[Val d'or trip to Chibougamau]

Hello QR members,

I was hoping for some input and recommendationd. We have done Vald'or and surrounding areas in the past but are planning to do a 5 day trip next week from Forestel in Vald'or to Centre de villegiature Marina Chibougamau.

We we planning on stopping our first night in Lebel-sur-Quevillon, 2nd night to Centre de villegiature Marina then return back on 93 the same way to Val d'or. We have not done this trip before and we hoping for some recommendations on where to stay, fuel stops and is this a reasonable itinerary or is there a better itinerary?  We have taken 83 from Parent to Lac Faillon last February and it was amazing, trails were wide and smooth!

TY in advance.

[Complexe Pel Chat]

Any idea how many KM's are opened in this region?

[Quebec Riding in December]

Are there any trails opened in Quebec? We usually plan St Zenon for the 2nd week of December but is not looking good so far. Ty in advance & stay safe.

[Mont Laurier]

On 2/10/2020 at 5:56 PM, Shane said:

Anyone know how the conditions are around Mont Laurier area?  We have reservations for Rabaska for week starting Friday. Doesn’t look like they are grooming daily.  Any info would be greatly appreciated because if it’s not great we would head elsewhere.  Thanks so much in advance.

Conditions were excellent. We just got home from Rabaska lodge. We left Monday to Parent, to Repos for the night on to 100 Lacs then back to Rabaska. Our favourite trail was on 83 east to the 345 down to Repos. There is nothing like riding in PQ, the trails, people, accommodations are simply outstanding. I don't think I will ride in Ontario any more.....

 

[309 trail from Val d’or to Ville Marie Condition?]

We are planning on taking the 309 trail from Val d’or to Ville Marie on Thursday. Does anyone have a update or info on the conditions?

ty

[309 from Ville Marie to Val d'Or]

Anyone have a update on the 309 trail conditions? We are planning on running this trail from Ville Marie to Val for tomorrow.

TY

[Quebec 5 day trip recommendations for Jan 06]

Thanks again for your help here. We are going to start In Ville Marie to Val d'Or then to Lac Faillion then to Rouyn-Noranda the back to Ville Marie and trailer home the next day. Any suggestions to this trip would be are appreciated. Its a little lite mileage wise but be have a new guy in our group that just bought a sled and its his first year joining our group.

Ty

[Quebec 5 day trip recommendations for Jan 06]

3 hours ago, markusvt said:

How far are you willing to drive in the truck, and how many mile do you like to do in a day?

We would be willing to drive 8-9 hours for good conditions. We have stayed at the Forestel in Val Dor in the past and enjoyed it but we would like to stay at a lodge similar to Rabaska or Meekoos. Any accommodation recommendations in the Abitbi region?

Ty again for all this information.

[Mont Laurier area conditons]

Hello,

Does anyone have a trail condition report for this area?

TY

[Quebec 5 day trip recommendations for Jan 06]

We are currently looking for some recommendations in PQ for a 5 day trip with 4 riders. We are planning on leaving from north of the GTA on January 06th and returning on Friday Jan 10th. We have done Gaspe Bay, St Zenon and Mont Laurier north up to Meekos, Rabaska, Devils mountain, etc. Due to proximity we were thinking of doing the Mont Laurier area again? Do you think the conditions in this area will be favourable or does anyone have any other recommendations?

TY in advance. Happy and Safe New Year to All.

 

[Northern smack down 2019]

3 minutes ago, snowmaster2112 said:

Back safe in Chapais

here was the Ouje about a half hour ago

started snowing pretty good about halfway between Chibougamau/Chapais 

other than that I had a perfect weather day

still snowing/blowing pretty good here

leaving at 6::30 a.m. on a mad dash to Desmairsville and back to the truck 225mi.

 

Great reporting, thanks for this. We will be sure to plan a trip in this area soon.

[Laurier, 100 Lacs, Laurier Jan 11 , 12]

1 hour ago, gowser said:

Ran 53, 33, 13 on the weekend. Left Comfort Inn Laurier Friday am headed to 100 lacs. Obligatory stop at Meekos for lunch and pulled in Auberge 100 Lacs at 3 for a brief siesta before chow time. Frosty day but trail were great. Dipped into the wine closet and found suitable choice for dinner which was great. Stayed in the Auberge where the rooms are cozy shall we say but comfortable. Up early for breakfast and off we to head back down 13 heading to Devils mountain and then back to Laurier again for the night. Could not have asked for better conditions.....fresh ribbon pretty much until local trail 222? I think above St Anne Du Lac. Fair bit of logging towards the North end but other than that pretty good. Getting close to St Annne at about 11am and northbound traffic is picking up.....lots of people heading north out of Laurier as you would expect on Sat. Note to self....slow down...stay right. Well that worked swimmingly until about 15 minutes normal riding time north of St Anne when wham....guy totally blows a blind corner doing at least 70 mph.  next 2 guys in his group blow the corner as well. I managed to get up and flag down 4 more that would have piled up as well. By the grace of god no one got seriously injured. Sadly new gade didn't even get out of break-in mode and she's headed to the bone yard 😞

Had a lot of close calls over the years as most have. Accident would not have happened had the other party been riding responsible. Don't get me wrong...not harping as I like ripp'n as much as anyone but there is a place and time. Narrow local trails with limited sightlines are not the place!

