We are planning a 10 day (or so) trip to Canada. Our plan is to spend the first 3 nights in Quebec City. We will then have about a week or so to explore the regions east of QC.

My first thought was the Gaspe Peninsula, but I've seen a lot of positive comments on the Charlevoix region on this board and on some other websites. Now I'm not sure what to do!

Can we do both areas justice in a week? Can you get from one area to the other easily (via ferry across the St. Lawrence)? Obviously I'm not familiar with the regions. (We are going to AAA tomorrow for some maps, which I am sure will help, but I don't think there is anything that compares to advice from fellow travelers!)

If not both, which would you recommend for a couple (60 years old) who enjoys scenery (loved Cabot Trail), likes to do some hiking, would love to see some wildlife, maybe take a whale watching tour (season?), etc.

Any help or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

10 days! Take in QC. For 2 days. 1 days adventure while traveling take in Montmorency falls, Canyon Saint Anne and Charlevoix region on the way to Tadoussac (designated one of most beautiful bays in the world) Tadoussac for a whale trip and then some Gaspe Peninsula scenery. ferry trips across the river to the east can be very undependable so ask the locals for tips. I was told it could be an all day and night affair - maybe not get across.

Sobolik, Thank you for the reply. So you are saying there IS a ferry from the Charlevoix region to the Gaspe?

Anyone else have any comments/recommendatiosn?

There are a number of ferries crossing the St. Lawrence below Québec. I don't know how dependable they are, as I haven't used them, but plan to do so next month. I'm not sure on what sobolik has based his information that the trip might take all day and night.

The main ferries are:

St. Siméon to Rivière du Loup: 65 min crossing. http://www.travrdlstsim.com/e/horaire/index.htm

Les Escoumins to Trois-Pistoles: 90 min crossing.
http://www.info-basques.com/traverse/

Forestville to Rimouski: 55 minute crossing.
http://www.traversier.com/accueil.html

Baie Comeau to Matane: 2hr 10 min crossing.
http://www.traversiers.gouv.qc.ca/trav/matane/index.asp

St. Siméon is in Charlevoix, while the others are down-river from the mouth of the Saguenay (which you also cross by ferry to Tadoussac.)

Just checked the website for the Les Escoumins-Trois Pistoles ferry, and it has been cancelled for the season this year.

Thanks, laverendrye,

I think I'm getting a better "handle" on the trip (waiting for my husband to bring home the maps). It looks like we should be able to cross the St. Lawrence at some point. Looks like a lot of driving.

I'm still not sure if it is worth the approximately 550 miles to make the whole loop around the peninsula. I don't see a lot of opinions on any of the threads I've checked.

In your situation, I would choose one of the following after spending 2-3 days in Quebec City:

- go up to the Lac-Saint-Jean/Saguenay region (if you have bikes, you can cycle on the Véloroute des bleuets, a bike path that circles Lac-Saint-Jean; there's also hiking, and cruises in the Saguenay fjord), then come back down to Charlevoix, then head back to Quebec City.

OR

- go straight to the Gaspé Peninsula and take your time touring the region. I think it'll take a good 4-5 hours from Quebec City.

Link to the Saguenay--Lac-Saint-Jean Tourism website:
http://www.saguenaylacsaintjean.net/...tz.asp?lang=an

They are my favorites regions but Gaspésie wins hands down. Gaspésie is also simpler to visit. Just drive around the peninsula and close the loop via Cascapedia (wild, no development at all) or Matapédia valley). So you spend less time wondering where to go. You're never really far from the main road.

Some highlights:
Parc du Bic just west of Rimouski. Lots of easy hiking, though I prefer simply walking the shore at low tide. Second best sunset in the world according to National Geographic (dunno where's 1st).

Parc de la Gaspésie, inland from Ste-Anne-des Monts. Hiking paradise. Lac aux Américains is a must and is extremely easy. The trail continues to mont Xalibu, which relatively easy considering it's mountain trail. It's a bit difficult to tell as some people in their 60s are in excellent shape while others can barely walk. Anyway, mont Xalibu is one my many second-favorite trail.

Ernest-Laforce is very easy, surface is like a rail-trail bike path (crushed stone). Good at sunrise for Moose.

Mont-Jacques Cartier is difficult. Best place for cariboos.

Mont Albert is the best trail in all of Quebec. It's quite difficult though. The difficlty comes from length (17km) and the rolling rocks in the cuve du Diable (devil's valley). A walking staff is handy. To make it easier, you can walk to the summit and descend the same way.

Forillon - Lots of small trails. Stay on the "sea side of the road". The long trails inland aren't great. The short trails are well-worth it though. Most divers wildlife I've seen in any Canadian park.

Percé - Can't go there without a trip to Bonaventure island.

