Leaderboard

It's after breakfast and the decision was to make a small loop and come back up thru La Baie and see the fishing village. 83 south it is. A few miles out and 83 crosses autoroute 175. Straight thru the intersection and the trail goes into the field. A change here. The trail keeps going straight instead of left into the woods. It runs a good mile and then goes thru a couple more fields. Nice and open. We come to a stop sign and this is where the cul-de-sac for Chicoutimi joins. A little easier running. You don't go behind the houses any more. That is part of the cul-de-sac now. Then we are back on the old 83. Good running along and we turn right onto 368. The trail has been a little bumpy but enough snow. No trouble with dirt. A few miles in and the groomer for Laterriere made a pass from here last night. We turn left on 383 still following the groomer's path. We are first tracks now. What a nice ride this is. Crossing back and forth over the quad trail. The quad trail is on the old road that went to the old Relais Boullanaise. I know I must have missplet that. The trail gets cranky after the old Relais. Still groomed but tugging back and forth on the handlebars. We pull into Ferland for coffee break. A few sleds and quads outside. Sunny day and mild temps. What a great day for riding. We continue south on 383. Just after Ferland, wow has this area been logged. Much of it has been clear cut. A lot of nice scenic views. The trail has been changed around here too. It's following the access roads for the logging operation. Nice gentle sweeping turns. The up and downs are too big for big trucks. Maybe its access for the smaller equipment. 383 now cuts back up to 83 on what was the old local 22 trail. It joins 83 near the spur to St Felix. 383 no longer goes straight south to 83 where there was a warming hut. 83 is used but in decent shape. We haven't seen too many sleds today. I would have thought there would have been more traffic for such a nice Sunday. At the little bridge for the cutoff to La Baie, Trail Security is checking sleds. They have 3 sleds stopped and the younger riders are pulling out paperwork. Oh oh for them but good for us. One of the Security workers motions for us to continue on. Into La Baie and gas up the sleds. We cross the road and get on the local trail that runs on the walking path. Slow going here of course. In town and it is narrow and bumpy. We jump down onto the bay and see the fishing house scattered all around. A lot of activity but as we approach the north side, we notice no fishing village! The signs are up and the lot markers are here but no fishing huts. The only thing I can think of is the bay was so late in freezing thick enough, the trucks and tractors used to pull the houses onto the ice weren't allowed on the ice. I don't know. A disappointment because it is really cool to see the village. We get off the ice and back on the trail. Oh my is this bumpy. I don't think this has been groomed this year. The red stakes are in the ground and the stop signs are in but no grooming. Rough is being polite. About 8 miles of torture and we finally join back onto 83. The rest of the ride back to the Delta is nice once again. We get back early enough to trailer Jason's rental back to Evasion. Overall it was a nice weekend for them. Tomorrow they drive back to Connecticut. Sandi and I are here for the week. Can't wait to see Pat and Gary. They should be on a plane right now coming across the pond. See you tomorrow. Jack & Sandi

The grooming map looks good. They were out in force last night. We head back up 373 the way we had come in. We wanted to go to the zoo but couldn't find the trail for it yesterday afternoon. Today as we head north on 373, we see the auto road for the zoo but no signs or snowmobile trail leading to it. One would have to run the side of the auto road to get to the zoo. Carry on. We go by Relais des Buttes and turn right to cross the river. Instead of the local trail to Dolbeau like we came in on, we turn left and head towards Normandin. The trails are fine this morning other than a little thin in a few corners. Nothing to get concerned about. Turn right and go thru Albanel and then head south towards Dolbeau. Just before Dolbeau at the intersection of 93 and 901, there must be 20 - 25 sleds here parked all over the trail. The maps are out and they are looking at the signs. Come on guys, at least pull over to the side of the trail so others can get thru. We get past that mess and continue on. Nice riding to Relais Vauvert. Good spot for a coffee and bathroom break. Quite a few sleds here. Most of the riders are almost as old as me. They must out taking the wife for a ride. Great day to do it. After Vauvert, we take the local trail to St Jeanne d'Arc. This trail is always nice. Not much traffic and it is well groomed. After Relais Erabliere the trail is getting rough. Still enough snow but just a lot more traffic. Its getting pretty bumpy into the truck stop. This place is full. There has to be 50 sleds here. No wonder the trail is beat up. A good lunch as always and off towards the big bridge on 373. This is a very scenic trail but everyone must be heading to the bridge. The trail is showing a lot of wear. First time we are at the bridge and it must be Happy Hour here. Got to be 25 sleds before the bridge and another 35 sleds up on top of the hill overlooking the bridge from the east side. Everyone is stopped, taking pictures and having beverages. I'm sure they aren't consuming alcohol. We stop and no beverages for us but I have to take a few pictures. I'll try loading a couple. I usually don't have very good luck doing it though. Quite an impressive bridge. Back on the trail. Very rough going down 482. As we get further away from the bridge, it smooths out a little. I decide to take 328 to the east and then 134 south to the two bridges. 134 is perfect most of the way. The last 10 miles or so get rough again and the snow is thin on the hills and corners. Not as much snow the closer we get to Jonquiere. We cross the bridges and get back to the Delta. The best riding was from Alma to St Felicien yesterday and then today from St Felicien to St Jeanne d'Arc. A lot of traffic the closer we got to the east side of Lac St Jean. It is the weekend and many people were out. Lets see what tomorrow brings.

