Biking Quebec and Gaspe Peninsula
 

We are three couples in the planning stages of a bike trip. We like to stay in nice places and eat good food, feel we have earned it. I would like advice on the route:

Quebec City, two days
Ile d'Orleans
Montmorency Falls
Up the north coast of St Lawerence to Tadousse
On to Les Escoumins, ferrying to Troie Pistoles
On to Mont-joli, catching train to Gaspe
Hiking
Returning by train to Quebec

Are we better off(terrain) to bike the south side of the river?

Any advice will be helpfull

You need to like hills if you go the Quebec-Tadoussac route on the north shore... It is quite scenic though.

You better have low gears to ride in Charlevoix and Gaspésie.

Charlevoix has much nicer scenery than the south shore though. Road 138 has a lot a of traffic, but until Baie-St-Paul, there's always 3 lanes, two going uphill and one going downhill. There's usually a shoulder on the downhill side, so there's plenty of room for you and the cars. I strongly recommend road 362 between Baie-St-Paul and La Malbaie. Better scenery, slower traffic but steeper hills. From La Malbaie to Les Escoumins, it might not be all that enjoyable due to the high traffic and narrower road. I haven't biked that part. The 132 ont the south shore should have less traffic, thanks to highway 20.

The town of Gaspé doesn't have much hiking. There is some in Forillon. The shorter trails are quite interesting but the longer ones inland are a bit boring. The place to hike is Parc de la Gaspésie. Access to the park is via road 299 from Ste-Anne-des-Monts. I don't think the train goes there so you'd have to bike it. Be aware that when highway 20 ends, all the traffic goes on the 132. To the park, it's a long non-stop climb from the sea until Cap-Seize. From there, it's a up and down until the visitor center. You can camp, stay in cabins (might need your own bedding) or stay at the Gîte. From there, you can hike Mont Albert trail , the best in Quebec. You can bike easily to mont Olivine trailhead or for 12$, take a shuttle to Mont Jacques-Cartier trailhead.

If you want to bike the peninsula, the ride from Tourelle to Manche-d'Épée is wonderful. Flat, wide shoulder and great scenery. From Manche-dÉpée, it's non-stop up and down. The hills are real leg killers. Grades of 8-10% are normal, with a few steeper hills. You're not even done climbing and there's a panel with "10% - 1km" written on it. Then it's a chilly downhill, a small town, and up again... Still, it's a great ride.

Click on my name and you'll see a few posts regarding Gaspésie. If you have any questions, just ask. Here are some pics of a small Gaspésie tour I did in 2003:

http://community.webshots.com/album/93885586OniTGS
http://community.webshots.com/album/94088746PdTUVD

Thanks for the info..I think we would be better of biking the south side of the St.Lawerence river and taking ferry to St Simon or would we be better off taking the ferry from Trois Pistoles to les Escoumins and the biking to Tadoussac. Boats to Quebec City from this area????????