A nice option is to drive on the north coast through Charlevoix (138 and 362) and cross in St-Siméon.

For an idea, I have some pics of both regions made during bicycle tours (and other trips for Gaspésie). I also made an attempt at writing, though it was written with cycling in mind.

http://www.borealphoto.com/articles_eng.htm

Sorry about the formatting. No matter what I do, Fodors adds some weird coding. (???)

ah, never mind... the weird coding was only shown in the preview.

Payfek, Thank you for the great information. I am leaning toward Gaspe.

Erick_L, Thanks to you too for taking the time to give me all the information. Your suggestions sound wonderful! We (particularly I) are not dedicated hikers, but my husband runs 6+ miles per day and I TRY to walk every day, so we should be OK.

The hikes sound great!

Erick_L,

I was thinking of exactly what you suggested, crossing at St-Siméon, but wasn't sure it that was a good idea. Thanks for the confirmation/recommendation!

I suggest driving up to Tadoussac, stopping on the way at Baie St-Paul or La Malbaie, doing the fjord/whale cruise (the Saguenay fjord is absolutely beautiful!), taking the ferry at St-Siméon and exploring the South shore of the St-Laurent, without doing all the peninsula. Just too much driving for my taste! Here is web site of beautiful QUébec villages that I refer to often : http://www.beauxvillages.qc.ca/anglais/accueil_a.html

Jojonana,

Thanks for the info. It does sound like a lot of driving!

But, I think my husband is now counting on the hiking part, so we will probably do the peninsula. I like both (visiting villages/hiking) but I'm going to Italy in September(he's not), so this trip is a bit more for him. I'm packing my boots!

sobolik's "all day and night" meant: I was told you can wait wait and wait and ultimately never get across. I was told it by the B&B owner and wife - I believed them so I never actually never tried

In case you decide to cut Gaspesie from your trip, here are two ideas for hiking in Charlevoix : the Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Riviere-Malbaie Park, about half an hour upcountry from the St. Lawrence (http://www.sepaq.com/pq/hgo/en/) and Saint-Tite-des-Caps (http://www.sentierdescaps.com/fr/rand.php - sorry, this page is not available in English). The latter offers views on the St. Lawrence river. You should probably skip those if you want to drive all around the Gaspe peninsula, but even just driving through Charlevoix will be worth the extra time compared to driving on the South shore straight from Quebec (south shore is beautiful too, but you'll get to drive it on your way back anyway). Don't miss Tadoussac and the whale-watching there.

Once on the south shore after the Saint-Simeon - Riviere-du-Loup ferry crossing (used it 3 times in the summer months, never had a problem - maybe the B&B owner sobolik was mentioning had storms in mind, since it operates until the end of December?), if you realize you don't want to drive all the way around the Peninsula, there are nice (although shorter) trails in the parc du Bic, and the area is beautiful (île Verte, Trois-Pistoles, Rimouski, Sainte-Luce-sur-Mer, etc.)

If it was me, I would try to find time to drive the Gaspe Peninsula.

Parc de la Gaspesie is fabulous, as Erick_L described - inland, beautiful mountains (can't recommend a summer hike, as I usually go in the winter, but I can tell you that the scenery is breathtaking; we saw 6 cariboos on Mont Jacques-Cartier last February).

10 days is a bit rushed to fit all of this though... Hopefully your hiking plans won't turn into a looong drive - try to add more days to your vacation if you can

Sobolik, Thanks for the clarification!

Ventdest, Thank you for the suggestions and for taking the time to post them. I am really determined to do the GP now. It sounds wonderful!

It's the the Tadoussac ferry that can be a long wait during tourist season.

What I would do is leave Quebec City very early in the morning and make it a long day road trip. There are a few things to see right on the road. Montmorency falls, basilique Ste-Anne, canyon Ste-anne, île-aux-coudres (free ferry), and of course, all the villages. Take highway 362 from Baie-St-Paul. Have reservation for the ferry so you don't have to wait too much.

Hi,

Just a short update. We are now in Rimouski (beautiful town from what we saw last night) and are going to explore the area a bit before driving to Parc de la Gaspesie. We hope to stay there at least 2 nights and do some (light!) hiking.

We took the ferry from St-Siméon. It was great -- ran about 15 late. The crossing was very smooth!

Hi Celiaanne, thanks for the update! Hopefully the rest of your trip went well and the weather was nice - would love to read your impressions about Gaspesie if you have the chance.

ventdest,

We are now in the town of Gaspe. It is absolutely gorgeous here! I've been hearing about the Gaspe Peninsula since I was a child, and it exceeded my expectations. I am very happy we decided to come here. The views from our hikes yesterday in Forillon were STUNNING!

The weather has been perfect -- sunny and cool. It is supposed to rain today. We'll see.