Here are some pics from last weekend. Another 600 miles of smiles. The most snow I have seen so far this season, but still not quite enough in spots. TQ83 is really having a rough season.

We are at the Delta but we booked it a month ago. Last year we couldn't get a Wednesday night too. Try La Sagueneenne in Chicoutimi 800-461-8390. Bar, restaurant and pool. It changed ownership a few years ago so I can't say good or bad. It is on a spur off of 83 about 1 mile in. The spur ends at the backside of the Hotel. There is an Ultramar on the spur. Turn right just before the back of the Ultramar. Follow the trail behind the businesses then it crosses route 175 under the power line. La Cage and Comfort Inn is to you right. Continue on the sidewalk and follow the tracks. You are almost there. La Montagnais is also over there but not quite accessible by sled. Jack & Sandi

Hi Jack , we're in our room at marriott Montreal as I type this. We are getting the 9 am flight to bagotville should be at the delta around 10.30 so we'll see you tomorrow evening, think Dave aka michigan rev arrives tomorrow as well....

Nice…well that’s a huge help ! How far is the run up that off 587 once you turn up the trail Andy ? Looks like 2ish miles. Great intel found only on QR. ✌️

This isn't being addressed properly...and we are missing a great opportunity here...we have all these people lined up against us and this sport we love..trying to extort money, close trails...and come up with more restrictive regulations ...all the time.... FCMQ should have a reciprocal policy...get caught with your car or truck on our maintained trail system and the fine is 100$ a foot for every foot you are in on the trail...plus a 1000$ minimum recovery fee...this money goes to the nearest club that grooms or goes towards bridge and trail maintenance....only seems fair...and it should also count towards you drivers license and insurance costs....and if you are a school bus driver the fees are doubled

Today 2/3 final day. We left Relais 22 this morning and arrived back in Shawinigan safe and sound after 8 days and zero issues thankfully. 73 south was good , 355 sucked ,351 so so and a police check with radar near Shawinigan. Overall some great trails some not so much but still a great time with a great riding partner! Hopefully more snow and cold in the forecast.

