Québec is where Canadian friendliness meets French flair. The province in eastern Canada is as vast in landscape as it is in culinary and cultural experiences. Québec’s snowy adventures go beyond just a trip to one of the province’s 60 ski resorts. There are 22 tourist regions. From Montréal and Québec City to the more remote Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, here’s how to play in this winter wonderland. The secret to enjoying Québec’s winter fun is being properly dressed. If you don’t have the hefty gear, you can rent a complete outfit including a coat, snow pants and boots from Tuque and Bicycle Experiences based in Québec City.
Urban Exploration in Magnificent Montréal
Located on an island in the St. Lawrence River, this city could easily be called the Paris of Canada. Settlers, mainly from France, colonized it on May 17, 1642. Montréal is a bustling cosmopolitan made up of boroughs, or distinct neighborhoods. It’s easy to navigate this very walkable city. Montréal is known as one of the best foodie cities in the world because of its creative, globally infused culinary scene. For a boutique hotel experience, Uville Hôtel is in a wonderful location. The décor is a nod to Québec’s progressive period with rooms themed after events and people from the 1960s and 1970s.
I got a kick out of a yellow rotary phone, record player, and avocado green accents in my room. I had one day to see as much as I could of the city. I walked a couple of blocks from the hotel to Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal to start my urban exploration.
Built from 1824 to 1829, the basilica was Canada’s first Gothic Revival church and a testament to Montréal’s Catholic roots. Pope John Paul II declared it a minor basilica in 1982. There is a “wow” factor as you follow the vivid blue floor down the center of the sanctuary. The deep blue vaulted ceiling with a gold leaf motif is like Sainte-Chapelle’s lower chapel in Paris. The intricate detail surrounding the crucifixion in the middle was revealed as I got closer to the altarpiece where I stopped for a pensive moment.
From the basilica, I walked over to the Westmount neighborhood to stroll along Rue Sainte-Catherine. Spanning more than 9 miles (15 km) with more than 1,200 shops, it is Montréal’s most important commercial street and one of the longest commercial streets in North America. I did a little retail therapy at Tristan at the intersection of Sainte-Catherine and Metcalfe, where you’ll find other Canadian brands like Canada Goose and Roots.
There are numerous parks throughout the city, but Mont-Royal Park (Parc du Mont-Royal) has some of the best views. Following the River to Sky Trail, I climbed up a series of stairs.
Two-thirds of the way up, I stopped to watch some cross-country skiers, snowshoers and dog walkers in what I would call a winter workout oasis in the heart of the city. Just before I got to Mount Royal Chalet, it started snowing. I took in the breathtaking view from Belvédère Kondiaronk (Kondiaronk Lookout) before warming up in the historic chalet dating back to 1931.
As the snow intensified, I hiked back down and walked back to my hotel with a stop in Victoria Square, where I ducked down into Montréal’s famed Underground City to experience a small section of this network of shopping, dining and entertainment plazas linked by metro stations spanning 33 kilometers (about 20.5 miles). I warmed up with a tea and sandwich at Café Depot for a very late lunch before heading to Hôtel Uville to “cheers” the day with their Le Summer of 67 cocktails made with local gin. Montréal has a vibrant and growing craft distillery scene. It was a refreshing end to a fun day exploring the city.
Into the Forest of the Abbey
About 1.5 hours from Montréal, near Saint-Jean-de-Matha in the Lanaudière region, is Magasin de L’Abbaye Val Notre-Dame. It is an active monastery where you can explore La Forêt de L’Abbaye (The Forest of the Abbey) on guided snowshoe tours.
Following JT, our guide with Marcheur des Bois, our group went into the spruce and fir forest snowshoeing our way to a yurt campfire where Josee was cooking bannock, an indigenous delicacy and iconic Canadian food. She stuffed the fried bread with local pork, but I opted for her vegetarian version. As I noshed on warm bread balls stuffed with pumpkin seeds, I sipped chaga (mushroom) tea for a wonderful pairing by the toasty campfire. For a sweet treat, she gave us balsam fir cookies. The experience was a fun way to learn about “forestibles,” or products you can eat or use from the forest. We also spent a few minutes perusing the store where you can buy products made by the monks and other regional specialties.
Speed, Snow and Steam at Lake Sacacomie
In the Saint-Alexis-des-Monts district is Hôtel Sacacomie. The historic log-style hotel is nestled in the forest above Lac Sacacomie. It’s a very popular summer destination, but in winter you can rev up the adventure meter by snowmobiling through the beautiful Mauricie forest.
Snowmobiling is a way of life in central and northern Québec Province with snowmobile roads making it easier to get around some of the more remote areas in winter than in summer.
After snowmobiling, I went dog sledding. With a partner, you take turns mushing a team of six dogs or riding in the sled. My friend Kellee and I hooted and hollered as we ran, guided and worked with our team of dogs. Dogsledding is a part of Canadian heritage and started with the First Nations.
