Canada, Québec: Lac Saint-Jean - the Blueberry Route Bike Tour

DAY 1:

Arrival Québec City.

Arrive at Québec City at your leisure. Your pre-arranged room awaits, and your guide(s) will meet you early tomorrow morning. You can enjoy the art shops, galleries, historical quarters, and cafes of Old Québec. Other highlights include the Musée de la Civilisation, Le Château Frontenac and La Citadelle de Québec (North America’s largest fort). Dining options abound; check out: Trip Advisor: Downtown Quebec City for inspiration and current local favorites.

DAY 2:

Québec City to Alma. ~35km.

Meet in Quebec City this morning for an immediate transfer about 2 ½ hours north to La Plage Rigolet in Métabetchouan where the biking begins. Heading east, you will follow the veloroute toward the fromagerie, bakery, and microbrewery at Saint Gédéon. Ride into Alma where you can visit the exhibits at l'Odyssée des Bâtisseurs before arriving at your inn overlooking the Saguenay River.

Meal Inclusions: Lunch, Dinner.

DAY 3:

Alma to Dolbeau-Mistassini. ~80km.

The warm up ride to Saint-Henri-de-Taillon leads you to a highlight of the tour – the traffic-free trails at Pointe-Taillon Park, an immense delta formed by the Peribonka River at the end of the last ice age. There are beautiful beaches and swimming opportunities and a bicycle ferry that links you to Péribonka from where you’ll continue on the veloroute to Dolbeau-Mistassini and the Chutes du Pere on the Mitassini River at the top of Lac Saint-Jean.

Meal Inclusions: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

DAY 4:

Dolbeau-Mistassini to Saint-Félicien. ~57km.

Ride on paved shoulders and paved bike paths up one riverbank, through delightfully rural Quebec. Highlights include the Grand Jardins de Normandin (the day lilies are superb), the Normandin Bear Waterfall, the farmhouse-style cheese from Normandinoise dairy. An early afternoon arrival at Saint-Félicien provides ample time to experience Zoo Sauvage, where you are caged on a train and the animals run free. The bilingual interpretation on this excursion is exceptional, and this experience receives rave reviews (plan on at least two hours for a stop here). Others will enjoy relaxing at nearby Chutes à Michel.

Meal Inclusions: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

DAY 5:

Saint-Félicien to Val Jalbert. ~40km.

Follow the shore of Lac Saint-Jean to the Mashteuiatsh Native Museum where you can learn about the culture and heritage of the Pekuakamiulnuatsh people – natives of this area for more than 6000 years. Cycle through Roberval to the historic village at Val-Jalbert where you will feel as if you’ve stepped back in time, lodging in a beautifully reconstructed period home.

Meal Inclusions: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

DAY 6:

Val-Jalbert & Parc le Trou de la Fée. ~55km.

From Val-Jalbert, you will cycle along the Métabetchouan River to the bridge at Saint-André then head across to the Parc le Trou de la Feé where you can explore the caverns, walking trails, including a network of footbridges and suspension bridges, and if you’re up for some adrenaline, the ziplines. Return to Val-Jalbert, stopping enroute for a swim at Plage Chambord.

Meal Inclusions: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

DAY 7:

Val-Jalbert to Metabetchouan ~26km, transfer back to Quebec City, and farewell.

After a short bike ride and a visit to the Métabetchouan Archeological Centre, you’ll have the chance for one more refreshing swim in the lake before the two-hour transfer back to Quebec City where you will arrive mid-afternoon with time to explore the city independently or depart for other destinations.

Meal Inclusions: Breakfast, Lunch.