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We have returned from supper. So this morning, we wake up and look out the window from the tenth floor of the Delta. Sandi, all of the vehicles out in the parking lot have snow on them. Maybe an inch or two. Not a lot but we will take anything Mother Nature will give us. A good breakfast and we load up the sleds and head out. Sandi's son, Jason, and his wife, Yushen , are with us. Not a lot of snow, a few inches, but the trail has been groomed and really not much snirt. Just a little at the top of a rise or in a corner but better than what we were expecting. We head for the two dams. Just before the two dams is the scale house by the gravel pit. The trail did go straight to the dams and 383 went off to the left towards Spence Ski Doo. The trail no longer goes straight. You have to turn left and about 1/4 mile there is a hard right, signed, to go to the two dams. Easy enough to follow but it made me think for a second. Be careful of the hard right. There is a good drop off to the side. The trail to the dams hasn't been groomed in a few days but is in decent shape. We are heading to St Felicien so after the dams we go left on 367 instead of taking Pickle Park. The trail is good. Thru what were the scrubby pines which are now really tall, the trail is very good. Cross by Geant Trailer and we turn left on 93. Oops, detour around the Crevier station. It is closed and there is the temporary construction fence around it and an excavator in the parking lot. Looks like that station is coming down. Not too far into 93 and it bears off the old trail and heads south. I remember this from last year. 10 miles of a still young new trail and it is twisty, narrow and bumpy. This is not what Quebec is known for. Finally we get to road crossing. I see a sign that says St Charles 2 km. We cross the road and get on the old St Charles trail heading back to the warming hut where 93 used to join in. The trail is much better now. Sit back and enjoy the ride Sandi. The further we go the better it gets. The new section of 93 around Alma where the auto road was expanded is nice. No more bumpity bump in Alma. That is history now. Time to tank up at St Henri. The Petrocan is an easy in and easy out. Good bathroom break for the ladies. Now the trail is really getting to feel like Quebec. The trail thru the fields is wide, flat and fast. The sun is out bright and it is a beautiful day to be riding. A fair number of sleds are out. Everybody is behaving and staying on their side of the trail. Cruising down the 8 mile stretch of power line after St Monique. A little bit of chatter in the trail but still a beautiful ride. We turn left on 367, the Peribonka trail I like to call it. All of this is just gorgeous riding. We have found where all the snow is in Quebec. Maybe it isn't as deep as it usually is but it is smooth. We pull into Relais Vouvert for lunch. Only 3 other sleds here. What a beautiful day. My phone rings at lunch. Who could this be? Oh, I won't say my "friend's name" but he was scheduled to be with us but changed his mind at the last minute thinking the trails would be bad. I tell him how bad the trails are so he won't feel like he is missing a really good ride. More snow for us. Back on the sleds and ride on. We cross the river at Dolbeau. Turn left on 901, local trail to St Felicien. We catch up to 3 slower sleds. I take my time thru the woods here and stay behind them. We get to a nice open stretch and we carefully pass and give a thank you wave. Making good time thru here. These yellow trails are always well kept. We cross the river at Relais des Buttes. Boy is this place packed. There has to be 30 sleds here or more. No need for a break now. We run down 373 and pull into Hotel du Jardin. It has been awhile since we have been here. A lot of businesses along the road. The first time we were here, this was all empty fields. We came in from the back side of the hotel back then. What a difference but I'm dating myself now. That was a time when snowmobiles had pull ropes to start them and reverse was tuggin' on the rear bumper. It looks like no snow in the forecast but the temps are going to stay below freezing. We head back to the Delta tomorrow. See you then. Jack & Sandi

Crossed it today at 12:30

If you are sitting home wondering about the trails get off the couch load up and go. We just ran 1098km and with the exception of low snow around Amqui all good to go especially with this new snow. There is a big reroute on the 595 south of La Cache. It takes you east and intercepts the trail to Murdochville for a short distance. I kept looking at my GPS thinking where the Hell are we going but it actually only adds 12km to the trip to New Richmond.

Today we had a very nice ride. A little short so we could get back to the Delta to visit with the new arrivals from across the pond and Michigan. The grooming map looked excellent this morning. We took 83 east then 368 all the way to 23. 83 was very good and 368 we haven't been on for awhile. It has been rerouted from where it crosses autoroute 175 to 23. It is wider and more open now. Such a great improvement. 23 was groomed to perfection also. We then took 83 back to the Delta. Not much traffic on the trails today. Probably being a Monday. Many more trailers at the Delta now and saddle baggers coming in each night. Starting to feel like winter. Finally! Jack & Sandi

That is true about MichRev. Sandi and I will see you this afternoon.

This is your turn to the Mummys. N48.39468° W67.78175°

Have stayed at the travel lodgemany times, in fact have reservations there this winter. It is very convenient, right off the trail, close to gas plus there is a great restaurant right across the street. It is dated, but clean. Not positive but think there was a free Contenental breakfast.

