What started as a simple plan gradually turned into a multi-day loop through New Brunswick, the Gaspé Peninsula, Québec City, and Montreal. We had rain, long drives, beautiful views, ferries, waterfalls, and several places I would happily return to. A friend from Halifax joined me for the first part of the trip, so on Wednesday we headed out together toward the Gaspé Peninsula.
It rained throughout the first day, so apart from stopping for lunch, we did not really stop anywhere. We drove all the way to the town of Bathurst in New Brunswick. I had a feeling I had heard of it before, but even together we could not figure out why it sounded familiar. In the end, it was also the only place on the whole trip where we stayed in a hotel.
After the first rainy day, we continued toward the Gaspé Peninsula. We explored the area around Matapédia, looked out over Carleton-sur-Mer from Mount Saint-Joseph, and reached the town of Percé. The main attractions there are the rock near the town and Bonaventure Island, which can be reached by boat. The whole island and its surroundings are part of a protected area and are home to the largest population of northern gannets in North America. Getting this close to an entire colony of seabirds was an experience that was definitely worth it.
We also visited Forillon National Park, where there is a lookout tower on Mount Saint-Alban with a beautiful view of the whole park. At the very tip of the peninsula stands a lighthouse, and according to Indigenous tradition, this is where the land ends. And it really does feel a bit that way there.
Following Route 132 and then partly through the inland part of the peninsula, we arrived in Gaspé National Park. I had originally wanted to hike up Mount Jacques-Cartier, but the trailhead can only be reached by a local bus. The last one left at 11:40, and we did not arrive in the park until around two o’clock, so we missed the hike. Instead, we continued farther along the gravel road. The next stop was a short trail up Mount Ernest-Laforce, which offers a beautiful view of the whole park. Finally, we took a short walk to Lac aux Américains and also drove to see Lake Cascapédia, which is beautiful as well.
Along the coast, we went to see Philomène Falls near the town of Amqui. Then we wanted to get to the other bank of the St. Lawrence River. The ferries from Matane and Rimouski were full, and the ferry from Trois-Pistoles was not operating yet, so we continued all the way to Rivière-du-Loup. That day, however, even the ferry there was not running because of a breakdown, so we stayed at a campground and crossed to the other side only the next morning at 11:15. The plan was also to visit Fjord-du-Saguenay National Park, which I had skipped last year. It is a beautiful place, although in my opinion it cannot really be compared with the fjords in Norway.
The next day it was raining where we were, and the forecast said it would continue all day. So we decided to drive to Québec City, where it was already dry by then. Thanks to that, we were able to visit Montmorency Falls. We had been there together years ago in winter, but even in summer this 83-meter-high waterfall has its own charm and is definitely worth visiting. We also managed to visit the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré Basilica and then headed to our accommodation, Auberge le Petit Séjour, which had a pleasant atmosphere.
We decided to spend the last two days in Montreal. Before heading there, we spent a little more time in the center of Québec City, and then followed Route 138 south along the river to Montreal. I have to say, though, that last year’s drive along Route 132 felt more interesting to me.
In the city, we visited Mont-Royal, Notre-Dame Basilica, and spent a whole day at the La Ronde amusement park. Looking back, that may not have been the best idea. Even though it was Friday, the park was really crowded because of the summer holidays, and the wait for any attraction was at least 30 minutes, more often almost an hour. Still, I do not regret it. I finally got to ride a large wooden roller coaster, the kind I otherwise know only from movies and TV shows. The local coaster called “The Monster” opened in 1985 and is the tallest double-tracked wooden roller coaster in the world. The longer of its two tracks is 1,227 meters long and reaches a top speed of 96 km/h. On Saturday, I took my friend to the airport, and now I’ll wait a few more days for the charging cable for the power station. After that, I will set off on the next part of the journey across Canada.
And with that, the next chapter of the journey can begin.