Québec’s Blueberry Route Bike Tour

Shuttle (~2.5hrs) north to Alma on Lac Saint-Jean. With three national parks and a marine park, this is a giant playground renowned for its outdoor activities. A well-packed gravel bike path (~12 mi.) takes us to a small passenger ferry across the wide Peribonka River. After lunch, enjoy flat country roads beside the sapphire blue lake in the Pointe Taillon National Park to the town of Dolbeau-Mistassini on the shore of the Mistassibi River. Stay tonight at the Motel Chute des Pères.

After breakfast, hop back on your bike to continue your way along the Véloroute des Bleuets (The Blueberry Route). Take a side trip to Les Délices, a blueberry museum celebrating the region’s culinary history, then pedal on to Hotel du Jardin in the town of Saint-Félicien where we spend the night perched on the shores of Lac Saint-Jean.

Stop at La Vieille Fromagerie Perron to experience (and sample) a rural cheese factory’s hand-crafted wares. Pedal to Communauté Innu de Mashteuiatsh, the nation’s oldest Innu reserve, where descendants of the region’s indigenous peoples have lived for over 6,000 years. Explore the museum’s collective exhibit and cultural site celebrating thousands of years of life stories of these nomadic people. Enjoy lunch here. Then continue riding to the Historic Village of Val-Jalbert, a 1920s company town complete with 40 or so original period buildings. Its convent-school, general store, pulp mill and massive waterfall offer plenty to explore. Stay here tonight in a 20’s-themed room with contemporary comforts at Village Historique de Val-Jalbert.

Don’t feel like you have to ride all the miles on today’s route, or tomorrow’s. Our guides can tailor the riding to suit your preferences. Ride from Val-Jalbert to Chicoutimi, an old French fur trading post on the banks of the Saguenay River. Now the central borough of the city of Saguenay, it’s a mecca for hikers, skiers and other active people. Along the way, visit the cheesemakers at La Fromagerie Lehmann. Taste the family’s artisanal cheeses made from milk produced by their little flock of Swiss Brown cows. Back on the bicycle, ride to visit The Little White House (La Petite Maison Blanche), a symbol of hope and perseverance which survived two floods, standing for four days with waters raging around its foundation. Overnight at Hotel Chicoutimi or Hotel du Fjord Chicooutimi.

In the morning we begin with a brief shuttle to La Baie, third of the Saguenay city boroughs, and take a ferry across to Sainte-Rose-du-Nord. Bicycle quiet roads through farms and fields bordering the Sainte-Marguerite River, soaking up the views of lakes, forest lands and mountain peaks. Finish today’s ride where the river meets the giant St. Lawrence River in Tadoussac. Spend tonight at the Hotel Tadoussac with its red roof and whitewashed walls, enjoying views of Tadoussac Bay and the St. Lawrence River.

The St. Lawrence estuary at Tadoussac is a feeding zone for three types of whales: the fin whale, the minke whale and the giant blue whale. This morning, take a 2-hour Wildlife Cruise through the heart of the Saguenay St. Lawrence Marine Park to see these majestic mammals. There’s also an optional 2.5-mile hike to Anse à la Barque on the Sentier du Fjord. Lunch and dinner are on your own today.

A fabulous end to a fabulous tour! Shuttle to Saint-Tite-des-Caps after breakfast to pedal the historic “Avenue Royal.” Begin on a relaxing descent with impressive views of the Saint Lawrence River and surroundings. Ride to lunch at the lovely Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré Basilica and then on to the magnificent Montmorency waterfall. At 272-feet, it’s one and a half times higher than Niagara Falls. After the ride we will return you to Quebec City where old Québec’s cobblestone streets and landmarks (dating from the 1600s!) make for a wonderful exploring!