We are also planning North Shore trip. Was able to get Le Manoir on way up but not on way back. Looks to be 2 other options. Le Grand Hotel or Travel Lodge. Le Grand looks really nice but probably a Shi* show getting to it. Travel lodge easy in and out but reviews didnt look too good. Any comments advice appreciated.

Ever driven to Camp Taureau? ice road truckers lots of snow up there if needed drive to St Michael or St Zenon

Yes. That’s it. Thanks. I will check the map keep an eye out for the side trail. Love this site and the sledders on it.

I got you beat on the Relais 22 cheeseburger pic Wes and I even had them add bacon to mine bwahhhhhhhhn…… so glad you guys had a great trip as well. Back home safe and recuperating

Andyman is right, that is the 587. There is a side trail from up by the windmills that leads you to a high look-off tower surrounded by "mummy trees".

No on the Mont Lyall as it interecepts south of the Mont and Eastmark that sounds like the 587 in the Redemption area.

What could the conversation be? I'm low on gas. Is there a station nearby? My son just got his first snowmobile and I'm showing him the trails! I was out late last night at Joe's Bar & Grill. I'm avoiding going by the Police Department! Is this the way to Tim Horton's? My wife is in labor and this is the shortest way to the hospital! Jack & Sandi

I woke up at 2 am during the night. Boy was it foggy out. It has cleared off now, 6 am. Today is a short day. Jason has to have the Evasion rental back at 3:30 pm. We won't go near Mont Valin on a weekend. That is just asking for torture. We had enough bumps yesterday afternoon. We will discuss a ride at breakfast. Jack & Sandi

Great info ! We went RDL to Squatec to Amqui a few years back. Leading into Amqui there was a trail that was steep in spots…real pretty…higher elevation..windmills..then lead down into Amqui. What trail was that ? I think we headed across 35 in that direction.

Thanks for the update Andy. Just the past couple days starting to see some Gaspe pics and reports and things look positive. Does that reroute take you up Mont Lyall?

Good to hear a positive report. I think the imotoneige site has people hesitating. Fair conditions in Quebec are good any where else. Thanks for the update on the 595.

And the video of the ride. As usual crink up the sound and the resolution if needed 🍿🍿🍿

Having coffee at the camp and waiting for the boys to wake up. We finish our trip today with a quick 80 mile run back to the truck in Mattawin. Just shy of 1400 mi. For the week. All in all it was a great run albeit some challenging sections here and there. No breakdowns, no mishaps and we all stayed on our seats and out of the ding weeds. So good to ne back in the land of the snowmobile. Now the load up and long journey back home……ughhhh i leave you with some pictures yesterday of the little church 200 ft north of the Manoune “B” (I think) dam on the 345 trail heading to Kanawata. they have been constructing this little church for the last couple years and it now looks 99% finished. It truly is beautiful and someone put a lot of time and money into it. A MUST see whether you’re a religious person or not. The chapel is named after Saint Kateri Tekakwitha who was the first female Native American ordained as a saint in Canada back in the late 1600”s and the chapel is dedicated to “ Benny Petiquay” which one would assume was a local native from the area. I hope to hear his life story someday but it’s kinda hard to find a local around to ask. Every time I come through no one is there but surely someone looks after the place.

About 35 miles from Relais 22 the rest was excellent, here for the night

Today we left Clova heading to Relais 22, good for about 15 miles then pretty much a shit show until 15 miles past Wemotaci. The bridge is finished past Parent. No grooming until the Gouin trail meets the 83 and even that was just ok. There was talk that the groomers from the east and west groomed up to the bridge that is NOT the case. Single wide and lots of stubble for about 30 miles after the bridge. http://quebecrider.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2024_02/IMG_1575.thumb.jpeg.64a8618573d7f9530fd344798946e9bb.jpeg http://quebecrider.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2024_02/IMG_1577.thumb.jpeg.62feec47a4485bd62427dbe00bc81ed7.jpeg

Check out the chocolate bar at Forestel

2/1 we left Forestel headed to Clova. The 83 all the way to Clova was mint!! There is one section past the warming hut outside Senneterre that is a mess due to the fires , logging. About 10 km of shit but not a biggie.

This is the snow level and trail at font brune on 30JAN.