You can also take a ski plane tour, drift on the ice in a controlled skid side-by-side or partake in activities like skating, tubing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
After snowmobiling and dog sledding, we did a short hike along the lake shoreline to a historic trapper’s cabin where 74-year-old Gaspard dressed warmly in fur gear passionately told us about the region’s coureurs des bois. The “wood runners” were fur traders.
On the cabin’s porch, we enjoyed maple syrup taffy. It’s made by pouring maple syrup on fresh snow, then rolling it on a stick and enjoying the gooey yumminess.
By late afternoon I was ready to relax and headed to Hôtel Sacacomie Geos Spa alternating time sitting in the dry sauna, cold plunge and soaking in the natural thermal water while watching a stunning sunset over the lake. The day ended with a casual dinner at the hotel before I retreated to my cozy room for a good night’s rest before the next adventurous day.
Quintessential Québec City: 2 Days of Urban Culture, Outdoor Adventure in Glacial Valley, and Hotel Made of Ice
“Québec” means where the river narrows, and Québec City has the narrowest stretch of the St. Lawrence River. It’s a city I’ve dreamed of visiting, and it far exceeded my high expectations.
Arriving there late morning was perfect timing for a sugar shack dining experience at Restaurant La Bûche. The traditional cuisine is heavy on meat with maple syrup on or mixed in with everything. It’s a great place to sample poutine, which is a dish of cheese curds and fries drenched in gravy and can be topped with smoked meat or chicken. I noshed on their delicious smoked trout crepes. Bonhomme, Québec’s Winter Carnaval mascot made a surprise appearance while we were there.
Some in my group went ice canoeing on the St. Lawrence River — something you can only do in winter. It originated in the 1600s as a way for people to get across the river when there are floating chunks of ice in it.
Wanting to learn about Québec City’s fascinating history and architecture, I went on a walking tour with Cicérone Tours. Dressed in character, our guide Bernard was funny and informative as we walked through the picturesque streets of Québec City. We even enjoyed some of the festivities of the city’s premiere winter celebration, Carnaval de Québec, an annual two-week festival in February. That evening we drove to nearby to the Huron-Wendat Museum in Wendake for storytelling around a fire in the Ekionkiestha’ National Longhouse outside followed by a wonderful multi-course dinner at La Traite. We returned to Québec City for a restful night at AAA Diamond-designated Hotel Clarendon. The boutique luxury hotel dates to 1870 and is the oldest hotel in the city.
The next day I popped into Café La Maison Smith, a local coffee shop in a building dating to 1653 before we headed to Parc national de la Jacques-Cartier. The national park is 30 minutes from the city. We rode fat bikes then I went with the hiking group for an amazing and steep hike while others tried hok skiing, which is a hybrid of snowshoeing and backcountry skiing. On the way back to Québec City, we toured the Hôtel de Glace (Ice Hotel). It’s made of snow and ice and is rebuilt every winter. This year’s has 30 rooms, including 22 themed suites filled with incredible ice sculptures, carvings, and beds. You can spend one night in ice rooms which stay at 0°C to -8°C (32-17°F), or just take a Ice Hotel tour during the day as we did. That night, we had an amazing wine-pairing dinner at AAA Four Diamond Restaurant Légende.
From the Fjord to Valley of the Ghosts in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean
Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region is a couple of hour's drive north of Québec City. The district is home to several ski resorts including Mont Edouard. Some in our group went on a backcountry ski adventure, and others, including me, went to La Baie to venture out on iced covered Saguenay Fjord, which is a glacially carved long and narrow body of seawater extending far inland. A couple of people also tried hok skiing.
The fjord has an average depth of 210 meters (690 feet) and has over 60 varieties of fish. Every winter, the frozen fjord is dotted with close to 1,200 tiny colorful cabins. La Baie is home to the largest ice-fishing village in North America, and likely the world. Only 5% of the cabins are available to rent by tourists to ensure the tradition continues for locals. If you want to cast a line, it’s best to do it with an outfitter like Saguenay Aventures as we did. A snowshoe and ice fishing combination makes for a fabulous frozen fjord adventure.
Our last basecamp was Imago Village. You can stay in a dome with a private bathroom or in yurts with a shared bathhouse. It’s very close to Le Valinouët, a ski area with 100% natural snow and only 10 miles from Parc national des Monts-Valin. We took a drive well into the park and took a snowcat to the trailhead for the Vallée des Fantômes.
The snow covers the trees giving them a ghostly appearance. Your imagination will run wild as you see “ghosts” of various shapes and sizes. We snowshoed to the summit of Pic Dubuc, the highest point in the park (984m or 3228 feet), for breathtaking views before hiking 3 km (6km roundtrip) back down through the ghosts. It was snowing, which was a fitting end to savoring Québec’s snowy season.
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