Quebec Ski Tour

Today you’re on your way to Mont Tremblant but, if you are a cross-country skier, you may find it worthwhile to stop at St. Jerome and ski along the track bed of the former railway line known as “Le P’tit Train du Nord”. This 200 km trail is now a “linear park” and people ski along the trail between railroad stations. The trail begins in St. Jerome and ends at Mont Laurier, north of Mont Tremblant. There is a shuttle service available in the main centres along the route that will take you back to where you parked your RV.

For downhill skiing, St. Sauveur des Monts is a small resort at the centre of four ski hills that offers downhill skiing. Each mountain has a limited number of lifts, runs and a shorter vertical drop than other resorts in Québec. If you prefer a greater challenge, you can continue straight to Mont Tremblant.

CanaDream Club Partners:

• Camping Mont-Tremblant
• Ziptrek Ecotours
• Parc la Conception RV Resort
• Camping Plaisance National Park
• Camping Lac Lafontaine-Parkbridge
• IGA Extra Famille Girard St. Janvier
• Metro Plus Blainville
• Le Bateau Mouche
• Croisieres AML
• Sandman Montreal-Longueuil
• Camping Iles-de-Boucherville Parc National
• Camping Allouette
• Camping Lac du Repos Resort
• Camping Caravelle RV Resort
• L’Estrival Cottage & RV Resort
• Domaine de Érables Cottage & RV Resort

Mont Tremblant has the highest peak in the Laurentian Mountains, with a vertical drop of over 2,000 feet. The Versant Soleil, which means “sunny slope”, was opened in the fall of 1999 and has a vertical drop of 1905 ft. and offers plenty of challenging runs.

For those desiring a different kind of adventure, how about a dogsledding tour in the area? If you’re looking to relax, a trip to Mont-Tremblant's Scandinavian spa might be the answer. In Mont-Tremblant, you can do nearly any winter activity imaginable including tubing, ice climbing, dune buggies, fat bikes, ice fishing and hiking.

CanaDream Club Partners:

• Camping Mont-Tremblant
• Ziptrek Ecotours
• Parc la Conception RV Resort

On your trip to Trois-Rivieres today you’ll pass though Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, Val David or Ste. Adèle, all offering loads of history and activities.

There is a mountain resort, named “Ski Chantecler” close to Ste. Adèle with a vertical drop of 663 feet and, for Nordic-skiing enthusiasts, the area offers 50 km of cross-country trails.

Val David also has two ski resorts nearby—Mont-Alta, with two lifts serving 22 runs and a vertical drop of 587 ft., and Station de Ski Vallée-Bleue, with three lifts taking people up to the top of 16 runs. Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts is just 20 minutes from Mont Tremblant and has plenty of shops, boutiques and restaurants to tempt you. Lac des Sables, situated in the centre of town, is also a real draw. In winter, Lac des Sables offers a perfect place to ice skate, cross county ski, snowshoe, snowmobile or even ice fish!

• Croisieres AML
• Borealis History Center

Leaving Trois-Riviéres, as you drive along the North Shore, you will likely see ocean-going tankers up close on their way toward or returning from, the St. Lawrence Seaway. The city is one of the major commercial ports in Québec.

Québec City is one of the oldest cities in North America. If you are looking for things to do in Québec City, visit Old Quebec, consider joining an architectural tour and enjoy a meal in one of the wonderful restaurants that make eating an artistic adventure.

CanaDream Club Partners:

• Domaine de la Chute
• Camping Transit
• Croisieres AML
• Go Helico
• Traditional Huron Site
• Montmorency Falls Historic Site
• Stoneham Mountain Resort
• Camping Jacques Cartier National Park

Spend the day at Mont Ste-Anne (part of the World Cup ski circuit) or spend the day in Québec City or Montmorency Falls before going to Mont Ste-Anne for night skiing. You may want to be there in the day though, as this mountain offers you fantastic views of the surrounding area, the St. Lawrence River in the distance and the rooftops of Québec City itself. Snowboarders would particularly like this venue, as there are two half-pipes to conquer and freedom on all other 56 runs. You can also ski the cross-country trails around Battlefields Park.

If you’re into ice-climbing head to Montmorency Falls. They are just northeast of Québec City where the Montmorency River joins the St. Lawrence River. They make for a challenging and popular ice climbing venue. If you are not keen on climbing the falls, there are steps which take you to the top. The bridge over the top of the falls offers a spectacular view of the Montmorency River where it joins the St. Lawrence and Québec City’s downtown district.