Last day (3.5). 100 lacs back to the truck at font brune. Dinner was great at 100 lacs, we even had the “honey moon suite” above the restaurant which is interesting. trails were good till st Anne du lacs after which they sucked. Just not enough snow. Like others mentioned the groomers are doing miracles with what they have. back to the truck by noon completing our 1220 km trip. Happy trails!

Trip # 2 brought us further east. We left Quebec City just before 7am and headed Nord Saturday morning. We were second tracks all the way up to L’Etape. Had some breakfast and headed up to APICA. Stopped in for a quick second and continued nord up to the New bridge crossing the Peribonka. Our dear friend Jeff left us too early, so his wife asked us to spread some of his ashes for her on a sled trip, he loved riding Quebec and I have many memories of riding with him. we stopped for gas and supper at Onatchiway, then made our way back into town at the Delta for the night. 330 miles on the ticker, needless to say it was a late one. Bonus of staying out so late you might get to follow the groomer back into town after he lay’s down some more fresh ribbon. Sunday we headed back up the east side of the mountain, had lunch at the Chapel, then headed out to the Domaine Hors Piste for a beverage. Turn and burn back to the delta. 200 Monday we left at 0 dark thirty and found fresh groomed trails awaiting us all the way back down to Quebec, only problem was the heavy freezing mist hanging around until way past 10 o’clock. The first 25 miles were a chore. Wipe, scrape, use sun visor only, then stop and thaw the shield out. Go another 2 miles and repeat. We had another small ceremony at the top of APICA that morning and spread some more. Gassed and eat at APICA and headed back to the truck. 700 some odd miles for the three days. We saw the good, the bad and the ugly for snow conditions. The groomers are performing miracles for the snow they have to work with. Hats off to them.

An awesome report and sounds like an incredible time. GREAT pics as well. May your friend be riding nothing but groomed trail forever. It had to be very heartfelt and sobering spreading his ashes. My friends/family will be doing the same with me up here someday.

We are here at the Delta. It was a nice drive up. An easy border crossing. As we approach Drummondville, a little rain sprinkles on the windshield. Temperature, 37F. Not good but there is snow. All the way up route 20 the temperature fluctuates but always above freezing. The highway is wet but not frozen. Not much for traffic and I don't see many snowmobile trailers in either direction. In Quebec, we get on route 175. As we climb in elevation, the snow off to the side of the road gets deeper. The temperature is now below freezing. Not the typical February snow depth but so much more than what we had at RDL last week. We pass L'Etape and where the trail runs along side of the road, we can see the red stakes. Looks like a good 2' of snow here. The sprinkles before Quebec City have turned into a light snow now. I'm smiling. I wasn't sure of what to expect but this looks promising. We pull into the Delta and the parking lot has snow. Not deep but there is a couple of inches here. That is all were hoping for. All we need is enough to get out of town. From the FCMQ trail map, it is showing decent snow north of the river. 3 other sleds in the lock up when I park ours. A lot of hockey kids here tonight. A tournament in town. As far as snowmobilers, 1 two place trailer and 4 four larger trailers. Ours being one of them. There is a grey Proline that looks like the Gutz entourage but I don't see them. We ate in at Boston Pizza. I had the "Big Dipper" sandwich in honor of one of my QR buddies. It was just as good as I remembered. Sandi had the smoked meat sandwich. I never ordered one for years until recently because I didn't know what it was. Now I have learned it is a Rueben and they are always good. That is it for now. A ride to St Felician tomorrow. We will report back. Happy trails to all. Jack & Sandi

I like to edit my own stuff for the reward at the end: memories! I don't think I would have fun to do editing on other people's files... but I still have a lot of unedited base files from many trip (snowmobile and others) that I may have fun to work with at retirement! You are welcome! I had the chance to ride this last monday under sun, i will try to put something together with that soon, it will be handsome!

Smooth!!

No one hurt and kept to the one structure. Certianly could have been worse.

At least they got road access.

They kept their washing machine and dryer along with most of their tools and hardware in there...all the important necessary equipment needed when your miles in the bush...this is going to hurt

Exactly. With the week-end upon us, 100% they will MacGyver a fix.

Portable generator will run the gas pump. Bring cash

Very strategic and important location ...they have to get this fixed asap

Not good. A lot of gas is sold there.