Hopefully the party that hit me and those that were riding in the group got a wake up call.

Sleds can be replaced....lives can't.

Ride safe

Gowser

So sorry to hear this. Glad to hear you are okay and no one was seriously injured. Hopefully your insurance company will get you a new sled soon. Or does the PQ trail permit insurance cover this loss?

[Suggestions planning Gaspe trip the end of January]

Sorry, one more question. Is there cell service in this area or only in the larger towns?

TY

[Suggestions planning Gaspe trip the end of January]

2 hours ago, Fuse6 said:

2018 Renegade,

Best advice I can give you is if your group needs to buy 7 day trail passes buy them from Louise at :

Quebectrails.com

Louise works at the snowmobile club in Chandler. She is like the God Mother of the Gaspe. She will courier your passes to which ever hotel you decide to launch from. She knows all the lodging options and the people that run them and will suggest or make the actual bookings for you. We had all our nights booked, had to delay by one day due to weather. One call to her and she rearranged 2 or 3 bookings. She is extremely helpful and efficient.

Between weather, machines and people its difficult to keep to a 5 day plan. Your present plan may have some to long and some to short days. And as noted above maybe missing some of the areas you should try to see if in the Gaspe.

If your going late January your likely before the big Gaspe rush between mid Feb. and mid March. Could likely wing it, book 24 hours ahead once you know where you are and next day weather. Have a committee meeting late afternoon and see what the options are for the next night.

I haven't stayed at the Valga but hear it is very nice. If the drive in concerns you as noted above other options for launch hotel is Mont Joli Hotel or Quality Inn in Matane. All these 3 put you in good position for a 5 day loop. RDL is a great option but will add significant km to your loop.

Below is the route we did  2 years ago. Recommended by many of the Gaspe veterans here. Not saying you need to do this exact loop but it does include most of the must do trails while in the Gaspe.   1400 km (840 miles) we did in 5 days.

See your from Toronto, I'm from Bowmanville.

Good Luck, Steve

Thanks Steve, will call Louise fro quebectrails.com. Yes I was concerned that RDL was a little too far from the loops we wanted to make but think it will work once I re-check the distances. I appreciate you posting your trip from 2 years ago, Im actually from Caledon just north of Toronto. Really looking forward to this trip. Off to Haliburton Forest this weekend again to get the body worked out a bit before the Gaspe trip!

Ty Again.

[Suggestions planning Gaspe trip the end of January]

1 hour ago, viper2 said:

I agree with all the above posts, Domaine Valga is a nice place and I have stayed there but I would not recommend driving there by vehicle just not necessary and remember you will also have to get out if it snows. Also I think RDL is the best starting point and is easily doable for a 5 day loop which is what you are planning. My first suggestion is to book only the first and last night of your trip at RDL and try and plan the rest of your stops as you go it's just too hard to stay on schedule. The Universal is very flexible with their cancellation policy and they have good secure parking. You could ride day 1 and take lunch at Valga then continue on to Matane. The Riotel is nice I have stayed there twice and both times it was no problem getting in but it is right on the St. Lawrence and takes some sidewalk running to get there so monitor conditions and plan accordingly.  If you are determined to go around the tip you could stay the 2nd day at Grand Vallee otherwise take the 5 to 597 and down to Murdochville. The orange trail from Murdochville to LaCache is not always open and you do NOT want to try it after a fresh snow until the groomer has been through. If the trail is open the run from Murdochville to LaCache is way too short to stop there...... and there really is no good reason to stay in LaCache, gas up and move out. There is a lot of talk about the North Shore and the spectacular views and for sure it is something to see but the South shore offers some great riding and nice stops as well and I wouldn't sell it short. Perce rock is something to see but the trail in there in recent years has not been great and if there is snow or cloudy skies in the forecast  maybe let it pass until another time. I have been to Perce about 6 times and twice you could not even see the rock. The green 587 going back west just past PALC (point a la croix) is a gem that many miss . Also if you are on the Southern route watch for the trail up to the Radar between St. Irene and Redemption to see the mummies and the lookout tower. Talking about the mummies there are also a lot if you take that orange trail from Murdochville to LaCache. Approx. 3/4 of the way across watch for a sign for Mt. Lyall and folloe the ungroomed tracks. Depending on how many miles you are looking to do you can make it easy in 5 days, we have did the trip in 4-1/2 from RDL back to RDL going completely  around the outside including Perce.  Some other things to consider, many say not to go in January because of the cold weather and they can be right but I have been there in the beginning of February when it was low 40's and that is no good either. Just like any trip monitor the forcast starting a good week ahead to get a feel for it and be prepared to modify your trip. Last year we stayed in Matane our first night on the trail and planned to head south toward New Richmond day 2. We saw what was going to be snow on the North Shore the next day was calling for freezing rain and rain down South so we stayed North and till we got to the South a couple days later everything was great. Also there has been a lot of talk about which way to travel the loop over the years but anymore it really doesn't matter which way you go seems more people have switched directions over the years. Murdochville-LaCache is 66 miles If you are running ahead of schedule you could also take  the 35 South of Rimouski through Sqatec toward Cabano and continue on to Pohenegamook then up to RDL. The mileage from Rimouski to RDL by that route is right around 200    

Thanks for talking the time to provide such great detail. I think we will start from Universal in RDL. I will plan the rest of the trip once we see how the weather is. I honestly did not know the weather could play such a big factor here....

