Canada’s historic roots are embedded deeply in the convoluted rocks of Quebec. A breathtaking mixture of history and scenery makes the Province of Quebec a special place to visit, and this year there is a unique treat. It has been 400 years, since on July 3rd, 1608 Samuel de Champlain arrived from France with a handful of settlers and founded Quebec City where he built his habitation. Quebec is celebrating and hoping that you will come and join in the fun.
The north shore of the St. Lawrence is jam packed with exciting things to do, rustic villages to see, and miles of eye-catching scenery. You couldn’t pick a better place to start a vacation of discovery than Quebec City, Canada’s only walled city.
During the winter of 1535 explorer Jacques Cartier sailed up the St. Lawrence River and slipped into the St. Charles River looking for a spot to anchor away from the currents and the tides. With the hills behind, it was an excellent place to winter. Nearby was Stadacona, a village of Indians that would become Quebec City when Champlain arrived in 1608. You can visit the area where Cartier wintered with a visit to the Cartier-Brebeuf National Historic Park.
You can begin your visit with a convenient stop at the Quebec KOA on the south side of the river and a quick shuttle ride into the Old City. We found this really handy with no worries about driving narrow streets and where to park. The Walled City is a rarity in North America and its narrow streets and shops radiate the charm of ancient Europe. It looks like a scene from Scrooge’s Christmas complete with horse drawn carts clopping over the cobblestone streets. Along the streets you will find excellent places to enjoy the finest cuisine after visiting some of the shops and galleries.
You can descend one of the 11 stairways to Lower Town but you may want to return to the top of the cliffs by taking a ride in the Funicular to save your legs, and for excitement you could try the ‘Breakneck Stairs’ built back in 1608.
As you walk the old walls along the 4.6 km length you will learn how the defence was set up to take advantage of the topography, and how the wall and defensive buildings changed over the 300 years as needs and weapons changed. Your walk reveals stunning vistas across the Lower Town, over the river where the tiny ships pass up and down, and to the hills beyond.
One of the most moving experiences is to tour the Battlefield area and the Plains of Abraham. In the early summer of 1759 the fortifications would be put to the test when General Wolfe arrived with many ships and put the town under siege. An attack east of the Montmorency River cost Wolfe 400 dead and he withdrew. Then in September the impossible happened. General Wolfe put troops ashore at the base of the steeply wooded cliff. In the morning General Montcalm awoke to face the British enemy on his turf at the top of the cliff. The main battle lasted about half an hour leaving both General Wolfe and General Montcalm wounded and dying.
The Fortress was not done with fighting. In 1775 Benedict Arnold brought 1000 fighters to take Quebec. The result was a disaster for the United State’s troops.
The park has pleasant walking trails, flower gardens, and an arboretum. Nearby is one of the most popular buildings in the city. The Chateau Frontenac hotel is one of several hotels of this style built across Canada for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Dating from 1893 this majestic building graces the skyline and its copper roof and castle-like design is not to be missed in your explorations. The Quebec Conference was held here during 1943 when Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt met to discuss the ending of World War II.
The Quebec experience is more than cities. The hilly and wooded landscapes create terrific scenery and you will find that the people are very helpful with your needs. As you head east from Quebec City stop and visit Parc de la Chute Montmorency, site of the magnificent falls on the Montmorency River named in 1613 by Champlain. At 83 m this falls is the highest in the province and is 30 m higher than Niagara Falls. A cable car will take you to the top or you can climb the 487 steps along the cliff face. Many visitors come here for a relaxing time, a hike, and a picnic.
As you continue east on Que-138 the countryside is hilly with mixed trees and small farms, and occasional views of the blue water of the St. Lawrence. Here and there are colourful villages looking as if they were strewn across the landscape by a giant hand. Many people stop in to see the Basilica of St. Anne de Beaupre and its pretty twin steeples. Located only 30 km east of Quebec, this attractive building has a million visitors each year. You can see over 240 stained glass windows, striking wall mosaics and an oak statue of Saint Anne.
Farther east the road descends a long hill to the village of Baie St. Paul. Here, for some of the best river scenery on the north shore you should turn onto Que-362. As you climb out along the bay on a long hill consider that you are driving over topography that was shaped by a visitor from space. Millions of years ago a large meteor punctured a 10 km deep hole and shattered a wide area of rock. When the rock at the bottom of the crater rebounded it rose into a high hill and the sides of the crater collapsed creating the 54 km wide Charlevoix crater.
This drive has hills up to 13% and we were certainly thankful that we had a Brake Buddy installed in the car we were towing to assist in the braking and taking some of the load off the motorhome’s brakes. After all, eight wheels braking are always better than four!
When you come near the town of Eboulements you come to one of the most talked about views in Quebec. There is a magnificent vista down to the river and beyond. Down below at the end of a steep drive is the village of St. Joseph de la Rive which sits on the debris of a big landslide that occurred after an earthquake in 1663. Nearby Mont des Eboulements is the hill that was formed after the meteor impact. It shouldn’t surprise you that this region is a high frequency earthquake zone.
