14 Days and Counting - Gaspe Peninsula

[tomm]

Hi All,
Heading out June 21st with a riding buddy for 8 or 9 days around the Gaspe Peninsula and looking for recommendations on the route, gas stations, cheap places to stay, road conditions, things to see, things to avoid, language barrier (how do you say, "Beer please" in French. Oh, and "Where's the bathroom") , weather, construction, local culture and customs, etc. Would really appreciate insight from anyone who has done any part of this trip and knows these areas. Can find very little online or in any of the travel guides. Thanks.

Route is as follows:
Leaving from Lee, NH.
Route 16 north through Conway up to Errol.
Route 28 to Colebrook.
Weeble up to Quebec 112 through Thetford Mines up to Vallee-Jonction. (Looks like 3 to 257 to 212 is the best weeble route. Any suggestions?)
Ground-pound through Quebec City on 73 to 175.
North on 175 through the Laurentians to Chicoutimi.
Down 170 to St Simeon. (Would 172 to Tadoussac be better.)
Ferry across the St Lawrence to Riviere-du-Loup.
132 east along the northern edge of the Gaspe. (Would 138 along the north side of the St Lawrence and crossing at Baie-Comeau to Matane be better?)
Continue on 132 along the Gaspe all the way to Campbellton, NB. (Stopping at the park at the very tip of the peninsula. Would like to stay in Gaspe for the night.)
17 to St-Leonard, then to Edmunston and crossing into Maine at Fort Kent.
South on 11, eventually working our way over to 16.
16 to Rangeley, back to Errol and 16 south to home.

Stops would be:
1st night: somewhere just north or just south of Quebec city.
2nd night: Riviere-du-Loup.
3rd night: somewhere along the north side of the Gaspe.
4th night: either Gaspe or somewhere along the south side of the Gaspe.
5th night: Fort Kent
6th night: Rangeley
7th night: home
8th night: spare

Other questions:
Is it reasonable to get from Quebec to Chicoutimi and back down to Riviere-du-Loup in one day. Googled Quebec 175 and it says it's the most dangerous road in the province, because it is a two-laner through the mountains and the major route north from Quebec.

Is it reasonable to get around the Gaspe in 3 days? What are the roads like?

Thought of going along the coast of New Brunswick from Campbellton, maybe as far as Moncton and then down to St John, crossing into Maine at Calais. Anybody have any experience with that section?

Thanks again for any insights / recommendations.
Tom

 

[Calvin Blackmore]

So you are going all the way to perce rock?

wow

that would be a sweet trip

i should be bilingual but I am not
but i do love beer and in my most drunen stupor I have gotoen biere in la belle province by saying
une "insert brand name" s'il vous plait
and then d'autre bu from then on out
labatt 50 "cinquante" or "sank aunt" in phonetics is a nice old beer

you should contiur on through Nrew Brunswick as it is the centre of the universe

if i was you and had money and time and could book it i would ride all the way to yarmouth NS and take the KAT back to USA

how many times in your life will you get to go on the the fastest ferry in history

any extra mileage you lose in gettign to yarmouth will be made up by avoiding pitifully ugly central NB and equally ugly central Maine

the northern appalachians are butt ugly boring and soul destroying

and ell on the way to Yarmouth divert and vist the Winery at Malagash NS
a damned fine time for sure

 

[T-Dog]

my old stompin grounds

my old stompin grounds

I've been away 11 years,my thoughts,yes the road to Chicoutimi is crazy,why bother just head east from Quebec City along the St.Lawrence.In Riviere du Loup(Wolf River)it'll be 4 lane or div hiway to Rimouski,the last big town.Further on Matane is famous for crevettes(shrimp)if you like seafood,you've come to the right place.At this point its mostly 2-lane,with passing lanes on the uphills.The north side of the peninsula is more rugged,more hills and twisties as you approach Gaspe.The scenery is just awesome.You may see whales spouting.You should see Perce Rock as you approachBarachois across the bay,if the weather is clear.You should plan some time in the town of Perce to take a boat ride around Bonaventure Island,when the water is calm whale sightings are common.Seals frolic and swim up for a closer look.Its a bird sanctuary,with gannets and puffins,man I'm rambling.For a cool ride ask a local (many speak some English)about "the route des failles"our little version of the tail of the dragon,call it tail of the codfish!About the beer just name your brand,you should be fine.Some places sell "la grosse"a big tall bottle 625 ml if I recall.Grab one with a glass and sit down for a while.I could go on,I'm homesick!

 

[Calvin Blackmore]

jebus tdog why did you get dispersed way out to manitoba?

