JBlavl
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Posts posted by JBlavl
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I remember stopping at this place in 2006 on my second trip to Quebec but can not recall the name of it. Was somewhere around St. Michele. Please fill me in.
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Gone for a weekend and poof!
I'll be more optimistic this year and say Dec 11.
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14 hours ago, smclelan said:
Has the groomer gone by yet?
Speaking of the groomer going by. When is the date of the groomer going by contest starting?
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Do you need to know the dates you will be riding for the daily, 3 day, and week passes?
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On 9/26/2017 at 5:19 PM, schooter said:
Jbavl,
What did you think of the parking for your truck and trailer at Draveur in Maniwaki?
Schooter
Yeah no problem. We had an F-150 with 4 place inline trailer. Was a little crowded when we got there but found a spot near the indoor swimming pool and left it there the whole time. Nobody bothered it. There are a lot of people around in the area and it's well lit.
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I did the woodrunner loop a couple years ago starting at Draveur in Maniwaki. It's good enough to take a shower and lay your head down. Nothing real exciting about it. There is a complimentary breakfast each morning which was mentioned. I remember it being a decent meal. We did the loop in 3 days and it was 780 miles the route we took. It was a lot of riding in 3 days but it was a lot of fun.
Day 1 we stayed at l'Ombre du Vent in Parent. Don't let anyone tell you there is no place nice to stay in Parent because this place was awesome. Easy access to town, very nice clean cabins, and the owner was very attractive. Only complaint I had which was not a big deal was the beds were hard as rocks. Hotel Central and 4 Saisons don't hold a candle to this place.
If you wanted a place closer than Parent to stop I thought Fer A Cheval looked like a nice place to stay and the woman working the bar when we stopped for lunch was very nice.
Day 2 we took 83 to Val d'Or. 83 really takes you out in the middle of no where and that appealed to me. On the loop we had 2 occasions where we rode 100+ miles and didn't see a person, house, car, road, nothing. Just remote wilderness. On 83 we actually came up on a wolf running down the trail. The snow was so deep it wanted to stay on packed trail and was just running. It ended up stopping and turning broad side in the trail looking at us. It was a huge animal really cool sight, wish I had my Go Pro on but it was so cold that day the battery would have been dead by then. The wolf ended up jumping off the trail and instantly sank so far in the snow you could barely see it's head. It was a great experience. We stayed at the Forestel in Val d'Or. Very nice big hotel type place. Lots and lots of sleds there. Trail goes right to it. Between Parent and Val d'Or make sure you have your gas stops lined up and don't miss them. There are a lot of flat fast wide open stretches that'll have you chewing through a lot more fuel than on 13 which was a little slower paced wooded trails. There is gas in Clova. There is also an old school house there to stay at. Can't comment on it as I didn't stay there but some other people we met in Val d'Or stayed there and said it was fine. There is also gas at Balbuzard Sauvage but you better have a lot of cash with you. It was equivalent to $10usd per gallon the time we were there. Balbuzard is worth the stop for lunch. Great meal there and the place was very nice. Although they make you take your boots off as soon as you get in the door. Never had that experience before. You can also stay the night there. Lac Faillon was not open when we went through but I've heard since there are new owners and it is open again. Can't confirm this, maybe someone else in the know can.
Day 3 we went all the way back to Maniwaki via 386 and 63. Be real careful on 386. There are a lot of places on the trail that look like a steep uphill with a table top on the other side but they are not. They are bonefide snow cross jumps. Straight up one side and straight down the back side. They were not very well marked either. The first one caught our whole group off guard and each one of us looked like Blair Morgan going over it. I was the leader and when I landed I turned around and waved my arms to the next guy to slow the group down but the mogul is so high they couldn't see me. When we were use to running fast flat trails the 2 days prior this came out of nowhere. Just be mindful of that. There are quite a few of them for a long stretch before they go away. There is gas in Kitcisakik. In America we'd say it is a native American village. Maybe it's a Native Canadien village eh? 386 had a lot of long straight fast flat sections on the southern half. We stopped at Pavillion la Verendrye for lunch. It was nothing more than a ham sandwhich. Nothing exciting. They also have gas. They have rooms but they didn't look like anything too exciting. A place to stay warm and lay your head. Stopped at Le Domaine for fuel on 63 and made it back to Maniwaki.