Many farms dot the slopes of the hills along the river and after a while you reach La Malbaie. The name, Bad Bay, originated with Champlain when he sailed into the bay and anchored, and when the tide went out he was stuck there. It’s a pretty village, and as is the case with most of these villages, the homes are painted nicely, and well kept. Expect a steep climb out to rejoin Que-138. The rolling route continues and you turn north on Que-170 crossing through the areas of high cliffs of the Palisades of Charlevoix and attractive lakes to come to the edge of the Saguenay Fjord in L’Anse-Saint Jean.
The village of L’Anse-Saint Jean is a great example of Quebec’s scenic villages. In a magnificent mountain and water setting, the beautifully designed homes and the covered bridge must not be missed. A little way past the village off a gravel road you will climb to the top of the cliff walls and there below you the fjord reveals itself in a magnificent vista of blue water and green forested cliffs.
If you haven’t been to the Saguenay Fjord, put it on your list. A long time ago glaciers dug a 120 km long channel with cliffs along the sides up to 400 m high. This magnificent terrain is now protected by the Saguenay Provincial Park and the water is protected by the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park which is managed by the Province of Quebec and the Canadian Government. The Saguenay River flows through the fjord to reach the St. Lawrence River Estuary. Cartier stopped here in 1535 and in 1603 Champlain charted the shores of the fjord. The Saguenay River opened up vast areas of the country to explorers and fur traders.
If you are camped in the park near the Riviere Eternite entrance you can book a cruise with Croisieres Marjolaine to see the fjord from water level. As you move along sometimes only a few metres from the shore, the cliffs look very impressive and here and there on the rocks you are likely to see seals. There are many species of marine life in the region because of the deep waters and the nutrients that favour marine growth.
The scenic drive continues to Chicoutimi where you cross the Saguenay River. You might see the famous white house that stood fast while the waters of the flood of 1996 raged around it. Sixty kilometres west is a large plain surrounded by distant hills and in the centre is 35 km wide Lake Saint Jean, a vast inland sea that is the head waters for the Saguenay River. This is a popular tourist area and as you drive around the lake you can visit a caribou herd, old sawmills and take time to swim, boat and fish. If you like you can bike around the 256 km trail that encircles the lake. You could spend your entire vacation camping in the area and partaking of a wide variety of entertainments. Of special interest might be the Gardens of Normandin with their attractive flowers, herbs and an English garden containing 2,500 species of day lilies and irises. Or you might visit the historic Village of Val-Jalbert which is a ghost pulp mill town where you can visit the old mill and some of the old homes. The 72 m high Ouiatchouan Falls is very impressive when in full flow. A trail and a cable car will take you to the top to the observation decks of Ouiatchouan Falls and 35 m high Maligne Falls. The campground’s 190 sites are located in a quiet part of the forest.
From Chicoutimi you turn southward to Tadoussac, reputedly the oldest village in Canada, at the mouth of the Saguenay Fjord. You can camp fairly close at a nice campground called the Domaine des Dunes and here you can catch a shuttle bus to the docks where you will want to book onto a whale watching cruise.
Another of Quebec’s great drives is the Gaspé Peninsula loop. As you head east from Saint Anne des Monts steep cliffs tower above and you are wedged on a narrow terrace between the mountains and the blue waters of the St. Lawrence Estuary. But this will change. The relative flatness of the route will change to a roller coaster route often clinging to the cliffsides with grades up to 19% and providing absolutely spectacular views of the water and the mountains. Where there is sufficient room small eye-catching villages are built. The blend of white houses, with brilliantly coloured roofs and gay trim, facing the deep-blue waters and backed by green forest-clad mountains is superb.
On the very tip of the Gaspé Peninsula you reach Forillon National Park at the beginning of the Appalachian mountain chain. Here you can access excellent campgrounds and fine hiking trails showing off a land that was inhabited 9000 years ago.
In 1534 Jacques Cartier sailed into Gaspé Bay and set up a cross claiming the land for France. In the town of Gaspé, on the site overlooking the harbour, there is a small museum and outdoor display commemorating Cartier’s visit.
Topping a hill you are suddenly met with an impressive view of Percé rock with cliffs that tower 90 m above the sparkling ocean. At one end is a huge arch big enough for small boats to pass through. A nearby collapsed area shows where an earlier arch existed.
The development of Percé Rock and the deep estuaries that line the Gaspé Peninsula are the result of the rising land that had been depressed by the massive weight of the glaciers during the last iceage. We can thank global warming for melting the glacial ice and revealing the sculpturing caused by the continental glaciation.
After continuing the drive along the coast and the many villages you return to Saint Anne over Que-299 through Gaspesie Provincial Park where the mountain peaks of the Chic-Choc mountains rise to 1180 metres. The Visitor Centre will have the information you need for camping and hiking in the real back country where you won’t be bothered by city lights. This park has a caribou herd and much of the higher elevation has the look of tundra so they should feel at home.
Other places you might want to visit include the Gatineau, Shawinigan, the road along the north shore to the end at Natashquan, and one I want to travel is the road to Radisson on the east shore of James Bay.
The Province of Quebec is truly an adventurer’s paradise. Whether you seek the sophistication and lively spots of the cosmopolitan city, or the pleasure of an almost empty road surrounded by forest, rivers, and mountains, you will find more in Quebec than you expect. Count in the cultural mix and you have a recipe for pleasure.
For more information:
http://www.bonjourquebec.com/qc-en/accueil0.html
http://www.quebecregion.com/e/
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