 

[T-Dog]

Its a long story Calvin.Basically high unemployment back in the late 90s,the paper mill in Chandler where I started working pretty much out of high school laid me off then shut down for good.I headed west looking for work after trying out Quebec City spent 5 years in Alberta where I met my (now ex)wife,who is ta-da! a Winnipegger.I guess I'm a ramblin man. okay lets give Tomm his thread back8-[

 

[tomm]

So you are going all the way to perce rock?

wow

that would be a sweet trip

i should be bilingual but I am not
but i do love beer and in my most drunen stupor I have gotoen biere in la belle province by saying
une "insert brand name" s'il vous plait
and then d'autre bu from then on out
labatt 50 "cinquante" or "sank aunt" in phonetics is a nice old beer

you should contiur on through Nrew Brunswick as it is the centre of the universe

if i was you and had money and time and could book it i would ride all the way to yarmouth NS and take the KAT back to USA

how many times in your life will you get to go on the the fastest ferry in history

any extra mileage you lose in gettign to yarmouth will be made up by avoiding pitifully ugly central NB and equally ugly central Maine

the northern appalachians are butt ugly boring and soul destroying

and ell on the way to Yarmouth divert and vist the Winery at Malagash NS
a damned fine time for sure

Yep. All the way to Perce Point. That's the plan.

Couple of years ago, we drove the bike up to Portland and took the Cat over to Yarmouth. Then three days up the east coast to Halifax and back down the west coast to Yarmouth. Cat back to Bar Harbor and home. Was a great trip and would definitely consider incorporating it into this trip as well.

Last year we trailered up to Pictou and then spent 7 days biking around Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail. Another great trip. And nothing like a good single malt whisky for breakfast (Glenora Distillery).

Never realized that New Brunswick was the center of the universe. :shock: Would be worth it just so I can say I've been there. \\/

 

[tomm]

I've been away 11 years,my thoughts,yes the road to Chicoutimi is crazy,why bother just head east from Quebec City along the St.Lawrence.In Riviere du Loup(Wolf River)it'll be 4 lane or div hiway to Rimouski,the last big town.Further on Matane is famous for crevettes(shrimp)if you like seafood,you've come to the right place.At this point its mostly 2-lane,with passing lanes on the uphills.The north side of the peninsula is more rugged,more hills and twisties as you approach Gaspe.The scenery is just awesome.You may see whales spouting.You should see Perce Rock as you approachBarachois across the bay,if the weather is clear.You should plan some time in the town of Perce to take a boat ride around Bonaventure Island,when the water is calm whale sightings are common.Seals frolic and swim up for a closer look.Its a bird sanctuary,with gannets and puffins,man I'm rambling.For a cool ride ask a local (many speak some English)about "the route des failles"our little version of the tail of the dragon,call it tail of the codfish!About the beer just name your brand,you should be fine.Some places sell "la grosse"a big tall bottle 625 ml if I recall.Grab one with a glass and sit down for a while.I could go on,I'm homesick!

I promise to post pictures. Maybe bring back some old memories for you.

On the road to Chicoutimi, we were thinking that the ride through the mountains would be cool. Scenery, twisties, etc. And both the ride up and back were marked as scenic highways. Not so??? Don't want to waste the time if it isn't worth it. Especially if we want to have a full day at Perce Point.

Thanks for the other comments. Definitely shrimp in Matane. And it sounds like we should plan to take our time at the point and enjoy. "Tail of the Codfish." That's great!!! The trip around Bonaventure Island sounds like a great side adventure as well. Wanted to do the Bird Island boat tour when we were in Cape Breton, but just couldn't fit it in.

 

[T-Dog]

Quebec City to Chicoutimi is about 2 1/2 -3 hrs,its the main route between these 2 cities and is generally pretty busy,can't see it being much fun.I drove (not rode)it many times.Chicoutimi along the Saguenay River to the St.Lawrence I'm sure is awesome,can't comment on that section .Ste Anne des Monts all the way to Perce has its share of twisty fun sections,and the scenery is world class IMHO.I can still smell the salty air.I may sound biased,I know.Wish I could join you!

 

[tomm]

Well, it turned out to be everything I hoped for, and then some. Thought I'd share a few of the trip details as well as a few pictures.

Day 1: Saturday, 6/21 - Left Lee, NH about 10:00 AM for St Georges, Quebec. Nice ride up route 16 into Conway. Took the Conway bypass around all the usual weekend traffic when the rain clouds finally caught up with us. Pulled over and got all the rain gear on just about in time for the rain to stop. Hoping this rainbow is a good sign that our trip won't be flooded out.

Continued to the Glen House at the base of the Mt Washington Auto Road where we stopped for lunch, and then on to Berlin, Errol and Colebrook. Saw our first moose in Dixville Notch between Errol and Colebrook.