Long trip but a lot of fun you will enjoy yourself. I'd do it again.
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iceman how did your sister make out?
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At Hotel Universel and they do not have any trail passes. Any suggestions on where to get one in Alma?
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38 minutes ago, iceman said:
Its late season conditions. Surely they will probably groom for the weekend check the App. Get it while you can.
Oh yes I already have the app. Figure that is going to come in handy. Usually I am the one planning trips but this time I am a late minute addition. Looking forward to checking out Saguenay area. Thanks for the help.
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23 minutes ago, iceman said:
You can get right to Universal Hotel in Alma cross the two roads. Then all parking is Bare at hotel, do you know Hotel Universal? Or never been there?
Oh ok so the parking lot is bare. I thought you meant there was bare pavement road riding to get there from the trail. I am tagging along with some friends that have planned this trip. I have never been to the Lac St-Jean area. I've rode St. Michele-Des-Saints area twice, and last year I did the Woodrunner loop starting in Maniwaki going to Parent, Val d'Or, and back.
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2 hours ago, iceman said:
Yes, still ok. Just normal late season conditions. Tough into Universal hotel all pavement. Out of town is still nice.
How much pavement are we talking? Looks like the trail gets fairly close to the hotel. Would the Delta be a better choice?
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How much pavement are we talking? Looks like the trail gets fairly close to the hotel. Would the Delta be a better choice?
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Was thinking about heading to Alma this weekend for 3 days. Looks like it is suppose to stay cold from now through the weekend. You think it's good enough up that way to make a trip?
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Did the wood runner trail last year. Great experience. Tons of untamed wilderness on trails you will hardly see another soul. I'd do it again. It's not a 7 day loop though. We did it in 3.
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2 hours ago, Shore1066 said:
I took a new rider to Quebec last week and I think what bothered him was the long rides being in the bush with no houses and seeing no other people. He kept telling his wife at night how you only see trees and the trail. Also the signage or the lack of. He couldn't understand that if there is a lot of sled tracks that you are in the right place. What i'm saying is let your crew know that you are going to be in Gods country a lot of the time and riding 25 or more miles with out stopping is not un normal. If they are all snowmobile riders you will most likely be making plans for the next trip before you get back to the truck to go home. Have fun and don't let anything bother you and all will be great,
No question about being in god's country. On our trip of the Woodrunner trail last year on 2 separate occasions we rode 100+ miles and didn't cross a road, see a house, pass another sled, nothing but wild wilderness. It was fantastic. We'd stop every 50 miles or so just to take in the scenery.
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2 minutes ago, Carman said:
Do you have a link for the article, I can't find it?
I don't have the magazine in front of me. I'll try and snap a picture of it when I see it again. It was not a long article.
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22 hours ago, JBlavl said:
There is gas on 386 a few miles south of 63 and there is also gas in an Indian reservation up 386 before you get to 83. Be careful on 386 between the Indian Res and 83 as there are some bonefide sno cross jumps in the trail. They go for miles. They were not very well marked when we came through last year and figured they were tabletops so hit the first one at a decent speed. They have a sharp drop off on the other side. It was an O SH*T moment to say the least. It's like a trail I've never rode before. A trail like that down here in NY and they might as well just have the Helo parked off to the side waiting to transport. Go slow over them to get the feel for the first few and you'll be good.
Funny this topic came up because in this months edition of SnowTraxx magazine they talk about this trail and how you better pay close attention to the signage on 386 or you are going to have a hefty repair bill!
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There is gas on 386 a few miles south of 63 and there is also gas in an Indian reservation up 386 before you get to 83. Be careful on 386 between the Indian Res and 83 as there are some bonefide sno cross jumps in the trail. They go for miles. They were not very well marked when we came through last year and figured they were tabletops so hit the first one at a decent speed. They have a sharp drop off on the other side. It was an O SH*T moment to say the least. It's like a trail I've never rode before. A trail like that down here in NY and they might as well just have the Helo parked off to the side waiting to transport. Go slow over them to get the feel for the first few and you'll be good.
Where is this?
in Lanaudiere
Posted
I don't think so. Canada Adventure I remember going to and it was at night. This place is on a small lake, it's on the other side of the building. Trail came right through here. I recall the people invited us to come inside and have a drink. It seemed more like a house than an outfitter.