Our family just returned from the Gaspe Peninsula. I thought I would post some information as I found it hard to find many posts from people who had visited. We headed to the Gaspe from Quebec City in mid-June. We left Q.C. early in the morning, planning to drive thru Charlevoix, stopping in Baie St. Paul and La Malbaie. Unfortunately, it was raining and very foggy. We got glimpses of what it might have been like on a sunny day, and it must be a beautiful drive, although I found the two towns uninspiring, maybe because of the weather. We just drove thru the towns, only stopping in La Malbaie for picnic supplies and arrived in St. Simeon for our 2 pm ferry 2 hours early. It takes a little over an hour to cross to Riviere-du-Loup, and the ferry was late leaving.

We drove from Riviere-du-Loup to Matane, stopping for dinner and arriving about 7 pm. The drive is not very pretty. We would have liked to stop at Reford Gardens (between Rimouski and Matane), but we were too late. We stayed at the Quality Inn in Matane, because we had a free night. It looks very unattractive from the outside, but it was clean, and the beds were fine.

The next morning, we drove to the Parc de la Gaspesie. On the drive, you pass many stands selling lobster rolls and fumoirs, selling smoked fish. There is a full grocery store in St.-Anne-des-Monts. It's a good idea to pick up some picnic items for the Parc, as eating options are limited. The drive from Matane to the Parc took about 1 1/2 hours. Once in the Parc, you need to stop at the visitor center to pay for a pass, which you need to keep with you at all times. We stayed at the Gite du Mont Albert, which we liked a lot. The rooms are large, and there is a pool (open in late June). It is in a pretty setting at the base of the mountains. The restaurant is expensive for dinner, so we opted for the small cafeteria at the visitor center, which turned out to be pretty good, much better than U.S. National Park cafeterias.

We really liked the Parc--lots of beautiful rolling green mountains and no fog like the coast. I don't know whether it gets busy later in the summer, but it felt like we had it to ourselves. We hiked to the Lac aux Americains--an easy 2.6 km hike to a lake at the base of a ring of mts. There are benches at the lake, which would have been nice for a picnic. In the late afternoon, we hiked the trail to Le Mont Ernest Laforce (fairly easy 4.5 km) hoping to see caribou. There was fresh scat all over the trail, but no caribou. The visitor center told us caribou are often seen on the trail in the early morning and late afternoon.

The next morning, we started our drive to Perce, about a 4 1/2 hour drive. Unfortunately, it was very foggy and we only got the idea of the mountains plunging into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It seems that around each turn, there is another little fishing village. Despite the weather, we could tell that the drive from St.-Anne-des-Monts to Perce is the highlight of the drive around the Gaspe. In Pointe-Fregate, there is a small shop that sells beautiful handmade wooden boats. Each town has a Halte Municipal (a little park with picnic tables overlooking the sea)--great spots for a stop or a picnic.

We loved Perce, although I had read that many people say it is too touristy. There are lots of t-shirt and trinket shops, but it also has lots of restaurants to choose from and maintains its charm. The rock off the coast is mesmerizing. We stayed at the Hotel La Normandie, which we really liked. We had a suite, which was great for a family of 4. The Resto Village has delicious lobster sandwiches. A local man told us they are the best in the area. There is also a delicious boulangerie, with very good breads and pastries.

I thought the highlight of the Gaspe was our trip to Ile de la Bonaventure. We made the trip despite fog, and I'm so glad we did. We spotted a whale on the way to the island. The boat circles the island so that you can see the bird colonies and seals. Then you can get off on the island to see the gannet colony. Once on the island, you hike one of several trails to the gannets, which are fascinating. You feel like you are in a National Geographic documentary, watching them nest and fight for territory. Some of the mothers were sitting on tiny babies. I wish we had had more time, as I would have liked to hike some more trails on the island. There are picnic tables at the gannet colony.

After 2 nights in Perce, we finished the drive around the Gaspe. Not far after Perce, the drive is rather flat and uninteresting.

Thank you so much for the report. I really enjoyed reading it. The Gaspe Peninsula is a trip I'd really like to do...it's on my 'list'.
SO I appreciate all the great information.

What a wonderful coincidence! I had just come back from trying to find in-depth info on Quebec province at the bookstore (the best i could find was a book on Montreal and Quebec with a few pages on excursions out of the cities) and there was your post. I immediately printed it out. Thanks so much!

Glad my report was some help! I forgot to mention one thing. I had wanted to visit Forillon Nat'l. Park, which you pass before reaching Perce. I thought we might drive back there from Perce for a hike, However, it is not a short trip, and we had done so much driving to reach the area, no one wanted to get back in the car. (Not to mention the price of gas!) In fact, we didn't move our car during our two days in Perce. If you want to see Forillon, it might be a good idea to stop on your way to Perce.

The best guide in English to cover the whole province of Québec is the Ulysses guide. It has a comprehensive coverage of sights, activities, shopping, accommodation and dining. It's invaluable if you are travelling outside the two main cities.