National Post (National Edition)
From hiking trails to the Flavour Trail, all roads lead to adventure in Charlevoix
After a couple of culture filled days in Baie-St-Paul, Les Éboulements and St-Irénée, it’s time for my old kocho sensei, his wife and I to start the second part of our journey, to La Malbaie, the allnatural paradise that continues to inspire writers, painters and poets with its rich history and other-worldly beauty.
A mere six-hour drive from Ottawa (where they flew in from Japan) via Montreal and Quebec City, Charlevoix may be easy to get to but it feels like it’s worlds away, somewhere nature and culture exist in perfect harmony.
A UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserve that was created when a huge meteorite crashed into the earth 350 million years ago forming a 53-kilometre-wide crater, Charlevoix has two national parks with a network of hiking trails in each. Parc national des Grands-Jardins has just over 30 kilometres of trails and there are easy, intermediate and difficult ones to choose from.
We start with an easy, 10-kilometre loop on the Du Brûlé Trail that takes around three hours and brings us to a nice vantage point on Lac Arthabaska, where we decide to enjoy the picnic we packed for the adventure.
Full of goodies like cretons, pâté, and rillettes from the nearby Ferme Caprivoix (that offers guided tours and has a petting zoo), as well as Rosette de Charlevoix from the Charcuterie Charlevoisienne and locally made bread, the entire packed lunch is concocted thanks to establishments that are part of the Flavour Trail, a local agrotourism tour that offers epicureans the opportunity to treat themselves to more than 40 farms, specialty shops, restaurants and breweries for tastings, tours and more.
My travel companions embark on an intermediate hike in the afternoon but convince me to tackle the Mont du Lac-des-Cygnes
Trail that offers a unique view of the crater formed by the meteorite, and the Vallée du Gros-Bras.
There’s something quite humbling about being confronted with the oldest rock formation on earth and I stay there for a while, breathing deeply, feeling grateful for the moment of peace and reflection.
Picturesque St-Urbain is just one of the small towns accessible from the backcountry Mountain Road that connects both national parks, and we spend the next day exploring La Ferme Basque de Charlevoix, which produces foie gras and other specialty duck products, and the Centre de l’Émeu de Charlevoix, which transforms emu oil into natural face and body care items.
Parc national des Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie is discoverable by boat, canoe, kayak and bicycle, but we’re set on enjoying its steep slopes and beautiful natural surroundings on foot, along one of its seven spectacular trails.
The park is home to many species of plants and animals, some of which are rare or even vulnerable, and includes some of the most beautiful landscapes in the entire province. The lustrous golden eagle, formidable peregrine falcon and stoic moose — one of the country’s most recognizable and iconic symbols of wildlife — are just some of its inhabitants.
Maybe it’s because my name means “baby bear” in Latin, but I’m particularly drawn to bears; Domaine Le Pic-Bois, set in the foothills of the national park, is an incredible opportunity to see both black bears and beavers in their natural habitat. The entire four-hour excursion that’s run by the Lavoie family is both eye-opening and heartwarming, much like the region itself, and provides yet another opportunity for us to disconnect from everyday life and reconnect with nature, and each other.
To end our unforgettable trip to Charlevoix, we embark on the quintessential La Malbaie experience where the mountains meet the sea: whale watching.
The three-hour cruise we take into the Saguenay Fjord — the largest navigable fjord in the world — on Croisière AML’s Grand Fleuve is likely to be the only chance my friends will ever have to see the natural wonder, and we’re all struck by the vastness of space, as well as the truly out-of-this-world whales, porpoises, seals and sea birds that are par for the course this time of year.
As for me, I’ve promised myself that I’ll come back one day to explore some more.
For more information about Charlevoix, visit tourisme-charlevoix.com.