PINKM1

Yes, you can leave your vehicle at the Universal, no problem. As far as an itinerary, just read through the threads here, there are hundreds of recommendations.

Be very careful in having an itinerary that is "cast in stone". Once you get into the the Gaspe' many things can make you change your plans...a big storm, groomer breakdowns, trail conditions etc. can really throw a wrench into your itinerary. Keep an eye on the weather and get the i-motoneige app for your phone, this app will show you the most up to date trail conditions and trail closures and you may have to change your plans mid-trip because of any number of reasons. I'm not trying to scare you, just speaking from experience, I once spent 3 days at the Hotel Copper waiting for the groomers to open up the trails after a Gaspesie snow storm. You will have a great time on your trip, but don't be disappointed if you have to change your plans.

When I first saw this post I immediately went to the web site and read up on the procedure, "Great, this is going to be easy" I thought. Then I pulled out my policy, saw that I had only 100/300 coverage... Damn. 28 bucks,I guess I'll just have to buy one less round at Groomers Club House this winter!

Damn,I just missed the "top 20"

Really hard to tell... It really depends on the amount of snow they get on the peninsula with this upcoming storm. There are times when they just open the trails with the blade on the groomer then come back to drag the trail. I have seen 4-7 day periods with no grooming after a decent storm. If the storm lasts into Thursday or Friday I would make a contingency plan.

One of my travel partners had a Montana mounted to his w/s bag. It was easier to power up because it had a powered cradle but was way too small to use while riding.

I just returned from an 8 day Gaspe' trip and have a Garmin Nuvi 67LM mounted on my windshield bag. It's great to have the large 7" screen to to see upcoming turns in the trail at a glance. My Nuvi requires constant power so I just left it plugged into my powerport while riding. No issues with cold temps and the one day we ran in the freezing rain and just put the unit inside a clear plastic bag. It worked perfectly the entire trip and now I have the tracks from every mile of the trip and the data includes average speed, moving time, non moving time and elevations. The graphs on Basecamp are easy to read and understand. Unit and mount cost me less than $150. I will not ride without a GPS again, even on my local trails in Vermont, because I don't need to unfold the map at any intersections.

Just spend some time looking at the older posts on here. You will be inundated with good info.

The North Shore got pounded last week 120cm in some places (almost 4'), that's the reason for the sub par conditions around Mount St. Pierre and Murdochville. It can take up to a week to clean up after a storm like that. You should be fine and what rain they get this weekend should only make the conditions better. We are starting in R-D-L next Friday the 3rd, should be epic!

The iMotoneige17 app has the same map and conditions for all of Quebec'. Open the app, and in the upper right hand corner click on the white box, then click on Grooming Delay.

I recommend you read as many threads on this forum (Gaspe' Peninsula) as you have time for, there are hundreds of great recommendations and stories and you will hear from many who have made the trip... My only words of wisdom would be to be flexible. Any Gaspe' loop will depend on many variables including snow levels, grooming schedules, weather, trail closures etc etc etc...

Club de Motoneigistes Lac St-Jean shared their post. 1 hr · Club de Motoneigistes Lac St-Jean 6 hrs · Important Notice!!! Finally the relais du mont apica will still be open on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday next (7 to 10 April). The trails will also be surfacés. Please share! Thank you. Translated from French · See Original

My thoughts exactly Playhard.

Nice beaver Jean-Guy!!!

J-G, Just finished our planning and reservations for around Lac St. Jean for next week. Hope to see you next year. Thanks for your honest report. Scott

I like "full pin" !!!

Jean-Guy, Say it ain't so! We are heading up next weekend, I hope the weather doesn't make us change our plans to the other side of the St. Lawrence. Do you know how the North Shore handled the rain?

"Took a ride in the rhubarb" One of your best lines ever!

You better boogie and plan on some higher mileage days if you want to do that trip in 6 or 7 days. Ft. Kent to R-D-L is a good day's ride. In perfect conditions (no issues at all with weather or breakdowns) you can do the TQ5 loop in 4 days. Doesn't leave much time to "stop and smell the roses" or just to slow down and enjoy the Gaspe', especially if this is your first trip. You shouldn't have any problems getting a room, Maybe reserve the 1st and last night and play the rest by ear, I call ahead from the trail before noon and reserve a room for that night. You have to be flexible, your plans will change. Must see areas? Everywhere... but Perce' Rock, the Chic Chock mountains, "Piston Alley" the 597, Murdochville and La Cache are some of my favorites. Enjoy

Jean-Guy, Heading up your way this year around the first week in March, hopefully we can get together at your clubhouse and share a beverage or meal. As always love seeing your pictures and reading your posts, keep it up! It's a bad snow year down here in Vermont and I hope you are seeing enough snow to keep you real busy in your groomer. Be Safe... PINKM1