CanaDream Club Partners:

• Mont-Sainte-Anne Mountain Biking
• Mont-Sainte-Anne Hiking Trail Access
• Mont-Sainte-Anne Golf Le Grand Vallon
• Mont-Sainte-Anne Lift Tickets
• Mont-Sainte-Anne RV Site

Le Massif is a spectacular resort with views of the St. Lawrence River from the high points of the resort. This mountain is the highest in Québec and one of the most popular in eastern North America. It has a vertical drop of more than 2,500 ft. with the longest run taking you along 2.36 miles of trail in deep snow. Le Massif also has unlimited runs for snowboarding. Many of the runs give you an incredible view of the St. Lawrence River.

Le Massif stands in the area of Charlevoix is also a great region for cross-country skiing. The trails begin very close to Québec City and wander for long distances, both close to the banks of the St. Lawrence River and points north and northeast.

Stay one more day for skiing at Le Massif. The mountain also offers sledding, backcountry tours, helicopter tours and alpine touring. After a day of winter-play, don’t you think it’s about time to enjoy some après-ski?

Whales arrive in early spring to calve in the St. Lawrence River. Then they spend the summer in the area. If their arrival coincides with the end of the ski season, you will enjoy seeing them at the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park.

There is a ferry that will take you across the St. Lawrence River from St-Simeon to Rivière du Loup. Some of these ferries only go to the smaller islands, but most also make a trip to the south shore and back. You may prefer to drive around a few of the islands that lie in the middle of the St. Lawrence on your way to the south side.

If you are in Québec in the months of March and early April, you will be there at the right time to take part in sugaring parties, or sugar shacks. If you are interested in fitting a sugaring party into your travels at this point in the schedule, you will find lots happening at various sugar shacks around Québec province.

Some sugaring parties have meals, music and other forms of entertainment to add to the activities. You can go for a walk in the woods and observe the process. The workers often sprinkle the runny sap on the snowy ground. The sap hardens somewhat when it comes in contact with the snow and then you can pick up the sap and “pull” it like taffy. When sugar shacks offer the possibility of “pulling taffy”, it is called a “trier de sucre”.

If you're too early for the 'sugaring', consider driving on to Orford or Magog today so you can start fresh on the slopes first thing in the morning. There will be very few, if any, campgrounds open along the way so be prepared to 'boondock’, perhaps even at the Walmart in Magog.

You’ll arrive in Mont Orford today by driving along Autoroute 10, a few kilometres outside the town of Magog. This ski area covers three different peaks, Mont Orford, Mont Giroux, and Mont Alfred DesRochers. All these mountains are more than 2,000 feet high and the runs are interconnected, giving skiers lots of choice on how to get down the hill.

The resort offers dining, ski schools, and child care. There is also a snow park and a half-pipe for snowboarders at this resort, not to mention ice-climbing, sleigh rides, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

If you are a cross-country enthusiast and you are touring during the middle of December, you could be in Vermont to do some cross-country skiing. You can go by way of two different routes. From Magog, you can take the I91 south (a continuation of Hwy 55, crossing the border at the Stanstead Crossing), then go west across Vermont along secondary route 2 until you reach Montpelier, the State capital. Montpelier is an interesting city, being the smallest state capital.

To get to the ski resort, go north on I89 from Montpelier then exit south at Waterbury and take secondary route 100 to the resort. You can also go west along the US/Canadian border, crossing at the Highgate border crossing, before taking I89 to Waterbury. The Sugarbush Resort access road is just north of the town of Warren.

Stay another day on the slopes at Sugarbush Resort. With two mountains, six peaks, a terrain park, tons of gladed areas and the 2000 acre Slide Brook Wilderness area, you’ll have no trouble finding adventure. Choose from one of the 111 trails on the mountains totaling 53 miles long.

Montreal is reputed to be the most romantic city in North America. It certainly is imbued with atmosphere from the historic buildings all around the city, and especially Vieux-Montréal. Take a day to tour around the city of Montreal and enjoy.

Visit the Centre d’histoire de Montréal facing onto the Place D’Youville or, if you’re up to climbing to the base of the cross at the top of Mont-Royal, you can take in incredible views of the entire city.

The downtown district has countless restaurants and shops to visit, as has the Underground City (a plus if the weather is inclement), and the Quartier Latin.

CanaDream Partners:

• Camping Plaisance National Park
• Camping Lac Lafontaine-Parkbridge
• IGA Extra Famille Girard St. Janvier
• Metro Plus Blainville
• Le Bateau Mouche
• Croisieres AML
• Sandman Montreal-Longueuil
• Camping Iles-de-Boucherville Parc National
• Camping Allouette
• Camping Lac du Repos Resort
• Camping Caravelle RV Resort
• L’Estrival Cottage & RV Resort
• Domaine de Érables Cottage & RV Resort