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Suggestions planning Gaspe trip the end of January


2018RENAGADEXRS850
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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!

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Hey

Be Flexable and maybe add an extra day as a cushion. Weather is a tricky B!tch. I think it was GTRider last year got stuck in Murdochville for a day while they groomed out the trail to a passable state.

As a note: we have not been able to do the Gaspe, $h!t Happens.....

I'm sure others will pipe up and give some pointers.

Later

GutZ

 

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🤔the weather in  and around gaspse can be a challenge.. like mr gutz said keep a close i on weather reports .dont cancel trip just modify it.definately worth it,just be flexible with your days

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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we are trying to do the Gaspe starting the 20th of Jan leaving from RDL .

 

we tried about 3 years ago and warm weather happened.

 

at this time we have  the first two nights booked and the last (all at the universal)

we have options mapped out with a listing of multiple hotels all dependent on the weather.

 

schooter

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BEST place to tour , u have to adjust for snow and weather. always ask questions of people everywhere u stop. to make sure of closures and fuel stops and possible broken groomers, but it can be the best week of the year..leave time dont rush trying to do big miles..

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I'm sure you have it but if you don't get some kind of GPS system. We have it on our phones and are putting a Garmin on our sleds. At least in a snow storm if you get off the trail you will know what way to go to get back to it.

  The trail around the point can get snow when other places don't. But it is worth the time to do it if possible. North side has lots of hills that you can enjoy. Amazing the view of the St Lawerence river from on top of them.

  In the Copper Hotel check out the old snowmobiles down stairs. The people you meet as like all of Quebec are wonderful and very help full.

  I love to tell the story about in 2005 I was in Clova and met a gentleman and we were talking about Gaspi. He told if you ever get to the Gaspi say a prayer for him because it's the closest to heaven you can get and the prayer might work.

  Anyway have a great time and mostly be safe.

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We like the Universal in RDL also.  It does add a day at each end of the trip but it is a nice place to stage from.  You have the pool, hot tub, enclosure for the truck, easy access and Mayor Mike! 

Gaspe is a must do.  It took us three tries to complete the loop.  Don't be disappointed if something unexpected happens.  Take your time, be flexible and have fun.

Jack & Sandi

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How many in your group and what riding style are you?

Fast high milers, slower cruisers or possibly couples?

Your first day would be a very full day, some of the best scenery but much slower trails along the north shore. 

Your Last 3  days are very short. The 597 from Chandler up to Murdochville is a piston alley high speed run for much of it.

Many groups would make it from Perce to Murdochville by lunch. 

Depending on what your goals are; seeing as much of the Gaspe as you can vs having a shorter more relaxing tour can help us give you some route ideas.

 

Edited by Fuse6
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Think long and hard about the Riotel in Matane, yes it nice, BUT the ride from the hotel to the travails can be 5 miles of frozen dirt (see other posts on this site) way better place is the Quality Inn.  Also, going to Matane to start is really nonsensical as you can ride easily in on day from RDL to Matane, why trailer?  I agree with he rest on that point.

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Best Gaspesie suggestion is wait till late March, much warmer, longer daylight, no one there. Couple years age we left there on 4/7. Just a thought. Photo is 4/7/16 last truck in the corral at The Universal. 

B81FBC68-3863-43D8-8868-580D738D2405.jpeg

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Many of you are saying "be flexible" - Are the hotels / motels generally easy to accommodate you if you are delayed a day due to weather / breakdown. Do they nail you for cancellation and are rooms usually available if you must delay a day last minute?

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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.

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7 hours ago, 2018RENAGADEXRS850 said:

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.

Be warned trailer to Domaine Valga is a white knuckle ride. They are at high elevation. 4x4 is a must IMO. Not much room for 2 way traffic. Going by snowmobile is way easier.

Its a nice place. Enjoy your trip.

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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

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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

Screenshot (19).png

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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    

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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.

Edited by 2018RENAGADEXRS850
forgot question mark
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Perce yes if the weather is clear. We leave from Rdl . depending on weather we go clockwise or counter clockwise. The north shore is spectacular. Want to be there with clear skies if possible. have been to the gaspe at least 8 times now and decide on the fly which is why we go end of season

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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.

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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

Screenshot (19).png

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.

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