Then some gas and north through the Connecticut Lakes and into Canada. On to St Georges.

Day 2: Sunday, 6/22 - Left St Georges and headed north to Quebec City. Overcast, but no rain. At least not yet anyway. Plan was to continue north to Chicoutimi. Stopped for lunch and gas at the last rest area before the mountains. Came out, and the rain was just starting. Poured all the way north. Lots of traffic. Road construction. And cagers who don't give anyone a break, including motorcycles. I think once all the construction is done and on a nice day, it could actually be a fairly nice ride. More gas in Chicoutimi, and then south along the Sanguenay River. This ride back south was everything that the ride north was not. No traffic and endless miles of twisties. And no rain except for a couple of brief showers. One of my favorites sections of the whole trip. Emerged at the St Lawrence and took the ferry across to Riviere-du-Loup.

Day 3: Monday, 6/23 - Destination -> Perce Point at the very tip of the Gaspe. Started off with a lot of mist in the air which shortly deteriorated into thick fog. Those trailer trucks emerging out of the fog at a closing speed of 120 MPH plus were a little un-nerving. Very intense two hours, but everntually the fog cleared and the sun came out. Then just great weather all the way to the tip. And what scenary. The highway runs right along the coast at sea level, with the ocean on one side and sheer cliffs on the other.

Every once in a while, the road climbs up into the mountains and then back down to sea level. Little villages every so often. Maybe a couple hundred miles. I've done the Cabot Trail, and this is all that and a whole lot more. Ended the day at Perce Point.

 

[tomm]

Day 4: Tuesday, 6/24 - After riding around the hills overlooking Perce, we headed out along the south coast of the Gaspe. Ran into a routine roadblock looking for unregistered motorcycles, got caught in a some small-town holiday parade, managed to dodge a number of serious-looking thuderstorms, and eventually ended up in Campbellton, New Brunswick. Then headed south to Bathhurst for the night, with the intent of going to Moncton and Atlanticade the following day.

Day 5: Wednesday, 6/25 - After checking the weather forecast for the next several days, we decided to change our plans and start heading home instead. Crossed over Route 180 (about 80 miles of nothing but woodlands) to St Quentin. Gas and some Tim Horton's coffee, then back up the road a short distance to the gravel road for Mt Carlton. Back to pavement after about 3 miles. Then about an hour of twisties through the mourntains without seeing another vehicle. Lunch at Plaster Rock and on into Maine. Down 2A and ending in Bangor for the night.

Day 6: Thursday, 6/26 - Leisurely ride to Rangeley. Forecast was for severe thunderstorms, so we rode around the lake but never more than an hour from where we were staying. Then a few beers on the back deck overlooking the lake, dinner, and a really intense light show, courtesy of mother nature. Great way to spend our last evening of the trip.

Day 7: Friday, 6/27 - Back home via Route 16 through Errol, Berlin, lunch again at the Glen House and Conway. Brief shower just south of Conway. About 30 minutes after we got home, another round of severe thunderstorms came through.

Total miles: Just over 2000. Encountered several moose and one deer (thankfully none at close range), and gained about 10 pounds. Took 4 hours to get the bike clean on Saturday. Definitely did our part to reduce the bug population.

 

[T-Dog]

thanks for sharing.What did you think of the hills around Perce?Did you find the route des failles,with the Gargantua restaurant and campground at the top?Approaching Perce from the east on 132 is cool eh?thanks again

 

[Jethro]

Wow, what a trip. I am seriously jelious and want to ride the Gaspe myself. Thanks for the pictures and ride report.

 

[tomm]

thanks for sharing.What did you think of the hills around Perce?Did you find the route des failles,with the Gargantua restaurant and campground at the top?Approaching Perce from the east on 132 is cool eh?thanks again

The views around Perce were awesome. And yes, thanks to your recommendation, we found 'the tail of the codfish.' Couple pictures below . . . one looking back down the road from the restaurant, and one looking out over the hills behind the restaurant. The road is visible winding back down into the valley. Thanks. Would have never known to look for it otherwise.

Also, a picture of the road coming down into Perce. Quite a grade.

And one more of the road along the coast from the red lighthouse on the hillside.

Jethro: Would highly recommend the trip. Hope you get a chance to do it someday.

 

[Jethro]

I just need to decide what season and vehicle I want to do it in! The Gaspe is a huge snowmobiling destination.

 

[T-Dog]

I just need to decide what season and vehicle I want to do it in! The Gaspe is a huge snowmobiling destination.

you got that right Jethro,fine trails with bridges over the rivers,etc,awesome hospitality too. Tomm,great pics,glad you found the TOC!