Thanks again to all.

[Suggestions planning Gaspe trip the end of January]

1 hour ago, P Hardy said:

Just my 2 cents....

Day 3 is going to be a steady day. 300km on the north shore is a long enough day. Lots of stick handling.

Just a heads up that the section of 5 between the town of Gaspe and the trail into Perce has not always been very well maintained in the past. We typically avoid it by taking the orange trail just below Gaspe that goes over to the 597. As a bonus, it is one of the nicer trails out on the tip.

Planning for a weather day is definitely a good idea, but if you don't have to use it, I personally would run from Murdochville to la Cache to Point a la Croix. Then the next day run from PALC to the Valga. Nice running up the Matapedia Valley. If you really wanted to treat yourself on the last day, you would go to Amqui via the 587 when leaving PALC. 

Food for thought

Really appreciate your feed back.

I see the orange trail#13 from #5 just south of Gaspe which takes you over to 597. Are you suggesting we then take 597 south towards Chandler then up #5 to Perce? Is Perce a must see on this trip?

Yes, thats a good idea to do Murdochville to PALC if we don't need the extra day. Then we could take the 587 to Amqui then up 579 and cross #5 back to Domaine Valga? 

 

TY again for taking the time to post your suggestions.

[Suggestions planning Gaspe trip the end of January]

Thank you all for the suggestions, well taken. I have modified my trip based on your recommendations/ suggestions. Please see below and more suggestions appreciated.

To answer your questions, this is a boys trip 4 of us in total ages 36-48 all experienced riders. Since I am the oldest I don't want anything too aggressive and like to enjoy the scenery.

Day 1 trailer to Domaine Valga Saint Gabriel

Day 2 Domaine Valga to Cap Chat Village Grande Nature - Chic Chocs

Day 3 Chic Chocs to Auberge le Caribou-River Au Renard

Day 4 River au Renard to Hotel Copper- Murdochville via #5 & #597

Day 5 Murdochville to Relais La Cache (Relais Lacache Hotel)via orange trail ( short day as buffer)

Day 6 Relais La Cache to Domaine Valga- Saint Gabriel

Day 7 trailer home

 

Thanks again for all your suggestions.

[Suggestions planning Gaspe trip the end of January]

Thank you all for taking the time for your recommendations, Its appreciated.

TY again.

[Suggestions planning Gaspe trip the end of January]

Hello all,

We are planning a trip to Gaspe for the last week of this month. Here is what my research has led me to. If anyone has any advise or recommendations of route hotel picks etc it would be greatly appreciated.

day 1 trailer to Matane (hotel riotel)

day 2 Matane to st Madeleine (Chez Mamie hotel) via #5

day 3 Madeleine to Perce (Rolands)via #5

day 4 Perce to  Murdochville( hotel copper) via #5 & #597

day 5 Murdochville to Relais La Cache (Relais Lacache Hotel)via orange trail

day 6 relais la cache to Matane via 595 & #5

Appreciate your recommendations!

[Quebec Ride this weekend]

Thanks to everyone for the recommendations we are currently at LeCabanon and went for our first ride today. Trails are excellent, hotel is very snowmobile friendly. Denis the owner has been very helpful he know the trails here like the back of his hand. The groomers depart from here so if you check with Denis in the morning he can give you the scoop what has been groomed.

 

[Quebec Ride this weekend]

See you there! We will be there Saturday. Thank you to all for the feedback, its appreciated.

[Quebec Ride this weekend]

We ride PQ often but not this early in the season. I just picked up my new sled and we are itching to ride. Where would all you experienced members of this forum recommend to ride this weekend? Thanks in advance!

[Mt Valin Early Ride]

On 11/29/2018 at 7:48 PM, RoadRunner said:

Well we landed this afternoon at Auberge km 31 to a nice seasoned snow base ..considering it is , yes, only Nov 29! 

We quickly unloaded our gear for our 10 day stay, and than went for quick late afternoon run. Conditions are nice with a firm, solid base of one to three feet, depending on where you are, and than 6” to 8” of powder on top.  Some of the best conditions you could ask for.  Now the main trails are chewed and will need grooming tomorrow, which I suspect will happen, but once you get off those main trails it is nirvana.

 

A little mechanic error caused an issue with a bolt coming out of a shock 5 miles into our ride this evening, but some quick trailside repairs and we were off for a nice 60 mile run!

 

A run east to Labrieville tomorrow is in store.  We will have a much better feel for overall conditions than.

Think snow!

 

 

 

Thanks for the detailed ride report! How does Passion Quebec compare to KM31 where you guys stayed? We are planning a trip to mont Valin but not sure what accomodations are best?

TY