Southeastern Quebec
39 FALL 2023 VOL . 05 / ISSUE 01
THE WINTER WANDERER ’ S GUIDE TO QUÉBEC
SNOWGOER . COM 40
Southeastern Quebec
The south side of the mighty St . Lawrence River is the cradle of the Canadian snowmobile industry , and has offered great riding since the very beginning of our sport . Snowmobiling where the Chaudière River drains the northern slopes of the Appalachian Mountains is the very best of south shore riding .
With an easily accessible location just across the border , you can ride directly into this area from the northern New England states . Of course , you still must observe all U . S . and Canadian border crossing rules and must stop at the first opportunity to purchase a Québec trail pass ( or buy in advance online ). You could instead drive in via the International expressway system .
Once in Chaudière-Appalaches ( pronounced Shaude-air App-a-lash ), make sure to visit the observation tower atop 3,008-foot high Mount Saint-Magliore . On a clear day visitors can see the St . Lawrence River in one direction and Maine ’ s famous Mount Katahdin in another direction . As riders circulate on the superbly marked and maintained trails , they have the opportunity to cross the famous 508-foot covered bridge spanning the Chaudière River at Notre-Dame-des-Pins and a 360-foot suspension bridge over the river at Saint-Martin .
In the spring riders can get an intimate view of massive sugar bush operations and visit local sugar shacks . Local trailside services here are second to none . To learn more , consult www . chaudiereappalaches . com .
One Lasting Memory ...
Sometimes things just work out right , like the day that we couldn ’ t find a restaurant open for lunch . Finally we stumbled onto a backwoods cabane de sucre – a sugar shack , or maple syrup refinery . Most of these places double as restaurants and the Relais L ’ Erablière R . S . near Lac Etchemin was no exception . They didn ’ t speak much English , but we were riding with Québec native Louis Chamberland , so it wasn ’ t a problem . Ted Perkins and I both ordered the ham in maple sauce , and it proved to be a special treat , as was the desert of white cake with maple syrup . You just don ’ t eat like this anywhere but Québec .
STÉPHANIE ALLARD © TOURISME CHAUDIÈRE-APPALACHES