sledzz Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Are conditions and snow coverage and scenery / ride better on the east side or west side of Lac St. Jean. Heading up from St. Raymond and only have limited time to experience the area. Thanks All! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revct1 Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Most riders prefer the east side of Lac St Jean. It covers a larger area so there are more trails and more variety. Right now the southwest side is thin on snow. Post a little more info - How many days? Staying at one hotel or a different hotel each night? Trail riding, off trail, mountain, flat, scenic? You will get more info back. Jack & Sandi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledzz Posted February 3, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Trail riding, leaving from St. Raymond but was unsure to go up 23 to the east or 73 through LaTuque to the west side?? Leaving St. Raymond Thursday and back to St. Raymond Sunday with my wife. We usually do 225 to 275km a day although if the trails are as good as i hear they are in that area we may do more. We are accustom to mostly running trails in Eastern Ontario. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revct1 Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Trail 73 will put to the southwest side of the Lac and that has been a little thin on snow lately. Trail 23 is what we usually take. It is normally groomed for the weekend. Riding on Thursday you may be ahead of the groomer. Coming back on Sunday will be after Saturday traffic. This isn't necessarily bad, but you may not hit the fresh groomed stuff. If it is cold, the trail won't get as beat. If it happens to be warm that weekend, 23 can get a little rough. There is a lookout on Mont Apica which is 25 km south of the junction of 23 and 368. Good view on a clear day. That gives you Friday and Saturday to explore the Lac area. If you are going to do Mont Valin East, go there on Friday. Weekends can get crazy with the amount of snowmobile traffic. There are a few lookouts that you can pick from if it is a clear day. Trail 93 can be horrible and it can be great. Saturday lots of choices. You did your scenic ride Friday now it is time to enjoy the trails. If this is your first time to the Lac, I would go to the northeast area referred to as the blueberry fields. Get on the green and yellow trails for some nice riding. Labrecque, Lamarche, L'Acension and out to St Monique we really enjoy. There are a lot of trails in the Saguenay and they are usually maintained very good. You are only going to get a taste of a small area in two days. Definitely check the groomer map each morning to see what was groomed overnight and plan your route accordingly. They can't groom every trail every night, but if you check the groomer map, you can stay away from the ugly and get some of the best. Enjoy! Jack & Sandi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledzz Posted February 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 Thanks Jack & Sandi, great info! We have booked Centre Plein AIr Mont Vilain north west of the park for one night. Has anyone stayed here? Also wondering if Trail 23 is an express way or is it tight and twisty? We have 320 km to travel from Saint Raymond to our first stop for the night. My wife is usually only used to travel 225 to 250 a day on our mediocre trails here in eastern ontario. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revct1 Posted February 5, 2018 Report Share Posted February 5, 2018 We haven't stayed there but we stop for food as often as we can. Anik and her husband are the owners and are very accommodating. Good choice. You should enjoy the stay. We usually stay in the Saguenay area. From St Raymond you will have 15-20 km of town / farm land. A little further and you will get to the gate for the Park, you will start climbing a little and you will be on roads most of the way to L'Etape and Apica. About 120 km to go from St Ray to L'Etape. You can gas there or another 55 km to Apica depending on what your range is. If 23 is smooth, it is a very nice ride. Kick back and enjoy it. Not much for twisties. Mostly park roads. Very few road crossings and during the week, not much traffic. It can get a little drifted after a snowstorm. Jack & Sandi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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