and wildlife.
Montreal
The last two days of this trip will be spent in Montreal. The best view of the city is from the top of Mount Royal. We sharpen the calves for a last small effort before closing the suitcase direction Switzerland.
